The yearbook

received the highest honor ever given to the high school with the awarding

of the Most Outstanding High School Yearbook for 2001 given by the American

Scholastic Press Association. Only one school in the United States can

receive this award.

The other awards

won by the school were the Gold Medallist Book from the Columbia Scholastic

Press Association, the All American Award with four marks of distinction

from the National Scholastic Press Association and an Award of Excellence

from the Georgia Scholastic Press Association.

All of the

awards are given based on points scored in five different categories:

coverage, concept, writing and editing, design and photography. The total

number of points determines the various rankings.

"We have

won most of the other awards before but never the Most Outstanding Yearbook.

It was a surprise for us to be that singled out," said Penny Pridgeon,

yearbook sponsor at Fayette County High.

In addition

to the awards, parts of the 2001 yearbook have been published in the Columbia

Scholastic Press Association and National Scholastic Press Association

books that are distributed throughout the nation.

Pridgeon credits

the hard work of the yearbook staff for the high honors the publication

received; especially the attention to detail given by the editor, Karen

McCormick, and assistant editors Holly Avera and Danielle Baumgart. All

three had served on the yearbook staff for three to four years.

"Karen

and Holly especially were determined to produce the best book ever and

Danielle did the best job of editing and proofing that we have ever had,"

added Pridgeon.

In order to

get the yearbook ready to go to press, students stay after school three

to four days a week August through February and work on the publication

anywhere from two to four hours each day. During March, the staff puts

together a CD-ROM, video and senior slide show for the senior banquet

as well as the spring yearbook supplement. Near the end of the school

year, the staff works every day after school getting ready for delivery

of the fruits of its labor.

"Few people

realize how hard and how many hours these students give outside of school.

Fifteen to 25 people work to produce something which is expected be there,

correct, on time and in budget," said Pridgeon.

While the student

body at Fayette County High enjoys the quality publication produced by

the yearbook staff, they probably do not realize the money it takes to

create the cherished books. Fayette County yearbooks are basically self-supporting,

according to Pridgeon. The staff buys Macintosh computers through yearbook

sales. Software to publish the books can run up to $1,300 for site licenses

every time an upgrade is needed.

Pridgeon estimates

that the staff has used over $1,000 worth of ink cartridges just this

year alone.

There is no

doubt that producing a high school yearbook and getting it delivered to

the school on time before graduation is serious business. Pridgeon said

she remembers that when the staff moved into the new high school they

had trouble getting tables and a room to set up their operation.

"I went

to Gary Phillips (former principal) and he started telling me about the

problems they were having getting morning announcements ready among other

things. I said yes, but if announcements don't start until March, people

will say oh well but if we miss deadlines, then you will have to stand

up at the senior banquet and tell the senior class they will not get their

yearbooks until after graduation. I had tables and help to set up the

room the next day."