Signal Mountain Middle/High School 2016 yearbook receives national recognition

The 2016 staff of the Signal Mountain Middle/High School yearbook, "The Talon," is being recognized by yearbook manufacturer Jostens for producing one of best yearbooks in the nation. The staff, led by yearbook adviser Belinda Martin, comprises Haleigh Theele, Mary McGowan Austin, Sarah Kate Brock, Ivy Ervin, Allyson Martinez, Sarah Hoffmann, Maddy Young, Michaela Roach, Emily Stevens, Nicole Donnell, Sydnee Lee, Abby Werner, Denisse Zirangua, Emily Powell, Grace Viall, Julia Peele, Megan Watkins, Devon Davis and Taelor Kellum.
The 2016 staff of the Signal Mountain Middle/High School yearbook, "The Talon," is being recognized by yearbook manufacturer Jostens for producing one of best yearbooks in the nation. The staff, led by yearbook adviser Belinda Martin, comprises Haleigh Theele, Mary McGowan Austin, Sarah Kate Brock, Ivy Ervin, Allyson Martinez, Sarah Hoffmann, Maddy Young, Michaela Roach, Emily Stevens, Nicole Donnell, Sydnee Lee, Abby Werner, Denisse Zirangua, Emily Powell, Grace Viall, Julia Peele, Megan Watkins, Devon Davis and Taelor Kellum.

The Signal Mountain Middle/High School yearbook staff is being recognized for excellence for the 2016 edition of the school yearbook, "The Talon," by Jostens, a national manufacturer of high school yearbooks. Portions of this year's "Talon" will be featured in the 2016 Jostens Look Book, a collection of the best spreads and photos from school yearbooks across the country.

The Look Book includes the year's best themes, covers and designs as well as relevant coverage, storytelling copy and action-packed photography, according to SMMHS yearbook adviser Belinda Martin. Along with design excellence, the annually published Look Book honors the important role well-crafted yearbooks play in helping schools chronicle the experiences, stories and achievements most relevant to students and that academic year.

"Our yearbook staff works hard day in and day out making an inclusive and relevant publication for our student body, faculty and community," said Martin. "They design, create and re-do pages over and over again until they meet our high standards in order to create a keepsake, history book and photojournalistic representation of each school year."

"The Talon" is one of 494 yearbooks selected to be included in the 320-page 2016 Look Book out of the approximately 3,000 submitted to Jostens to be considered by its panel of judges, comprising nationally recognized scholastic journalism professionals and award-winning yearbook advisers, according to Martin.

Martin has submitted "The Talon" for consideration for each of the five years she has been the school's yearbook adviser, and said 2016 is the first year SMMHS has been selected to be included in the Look Book.

She said the judges look for creativity and innovation, areas in which the staff at SMMHS excelled this year. Jostens promotes telling stories through photos, said Martin, who named her staff's photography, as well as the way it designed each spread using a main feature to set the mood and tone for the page, as reason's this year's "Talon" stood out to the judges.

The 2016 staff of "The Talon" comprises Haleigh Theele, Mary McGowan Austin, Sarah Kate Brock, Ivy Ervin, Allyson Martinez, Sarah Hoffmann, Maddy Young, Michaela Roach, Emily Stevens, Nicole Donnell, Sydnee Lee, Abby Werner, Denisse Zirangua, Emily Powell, Grace Viall, Julia Peele, Megan Watkins, Devon Davis and Taelor Kellum.

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