Amelia designs strong future with role on Northwest yearbook

May 27, 2026

 

Lincoln Public Schools understands the importance of quality journalism to help inform our community and shine a light on the people, programs and events that make our school district unique. Student News Desk is our ongoing effort to promote excellence in journalism and public education by highlighting student journalists from our high school publications classes. This month’s spotlight is on Northwest senior Amelia, who has become a trusted leader on the school’s yearbook staff. Congratulations, Amelia!

If someone designed a yearbook spread about Northwest High School senior Amelia, it would be filled with content showcasing her outgoing, hardworking and friendly personality.
 
Amelia has created a winning theme for her Northwest career with her wide array of talents. She earned a silver medal in this spring’s state journalism contest, filled a leading role at the state play production meet and has excelled in her academic pursuits. She said she has enjoyed every moment of her time as a Falcon.
 
“I think there is a lot of community here for sure,” Amelia said. “I think it’s really easy to find your people and stick with them. It’s easy to find something you love and find those new opportunities.”

 
The yearbook classroom has been one of those places where Amelia has excelled. Yearbook advisor Carie Miller said she has become a treasured member of the team because of her trustworthy skills. Amelia completed her first yearbook assignment 18 months ago and her responsibilities have increased since then.
 
“Working with Amelia in yearbook has been a dream,” Miller said. “She is very coachable and strives to always work towards excellence. If I need something urgently completed, I am always assured that if I assign it to Amelia, she will happily complete the task past my expectations.”
 
Miller said Amelia is a primary reason for the yearbook’s success. She develops multiple ideas for spreads, guides new teammates and is passionate about planning the best possible product for readers.
 
“Amelia is a person who is a silent leader,” Miller said. “She calmly answers questions of younger staff members and is an example of how to independently complete assignments with integrity. Amelia functions less like a student and more like a seasoned managing editor. Her leadership is defined by a rare combination of vision and accountability.”
 
Amelia said her yearbook duties have led to many rewarding moments of discovery. She has interviewed Falcons about their performing arts activities, taken photos of classroom lessons and gained firsthand knowledge about the Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program.
 
“I’m not afraid to talk to anybody,” Amelia said. “There are so many people here who I know just because I’ve had to go interview them. It’s fun to just dive in and see what they’re doing.”
 
Miller felt Amelia’s talents were worthy of being recognized on a state level, and she secretly submitted her content to the Nebraska State Activities Association (NSAA) Class B yearbook theme copywriting contest. Amelia was shocked when her name appeared on a list of NSAA qualifiers.
 
“She sent in my piece and I had no idea,” Amelia said. “When we got the results back, I found out that I had made it to state, and it was really cool. I wasn’t expecting it.”
 
Amelia’s state-qualifying entry focused on the accomplishments that happened at Northwest since the school opened four years ago. She and other state competitors were tasked with creating new yearbook copy for a fictional school in their contest. Amelia was pleased when she saw that many details about the fake school could have come from Northwest’s handbook.
 
“It was actually really neat, because it was similar to our school,” Amelia said. “The fake school made it to state for theater, which we also did, and they had a strong marching band, which we also do, and they had a good girls track team, which we also do. It turned out to be a lot easier to write the state piece because of that.”
 
Amelia’s knack for penning strong yearbook paragraphs vaulted her into second place on the state leaderboard. Miller said it was exciting to watch Amelia return home with a major prize.
 
“Amelia is our first NSAA journalism silver medal winner in theme copywriting,” Miller said. “This accomplishment solidifies that she isn’t just a good writer, she is a strategic thinker who can maintain a cohesive voice across an entire publication.”
 
Amelia credited Miller and her yearbook teammates for encouraging her throughout the fall, winter and spring. She said their yearlong support helped her pass the on-the-spot test.
 
“When I was there, I had to write a whole new piece, but I wasn’t worried,” Amelia said. “I knew I had been equipped with the skills that I needed to do it well. I had a good time. I was really proud of what I was able to write.”
 
Amelia initially enrolled in yearbook class because she enjoys writing, but she quickly became fascinated with the layout design process. She said solving puzzles involving text, photos, colors and graphics is a fun part of her day.
 
“It’s really cool working with the designs,” Amelia said. “You move one thing and then another thing, and all of a sudden, it clicks. It’s, ‘Oh, this is it. This looks really nice.’”
 
Amelia would like to major in either journalism or psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She said her time on the yearbook staff has prepared her well for both promising careers.
 
“I really love to write, and I really love to analyze things,” Amelia said. “Getting to do both of those in one class has been a lot of fun.”

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