CCJH Yearbook Named a Top Finalist in National Competition

APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. - Dec. 23, 2019 - PRLog -- The nation's top scholastic yearbooks were recognized Dec. 19 by the National Scholastic Press Association and the 2019 Cactus Canyon book has been named one of 12 finalists in the middle school/high school division.

"I'm so proud of the students who choose to take this incredibly difficult elective and excited when I get to show them how all their hard work pays off," CCJH yearbook adviser Jason Davis said. "The Pacemaker is referred to as the Pulitzer Prize of scholastic journalism and we're proud to be a finalist and show the world how great AJ kids are."

According to a release distributed by the NSPA, the organization is one of the oldest associations to present awards for scholastic journalism. The association started presenting the prestigious award to high school newspapers soon after the organization was founded in 1921. Throughout the years, yearbooks, magazines, online sites and broadcast programs were added to the competition.

"The Pacemaker is the association's preeminent award," NSPA executive director Laura Widmer said. "NSPA is honored to recognize the best of the best."

Pacemaker finalists will be recognized with plaques at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 16 at the Opening Ceremony of the Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. The AJUSD group has received Governing Board approval to travel for the event and they are currently fundraising to help pay for their expenses. A GoFundMe has been set up to at bit.ly/ccjhybk.

The 2019 yearbook, Oro, was edited by Dia Granillo, Emily Sosa, and Tiffany Hutcheson.

Other National Awards

The 2019 Oro is also a finalist for a Gold Crown from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Those awards will be given in New York in March.

Granillo accepted the Story of the Year award in the Middle School Category at the National High School Journalism Convention put on by the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association. In the same competition, AJUSD students Amber Henderson and Emily Sosa received fifth place. Sosa also received an Honorable Mention for Design of the Year and the whole yearbook staff captured seventh place in Best of Show.

Openings Available in the Journalism and Yearbook Program

Registration for all new students who wish to enroll in Apache Junction Unified School District schools is currently being accepted at all school locations. For more information about AJUSD or its schools or departments visit www.ajusd.org.