El paso times: elementary school yearbook page wins national contest

YISD Elementary School Face Mask Yearbook Page Wins Prize in National Contest

Maria Cortes Gonzalez | El Paso Times

Del Norte Heights Elementary students have a reason to smile underneath their face masks.

The school won second place in a nationwide challenge to submit a yearbook spread to showcase the uniqueness of the 2020-21 school year and overcoming its challenges.

The contest was sponsored by Treering, a published-on-demand yearbook company for K-12.

The school in the Lower Valley submitted a layout spread of numerous kids wearing their face masks in style. The pages were dubbed "Fabulously Fashionable Face Masks."

Elyse Hernandez, the school's instructional technology support who creates the yearbook, said the theme for the yearbook came to her pretty easily.

"The title is 'A Year Like No Other #COVID-19' because it was " she said.

Hernandez said her idea for the face mask layout came from thinking of ways to feature the students despite the challenges of teaching remotely.

"A yearbook really documents a year in a student's life," she said. "And it was a year when everyone had to wear face masks so let's celebrate that."

The school won a $50 Amazon gift card, five free yearbooks for their school, and an art block of their award-winning spread for display.

Hernandez hopes the special recognition encourages more parents to buy the yearbook for their children. The book costs $25 and includes two pages that parents can personalize with their kids' pictures.

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