Each year the OHS yearbook staff produces a creative and organized yearbook for students, teachers, staff members, and others to recall the memories made over the course of the school year. The 2021-2022 yearbook staff did an excellent job this past year and were awarded for their achievements. 

In November, Mrs. Donovan mailed in a copy of the 2021-2022 yearbook to be entered into the Illinois Journalism Education Association Yearbook Excellence Contest sponsored by the Illinois Journalism Education Association (IJEA). This competition included the high school staff only and was open to all IJEA member schools across the state of Illinois. Okawville was entered into Division 1 by size, with enrollment up to 225, and was judged and scored in 8 categories. The following are the places the yearbook won in each category: 1st place – Overall General Excellence, 2nd place – Copywriting, 1st place – Coverage of the School Year, 2nd place – Layout and Design, 1st place – Sports Coverage, and 1st place – Theme Development. The final score was determined by the placings they received in each category. 

Dana Donovan is the advisor of the yearbook staff and this is how she felt about their achievements, “I am so proud of the hard work the 21-22 staff put in on this book and that they received well-deserved recognition. We had some struggles along the way, I feel like they produced an excellent book that showcased OHS’s year, and the staff should be very proud of what they accomplished.” The 21-22 book has also been entered into the Southern Illinois School Press Association (SISPA)’s Golden Dozen competition but the results will not be out until February 22nd.