| Featured in the Westerly Sun on January 5, 2005 |
STONINGTON'S
2005 YEARBOOK WINS PRAISE
By Tom Kasprzak - The Sun Staff
PAWCATUCK -- The upcoming 2005 Stonington High School Pawmystonian
has been chosen as a sample yearbook by Jostens Yearbook Company to showcase
to potential Jostens clients.
Bob Sasena, Jostens Eastern Connecticut sales representative, said he chose Stonington's upcoming yearbook because of the detailed and professional appearance of the publication over the past five years.
Sasena credits Stonington's yearbook designs to the professionalism of Sharleen Rustici, yearbook advisor and SHS students.
"She has just taught (the students) some great stuff," Sasena said.
Rustici said
it is an honor for the Pawmystonian to be selected, especially because
production of the book is not yet complete. "To be selected even before
the book is completed... wow," she said.
She said that she has had very talented and receptive students over the years
who take pride in the yearbooks they put out.
"I give them a lot of advice and guidance, but it's their book," explained Rustici.
The title, Pawmystonian, represents a conglomeration of Stonington, Mystic and Pawcatuck into one word and dates back nearly 70 years. According to Rustici, Cynthia Allyn, who currently resides at the Mystic Nursing Home, was the arts editor for the 1935 Stonington yearbook and coined the name, Pawmystonian.
Rustici has served as adviser since 1997, and her publications have included the 2003 Bear Naked yearbook, which garnered lots of attention after depicting half dressed images of people on the cover and inside the yearbook.
"It won the Outstanding Division Pages Award from the American Scholastic Press," she said. "I was very surprised by the extent of the reaction."
Sasena said that the Bear Naked yearbook was a skilled and professional work done by the students and she did not see why there was so much controversy surrounding the book.
"That was a well designed book," he said. She added that, contrary to complaints, the 2003 book received overwhelming community support.
"I've never experienced such support in my entire life," she said.
Sasena said he selected the yet untitled 2005 yearbook as a sample to show to other schools because he knows Rustici and the students will produce a top-notch product.
"I think it's the quality of the photos selected that go along with the nice looking designs of the pages," he said of why he chose Stonington's yearbook.
Rustici said she had been taking Adobe PhotoShop classes since the early 1990s, and has always had a passion for digital photography.
She added that she enjoys guiding students on the yearbook committee and is happy to share what she has learned with them. She said it's amazing to see the progress students make by the end of the year after working with Adobe PhotoShop, and understanding digital photography.
"By June, the kids feel so empowered and feel they can do anything," she said. "They pick it up quickly and are good at it."
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