The yearbook team at Chisholm Trail High School is beaming with pride after receiving news that their 2023-2024 yearbook, “The Frontier,” has been nominated for a Star Award by the Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC), a prestigious recognition of journalistic excellence in Texas.  

The announcement came after a professional judge carefully reviewed the CTHS yearbook, selecting it as a nominee for the Star Award.  

"It’s amazing that we did that," said Sam Schroeder, a senior who played a key role in the yearbook. "We all worked really hard on the book, so it’s nice seeing our hard work have a chance to get an award." 

This nomination is just the first step in a rigorous judging process. Nominated publications will be reviewed by judges this fall, with nominees advancing to a second round of evaluation by a panel of journalism education professionals.  

The winners of the Bronze, Silver and Gold Stars will be announced at the ILPC Spring Convention, held at the University of Texas at Austin in April.  

The ceremony, which takes place in the LBJ Auditorium, is a major event in the Texas scholastic journalism community. 

The yearbook staff works throughout the year to put the book together, juggling the time-consuming experience with their other classes and activities.

"Last year felt really hard with all the deadlines, so I’m glad that all of that hard work paid off in a good way," Vi Reed, a junior on the yearbook staff, said. "We all work together so well because we try to know a lot about each other. It helps us cool off, regroup and have fun together." 

Yearbook advisor Erin Sledge is new to CTHS, but she couldn’t be prouder of these students. She credits the program’s success to the strong foundation laid by previous advisors and the passion of the students who put the yearbook together.  

"This program has had really great advisors for a while. I’m just walking into this program being so successful," Sledge said. "To a certain degree, everyone can learn yearbook, but we look for the passion and dedication to do the work." 

As the CTHS yearbook team prepares for the possibility of winning a Star, they are already looking ahead to their next publication.  

"We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished," Schroeder said, "But we’re also excited to keep improving and creating something even better this year." 

We are #EMSproud of the CTHS yearbook students for receiving this prestigious nomination and are excited for another exceptional edition of “The Frontier” in 2025.