Cookson Hills Christian School Yearbook Named to Pictavo International Honor Roll

Northeast Oklahoma Christian school’s student-built book joins award-winning student publications in Pictavo’s international network

Somewhere in an Adair County classroom at Cookson Hills Christian School sits a stack of edited proof pages and a group of students who spent a year learning that every face in their hallways has a story worth telling.

This fall, the yearbook world noticed. Pictavo, one of the largest printing companies in the yearbook industry, has named the Cookson Hills yearbook to the prestigious Pictavo International Honor Roll, placing it among just over 200 publications from its extensive international network.

Judges looked for exactly what this book was built on: innovation in design, photography and graphics. “Panelists review every detail of the books,” said Steve Kent, Pictavo’s chief marketing officer.

That close look confirmed what Principal Melissa Jackson had watched all year. “Receiving the Honor Roll award from Pictavo is a validation of our students’ dedication, creativity and perseverance,” she said.

Yearbook teacher April Graney was thrilled to see her students recognized “for their creativity, hard work and dedication to representing our students and school year so well.”

Every student on the map

That dedication started with a single idea. The yearbook staff chose the theme “The Journey,” using Pictavo’s travel-style designs to show that the school year, and life itself, is a journey. They carried the theme into every classroom, asking classmates about their favorite vacations, the weirdest food they ever tried on a trip and where they would go if they could go anywhere.

Those answers helped make sure no one was left off the map. The yearbook students counted every photo to ensure that each classmate appears at least three to five times, Graney said. Seniors received a full interview, and every student answered a trivia question for their class page.

Each member of the yearbook staff owned a section, from elementary and middle school to sports, campus life and Spirit Week. Page by page, they wrote copy, sorted hundreds of photos and measured the spacing between images by hand.

“There was a lot of sweat, tears and laughter that went into this yearbook,” said Celi, a yearbook student.

Learning to lead together

Turning all that energy into one book took growth. “This was an exceptionally creative bunch with no shortage of big ideas,” Jackson said. “April had her hands full helping them channel and focus all that artistic energy into a cohesive vision. Once they learned how to direct their creativity toward a unified goal, their talent really took off.”

Part of that growth was learning to lead together. “Teamwork is very important, and especially communication,” said Kaylee, a yearbook student. That lesson followed the yearbook students out the door when they approached local businesses to sponsor the book, an experience Graney said “stretched them to grow in the professionalism of presenting an opportunity to a business.”

The benefits of student-led journalism reach well beyond the yearbook room. The National Association of Colleges and Employers found that 70% of employers now use skills-based hiring, with teamwork, problem-solving and communication topping their wish lists. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 likewise ranks leadership and creative thinking among the core skills employers value most.

Stories told with care

At Cookson Hills, the yearbook students learned that telling someone’s story is a responsibility. “You want to make sure you stay as accurate as possible to what happened,” said Benji, a yearbook student.

That care meant seeing potential, too. Benji framed one freshman page around a friend shown preaching to the class because “he has some good leadership qualities inside of him.”

“When students tell our school’s story, it carries an authenticity, heart and perspective that no adult could ever replicate,” Jackson said. Graney agreed, adding that her students “are fully capable of creating a yearbook on a high level to compete with much larger schools.”

Jackson credited the community behind them. “This recognition is direct proof of what our young people can achieve when they are surrounded by a community that believes in them,” she said.

Pictavo announced the honor during National Yearbook Week, but the moment the yearbook staff remembers came months earlier. When they sent their final pages to print, Kaylee remembered thinking, “Okay, we did good.”

They did more than good. They set out to tell the story of a journey and wrote a chapter of their own.