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Cocalico yearbook staff nationally recognized
By LEAH STONER
Ephrata Review
Published: May 15, 2008 11:12 AM EST
DENVER - Photographer Allie Fetter looks across the room.
"The picture is on
the server!" she shouts to her yearbook editor, senior Courtney
Sahm.
Sahm rushes to her computer to place the picture on the
"Student Life" page, burns the page on a CD, ships it out to the printing
plant and goes back to running the block one yearbook class–all in a
day's work.
"In yearbook, we have something to do everyday. It's
always busy and we are always running around to meet a deadline," said
senior editor Courtney Sahm.
Sahm is one of four editors, who, along
with 34 students ascend to room 203 each morning to learn about journalism
and to create the Cocalico High School yearbook. Room 203 is definitely a
busy place. And now the nation is seeing just how busy it is.
The
yearbook staff, along with its teacher Joe Vulopas, were recently
recognized nationally for their outstanding achievement in the world of
high school journalism.
"It's very exciting," said editor Jess
Esparra. "It's like all of our hard work that we put into room 203 is
paying off. It is nice to get recognized."
Cocalico's years of hard
work and creativity did pay off after being featured in Advisor and Staff
Magazine, a publication sent out to every high school in the country. Only
two staffs from across the nation are profiled each year.
"Every kid
in here is self-motivated and they want to put out the best product they
can," said design and photography editor Chelsea Michell.
This spark
of self-motivation is what ignites The Talon's staff to produce the
ingenious publications that are created every day. This year, however, the
staff is producing an additional publication that will feature all of the
extra-curricular activities in Cocalico since 1931 and will go on sale to
the public in September.
"Producing two publications does have a lot
to do with getting recognized but we also have a history of producing great
books. If this new publication looks like our traditional ones, it's going
to be great," said Esparra.
That long history of molding creativity
is what first caught the attention of Gary Lundgren, senior marketing
manager of Jestens publishing company who has been working with yearbooks
for 28 years.
"Al Ramer, the school's Jostens representative, called
me to let me know the exciting things happening with the yearbook program.
He also mentioned another historical book project the students were working
on. I don't know of any other staff that publishes two books," said
Lundgren.
The secret to Cocalico's success stems from a
journalistically-rigorous program taught by teacher and journalist Joe
Vulopas.
"Good things are clearly happening with the yearbook at
Cocalico High School," said Lundgren. "Mr. Vulopas' unique background as a
professional journalist enhances the experience he provides his journalism
students."
Dr. Andrew Terry, Cocalico's principal, credits many
reasons for the success of The Talon's staff.
"Our yearbook program
is great for two reasons: dedicated students that come from years of
experience and nurturing and we make it a school priority because we set
aside one class each semester to make sure it is as good as it can be,"
said Terry.
Students agree.
"I think it is amazing because we
are just a small, little school that was nationally recognized," said staff
member Dan Lutz. "I can't wait to see what we do next year."
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