Tiger
Texas High School, Texarkana, Texas
CSPA Silver Crown
Theme: I want to be heard
Adviser: Rebecca Potter
Editors: Stephanie Bledsoe and Anna Teer
Walsworth representative: Jerry Griffin
The 2009-2010 Tiger editors channeled the feelings of most teenagers with their theme, “I want to be heard.” “It started out as, ‘We want our words to be heard,’” adviser Rebecca Potter said. “That’s every teenager who says no one ever listens to them, no one ever hears what they say. They are trying to figure out who they are.” The editors worked with this idea until they landed on the theme, “I want to be heard.”
The editors looked to the 1960s for design inspiration, allowing that decade to dictate color choices. This connection to the 1960s adds depth to the theme by linking the way teenagers in 2010 feel with a decade when others felt similarly. The charcoal gray background used on the cover anchors bright colors and a mix of fonts, introducing readers to the book in a way that is both inviting and interesting. The fonts used here appear throughout the book, providing continuity and adding to the overall theme package.
Each paragraph of the copy on the second opening spread begins with the same words, “I want to.” This provides strong parallelism to the theme phrase, “I want to be heard,” and speeds up the pace of this copy. Important words that relate to the theme phrase have been set in decorative fonts and the same bright colors used on the cover of the book. This helps connect the collections of words from the cover and front endsheet to this spread inside.
The staff took a unique approach to dividing the book. Each section addresses venues through which students communicate: Involvements, talents, actions, relationships and community. This non-traditional approach guides readers through the lives of students at Texas High School comfortably while providing enough structure that readers can intuitively find the content they seek.
This divider introduces the section called “Through my actions,” which encompasses events, sports and classes that have an active component. Division spreads in the 2010 Tiger draw in readers with quote collections rather than the traditional division copy. The quotes tie in with the section spin-off titles; the copy on this spread is comprised of three quotes that tell the stories of different students who have expressed themselves through their actions.
The photos selected for division spreads quickly and clearly convey the subject matter of each section. Here, for example, photos from sporting events show active moments in students’ lives.
Each section begins with two profiles. Each profile spread shares its design with this spread. The distressed edges on the photo and consistent font usage make it clear that this spread belongs in the 2010 Tiger.
Each profile story focuses on one student and follows the same conventions for the headline treatment — the words “through my” are followed by specifics related to how the student worked to be heard. This spread tells the story of a senior who rediscovered her school spirit and cheers at every game. Other profiles tell the story of a student who participated in a protest and one who values her hectic schedule.
The theme phrase “I want to be heard” allowed the Tiger staff to work heavily with first-person point of view, including first-person stories in sidebars and quick-read copy throughout the book. On this spread, a long quote provides a first-person look at a student’s desire to become a Certified Nurse’s Assistant. Another quick-read on this same page is introduced with a quote and labels the parts of a uniform required for work in health care facilities.
These sidebars go with a story about a Health Science Technology class offered at Texas High School. The writer clearly did her homework to find a story about a student using the lessons from the class at home to help his brother, who has hydrocephalus and spina bifida.
The Tiger staff did a beautiful job incorporating their theme concept both visually and verbally throughout this book. In this closing spread, the passion expressed in the theme phrase “I want to be heard” is shown visually with a photo of a student enjoying the first snow of the year. The accompanying caption recounts this student’s desire to leave school that day to take advantage of the rare event.
The first and last sentences of each paragraph of the closing copy begin with the words “I want to,” providing strong parallelism to the theme phrase, “I want to be heard.” Important words that relate to the theme phrase have been set in decorative fonts and the same bright colors used on the cover and throughout the book. This helps connect the collections of words from the cover and front endsheet all the way to the closing.
