True to its 2016 theme, the yearbook staff was “walking on sunshine” after receiving word that it had earned an All-American rating, the highest possible from the National Scholastic Press Association.

In order to receive the All-American rating, a staff must earn at least 400 points and at least four marks of distinction. Marks of distinction are essentially citations for exceptional work.

Lisa Sage, who evaluated the 2016 Knight for NSPA, awarded the staff 470 out of a possible 500 points and four out of a possible five marks of distinction. The Knight staff earned distinction in these four areas: essentials, coverage, writing and editing and photography.

In her critique of the yearbook’s distinctive coverage, Sage praised the staff for its on-the-spot reporting of last year’s power outages and for using the people section of the book to cover important subjects like the writing center, the talent show and the AVID fundraiser for the custodians. She reserved her kindest words for the book’s academic coverage.

“The academic coverage is incredible,” Sage wrote. “I found myself reading the stories and wanting to hear more about how classes are taught at your school.”

Sage praised the Knight staff for doing “awesome job.” In her summary comments, she praised the book’s visual and verbal coverage, its thematic organization and the community support evident in the ad section.

The top national award is the second national distinction captured by the 2015-2016 yearbook staff. Last month, the staff learned that the 2016 yearbook cover was one of 25 covers in the nation chosen to be in the 2016 cover gallery of the Balfour Publishing Company.

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