Sedona Red Rock High School Yearbook Staff Takes Home Six Quill and Scroll National Awards

SEDONA - February 4, 2010 - When the word 'dynasty' is used in describing a high school, it's usually reserved for one of the school's sports programs.

At Sedona Red Rock High School (RRHS), however, a different type of dynasty is building!

Four RRHS Quintessence yearbook staff members recently won six prestigious Quill and Scroll National Gold Key Awards for their stellar work on the 2009 yearbook. Quill and Scroll is an international high school journalism honor society recognizing and encouraging both individual and group achievements in scholastic journalism.

This year's competition featured 1,068 entries nationwide, with a total of 193 winning entries nationally. RRHS proudly claimed all six winning entries from Arizona.

Success in the National Quill and Scroll Awards is nothing new for RRHS. The Sedona high school was the only school in Arizona to win any of the National Gold Key Awards from Quill and Scroll in both the 2008 and 2009 Yearbook Excellence Contests, and it was one of only two Arizona schools (along with Tucson's Salpointe Catholic High School) to win any awards in 2007.

Yearbook and journalism adviser Maureen Barton said the key to winning all the Gold Keys over the years has been the hard work and dedication of the students making up her yearbook staff.

"I have a stellar staff and they're really serious about their work," Barton said. "They really buy into what we're doing, and they want as much as I do to get good recognition for their work."

Barton said she currently has 20 students on her yearbook staff - who have all taken on the challenge of working to Barton's admittedly challenging standards.

"If the kids can get by my class, they can get past anything," Barton said.

Awards were given in 12 divisions, with RRHS placing in six of the 12. The breakdown of category winners and recipients of the National Gold Key Awards are as follows:

Breanne Haas - Division 1 - Theme Development
Caitlyn Griefenberg - Division 7 - Advertising
Jenny Kittredge - Division 4 - Clubs or Organizations
Annie Wilson - Division 3 - Academics
Wilson - Division 9 - Academics Photo
Wilson - Division 12 - Index

The senior staff winners - Griefenberg and Wilson - are eligible to apply for one of the Edward J. Nell Memorial or George and Ophelia Gallup scholarships.

When Wilson was asked if she was surprised about her three awards and the school's overall success, she answered, "Yes and No."

"In a way I'm not surprised because I've been working on the yearbook for so long," Wilson explained. "I'm really proud of the publication and what we do here."

Wilson, a senior, added that the yearbook's staff couldn't have enjoyed its success without Barton's demanding, yet loving hand.

"We have Ms. Barton - no one else has Ms. Barton," Wilson said when explaining the school's success. "...She's always behind us 100-percent... She doesn't let you not do your best!"

Cleary Barton's standards of excellence are making an impact on her students. After all, she has the Gold Keys to prove it!