Madison High School Year Book Wins Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal

The Madison High School Alembic 2014 has been honored with a gold medal by the prestigious Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), a division of Columbia University, in their national evaluation of yearbooks for the fifth time in five years.

The CSPA, founded in 1925, has evaluated more than 125,000 yearbooks, magazines and newspapers. Of its many distinguished award, the gold medal is considered one of the highest honors that CSPA awards high school yearbooks.

CSPA evaluates each yearbook in accordance to three different sections: reference, verbal and visual. The reference evaluation consists of a rigorous examination of the organization, theme application and event coverage. The verbal section analyzes the yearbook based on the copy, and the format in which it is written. Finally, the design and photographs within the yearbook are assessed within the visual segment.

As CSPA describes, “Yearbooks today use the techniques of journalism to fulfill their roles as a memory book, a history book, a record book and a reference book.”

Led by Yearbook Advisor, Dani Bratton, as well editors in chief, Katy Costikyan, Adin Makowsky and Caitlin Smith, the 2014 Yearbook Staff strived to create a yearbook that met and exceeded all of those requirements. The many nights spent at deadline, snacking on a multitude of candy, popcorn, pretzels and poring over spreads, adhering to the complicated, strict caption requirements as well as struggling to name each and every face that appeared in the yearbook, paid off.

Upon hearing that they had managed to secure the fifth gold medal, Makowsky explained that he was “very proud of our class for being able to produce once again a beautiful, award-winning book, and carry on the legacy of the past four years before us.” Similarly, Smith expressed her own sentiments, claiming “it was a privilege to work with such a hardworking and talented staff. I am so proud of the yearbook we produced and receiving this award is an honor.”

However, the tireless staff is not done yet. What is in store for the five-time gold medal-winning yearbook and its dedicated staffers? According to Bratton, it’s “yet another beautiful yearbook with a great staff!”