Small, but mighty.
Those words are a good description of the team who create the Jefferson City High School yearbook, the Marcullus.
Last week the 2013-14 edition was featured in the 20th volume of Herff Jones' "Ideas That Fly."
Herff Jones is a North American corporation that sells educational materials from class rings to graduation robes and, yes, yearbooks. The corporation also publishes an annual hardcover book showcasing the best North American yearbook covers, designs, coverage and photography.
This year, the Jefferson City High School yearbook staff made Herff Jones' list of the crème de la crème.
In addition to the cover treatment and design, the company recognized the quality of several of the Marcullus' sub-sections, as well as a sports spread for its visual and editorial originality.
The Marcullus was one of only 343 yearbooks chosen from the thousands Herff Jones prints each year.
The same edition was also honored last April at a journalism conference held on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. At that event, the Marcullus picked up 22 awards.
The theme of the 2013-14 Marcullus yearbook is "Finding Your Piece."
Senior Editor Tyler Parton, 18, said high school students often feel confused about their identities, which is what prompted the choice.
"High school is a chance to discover yourself," he said.
The book's gray cover - which has an industrial feel - is striking in its simplistic use of bold red-and-gray type.
"It's just really traditional," Parton added. "We're big on tradition in this town."
Parton said being recognized in "Ideas That Fly" was "definitely a big deal," because last year the yearbook staff was acclimating to a new teacher and learning many new processes.
"But we came together," he said. "And we definitely learned a lot."
With only 10 members, the yearbook staff is quite small at the moment. Students have to churn out 50 to 60 pages each month to keep up with their deadlines.
With four campuses to cover - the book also includes students who attend the Jefferson City Academic Center, Nichols Career Center and Simonsen Ninth Grade Center - the yearbook students often work late nights covering games, meetings, plays and other events.
"It teaches them responsibility and how to multi-task," said Marcullus advisor Mojisola Oladehin. "I try to make it fun for the kids, but it can be crazy, hectic and stressful. I'm really proud of them. They are an amazing group of kids.
"Many people don't realize the kids put a lot of effort into this."
To pull the book together, the students use Adobe InDesign and Photoshop software.
Leanne Wilhelm, 18, senior, said she feels like she's gaining skills she'll be able to take to the workforce, since many publications - including the News Tribune - also use InDesign.
"Every day I'm learning something. And if I ever needed this skill in the future, I feel like it's going to help me," she said.