Jupiter High’s Chieftain yearbook was honored as one of the top yearbooks in the state by the Florida Scholastic Press Association on Oct. 28. This was the first time Jupiter’s yearbook was recognized as an FSPA All-Florida publication.

“Being recognized as an FSPA All-Florida yearbook is the top distinction from the Florida Scholastic Press Association,” Ericka Muncy, the yearbook adviser, said. “They only recognize about ten yearbooks each year, out of all the yearbooks in the state.” 

Muncy took over the yearbook program in 2014. She was proud to announce to the staff they had been honored again for creating a top yearbook. Over the past six years, the Chieftain has won 11 awards, at both the state and national level. 

“I think the yearbook staff has done a great job developing their design, photography and writing skills,” Muncy said. “They’re truly dedicated to telling the stories of all JHS students.”

Staffers were excited when they heard they had been recognized for their accomplishment, especially with the challenges of finishing a yearbook in a pandemic.

“I was extremely excited to hear that we had won such a prestigious award,” Ava Dinow, senior and managing editor, said. “We put hours of work into making the book the best that it could possibly be. To hear that all of it had paid off …was really amazing.”

Jupiter’s yearbook documents one school year in 288 pages and takes about nine months to create, from start to finish. 

Three editors-in-chief oversee all pages of the yearbook; each of them is responsible for assigning spreads to the staffers who work under them. The 2020 editors were Madison Cook, Hayley Gomez and Libby Kondik.

This year’s editors are Sydney Buck, Leila Glowka and Megan Palmieri, all seniors who were team leaders on the 2020 yearbook staff. All three have been on staff for three years and said working on a yearbook is more tedious than anyone would expect.

“[Yearbook] is the hardest class I am taking in school, and I am taking AP Calculus and AP Physics,” Buck said.

Each year, the yearbook has a different theme. Buck believes the 2020 theme’s originality, “To Whom It May Concern,” contributed  to their All-Florida status.

“I think we won…because our book had such a special theme: a letter to the school and its students,” she said.

Glowka believes their teamwork is what mostly led to their accomplishment.

“I think we won All-Florida…because of the staff,” Glowka said. “We had such strong team leaders and editors that put their heart into the book.”

Being on the yearbook staff is more than just taking pictures. It involves writing, design, collaboration, leadership and publishing skills.

“My favorite thing about being on staff is having an outlet to express my creativity in a collaborative way for not only myself but the thousands of students at our school,” Glowka said.

Dinow describes yearbook class as a “safe space.”

“I love how I can be myself surrounded by people who I consider to be my family,” Dinow said.

It takes countless hours of work and lots of late nights to produce a book everyone can be proud of, but the Chieftain staff puts in the work to create something that lasts forever for JHS students and staff. 

“I think this yearbook was the school’s best yet,” Dinow said. “But this year’s is going to be even better.”