Ouachita Stories

The 2011 Ouachitonian yearbook from Ouachita Baptist University earned a Gold Medalist rating as well as the highest scores the yearbook has received in recent years from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) in New York City. The awards recognize superior work by student journalists worldwide.

CSPA is affiliated with Columbia University and honors student achievement in newspapers, magazines, yearbooks, online media and video.

The Ouachitonian earned perfect or near-perfect scores in each of five categories: concept, design, writing, coverage and photography. These scores qualified the book for All-Columbian honors in each category and the overall Gold Medalist rating.

“The 2011 Ouachitonian and its theme ‘Becoming the Difference’ was outstanding in every respect,” said the CSPA judge for the book. “You especially excelled in theme development, coverage of all topics and photography techniques.”

“I'm proud of our students for earning a Gold Medalist rating from CSPA and for scoring All-Columbian in all five judging categories. To be noted for exceptional work in all areas of yearbook production is quite an honor,” said Deborah Root, chair of the Rogers Department of Communications and adviser for the Ouachitonian. “It shows how students gifted in areas from writing to design to photography can all come together to produce a quality yearbook that does a wonderful job in telling the Ouachita story. I'm blessed to work with such talented and dedicated students and for a university that so strongly supports the work of our students.”

“For an entire year, I put my all into creating a book that I hoped would represent what Ouachita means to the students who attend. My co-editor, Becca Watts, and I had talked numerous times about wanting to do the absolute best we could,” said Cassie (Harrell) Franklin, a 2011 mass communications graduate who served as co-editor-in-chief of the winning book. “However, I never imagined we could do as well as we did. The success of this book means more than I can put into words. This achievement is something I will always be proud of, but I wasn't the only working on it. I had a vision, but the 2011 Ouachitonian would not have earned the awards it did had it not been for the staff that worked so hard to create an award-winning book.”

In addition to Franklin and Watts, also a 2011 mass communications graduate, members of the 2011 Ouachitonian staff included: Academics Editor Tori Abellera, a sophomore mass communications major from Garland, Texas; Community Editor Jake Coffman, a sophomore music major from Tyronza, Ark.; Assistant Editor Tanner Huffman, a senior mass communications and graphic design major from Wynne, Ark.; Sports Editor Travis King, a junior mass communications major from Dallas, Texas; Student Life Editor Sarah Richardson, a 2011 mass communications graduate; and Organizations Editor Mauri Sparks, a junior Christian media and communications major from Queen City, Texas. Callie Stephens, a 2011 mass communications graduate, served as editor of the photo lab, which provided photography for the yearbook.

For more information, contact Dr. Deborah Root at [email protected] or (870) 245-5510.

By Breanne Goodrum