arbon Career and Technical Institute is home to the nation’s top yearbook for the second straight year.

“The Craftsman” took first place in the high school division of the 6th Annual National Yearbook Competition sponsored by Entourage Yearbooks.The overall category entries were judged according to consistency, theme and coverage.“The students do dedicate a lot of time to the project and take it very seriously,” said Michele Klock, CCTI graphic design instructor. “We have an edge because the students are using the software and learning design principles. The graphic design course gives them a solid foundation they can then apply to the yearbook. It’s a great project in that we can integrate photo lessons and page layout units that we learn in class.”Sara Aniano, an Entourage representative, said over 1,000 yearbooks were submitted for judging.“This year saw the most competitive entries in the six years that the contest has been held,” she said. “The yearbook contest is much more than a showcase for creativity. For some schools, the contest has been a catalyst in the lives of students. Participants have told us that the student designers have been motivated and inspired after seeing the end results, and have even included their participation on resumes.”It is the third time in four years CCTI has won the award.Work on the current yearbook starts almost as soon as the school year begins. Layouts and the theme are decided very early in the process.“For the 2014 book, our theme was kaleidoscope,” Klock said. “We wanted to choose something that was not only related to the school, but that had an interesting visual to go with it.”CCTI has 15 different technical areas, but Klock said all of the students and staff come together to make a “unique body of people, just like a kaleidoscope.The 25-member Craftsman staff was led by editors-in-chief Kimberly Pimble and Torree Howard, as well as assistant editors Shannon Streff and Amanda Turpin. In addition, the book also contained written contributions from 47 students.“The staff members are extremely proud of the accomplishment, and are channeling their excitement into creating an even better 2016 book,” said Klock.CCTI’s yearbook finished ahead of those from Lincoln College Preparatory Academy in Overland Park, Kansas; HTLA High from Van Ise Wuys, California; Anderson County High from Garnett, Kansas; and Desert View from Tucson, Arizona.