The yearbook staff received the All-Kansas Yearbook award for the 2015 Silvertip, last year’s yearbook.

Yearbooks were submitted at the Kansas Scholastic Press Association (KSPA) Fall Conference in September in Lawrence, and results are announced in December. The award is presented annually by the KSPA to recognize the best themes, coverage, reporting, photography and designs in the state.

Northwest was one of five 6A schools that were declared winners of the award. To adviser Rebekah Morse, this was no small feat.

“It’s recognized by people who look at these for a living and that’s pretty cool,” Morse said. “They know what good reporting looks like, good design and photography. Being recognized by people who know and yearbook is their life–that’s a big deal.”

This recognition is equally exciting for senior Taylor Webber, current editor-in-chief of the yearbook staff.

“I was really excited about it just because that was my first year on staff,” Webber said. “Being a part of a yearbook that just won the top award in Kansas is nice. It makes you feel like all of that hard work and effort you put into it was worth it.”

Unfortunately, many students leaders on the award-winning staff graduate before receiving their recognition.

“It’s kind of this whole delayed gratification thing,” Morse said. “They work so hard and then they find out when they’re off in college, ‘Oh, our yearbook was pretty good.’”

For senior Tatum Sturdivant, though, the long wait is worth it.

“It made me really happy because we put in a lot of hard work and dedication,” Sturdivant said. “It was stressful, but we did it and it paid off in the long run.”