On Dec. 18, Round-Up yearbook was named a National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Finalist among 57 other scholastic yearbooks across the country recognized for high journalistic excellence.
Round-Up is one of 11 finalists from Texas, the state leading by volume with the most finalists in the annual competition.
“We have set very high standards for our interviews, for our writing, for our photography and for our designs,” Round-Up adviser Katrina Hester said. “So in all four categories, we’re looking at what the national expectations are, what their standards are and going line by line, asking ‘what are the things we need to be doing and how do we get there?’”
Pacemaker finalists for yearbook are selected for rich visual and verbal storytelling, with programs throughout the nation selectively judged by two teams of three judges, each devoting three days to reviewing the strengths of each entry. The difficult feat, though accomplished by Round-Up in this entry cycle, was nearly overlooked by the staff after falling short to receive a 2026 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Crown Award.
“We’ve gotten a Silver Crown before, but I think our most recent was in 2016, so it’s been 10 years,” Hester said. “We were really hoping to make it for Crown Awards this year, and we sat through all of the announcements for an hour, waiting, but we didn’t get nominated for the Crown. We were really demotivated and demoralized, so that’s kind of why I pushed Pacemaker off of my mind because I wasn’t going to wait and be disappointed again, since it was just agonizing for the Crowns.”
During a typical lunch shared with her fellow journalism advisers, Hester learned from KCBY I adviser Steven Jones that Round-Up was nominated for the Pacemaker.
“One of the other advisers looked at me and said, ‘Congratulations!’ And I said, ‘For what?’” Hester said. “And then he showed me that on the NSPA Instagram site they had listed Round-Up as one of their finalists.”
Round-Up yearbook staff members, upon learning of the recognition, think it arrived at the perfect time.
“It really was the best thing to happen in the program’s first semester, after being disappointed with CSPA when our scores were perfect for two sections and nearly perfect for the rest,” co-editor-in-chief Samanvi Sadak said. “Even though I wasn’t a part of the yearbook leaders for the yearbook that won, I can tell that the theme adjustments we made created a big difference in our book to the point that it was able to stay strong in front of the judges.”
While initial staff reactions to the news seemed to be rooted in disbelief, the recognition underscores the staff’s continuous dedication to improvement and creativity.
“I was the copy editor last year, and the staff and I spent a lot of time working through edits to make our copy and captions stronger than they had been,” co-editor-in-chief Alyssa Gray said. “It felt very rewarding to see our hard work pay off. A lot of people don’t realize how much time and effort goes into creating a yearbook, so to see our work acknowledged and appreciated feels really good, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Eighteen yearbooks will receive a Pacemaker at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Convention in Minneapolis, Minn. on April 18.
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