Summit Hilltopper Sports Journal Wins The Gold

The 2012 Summit Hilltopper Annual Sports Journal, published by the Summit Boosters Association, has won a Gold-level award from the National High School Sports Publication Awards, said Melanie Wilson, advertising and marketing director for the Summit Hilltopper.

The NHSPA, currently in its sixth year, are designed to recognize excellence in the preparation of Media Guides and Souvenir Programs that spotlight athletic teams at the secondary school level throughout the United States. There are award categories for public and private schools, large and small schools, and awards for publications prepared by parents or professionals. The Summit Hilltopper won the National Gold Award for a parent-prepared public school in the 1,000 through 1,500 student category.

“This award is a great honor for the Summit Boosters Association, the Summit Athletic Department, our school and the entire community. The Booster members work tirelessly to provide the very best for our student athletes and along the way promote the wonderful businesses in and around our community. This award is really a credit to the parents who put the book together,” Summit Athletic Director Mike Sandor said.

The Summit Hilltopper, now in its fifth year as a full-color journal, is an all-sports Summit yearbook that includes headshots of every senior athlete, as well as hot-off-the-press team shots of the fall sports teams and the Marching Band. There is coverage of the prior school year’s winter and spring Varsity, Junior Varsity and Freshmen teams, including team photos, senior photos and captains. The Summit Hilltopper is sold throughout the year at home sporting
events.

“Over 150 local businesses support Summit sports through an ad in the Summit Hilltopper,” said Wilson. “The Boosters encourages strongly patronizing these vendors who are giving back to the community. In recent years, our school budgets have become lean. Now more than ever, the Summit Boosters will need to rely on community support to maintain the high level of assistance we provide to the sports community.”

“We always knew the book was the best!” she said. “We are so thrilled and honored to be recognized at the national level.

Summit Boosters Association President Trish Cassin said, “When people show up for the first football game of the school year, the book is there. They don’t realize the countless hours it takes to make that happen. All summer long, our production team, led by math teacher Alicia Grysko, takes photographs, checks in with coaches, writes copy, compiles stats, designs and lays out the book. We sell ads and make roster changes up until the book goes on press,” she
said. “Anything to make sure that the book is the best publication it can be, representing the great sports tradition in this town, and giving local businesses an opportunity to show that they support sports and the schools.”

Last year, the publication was profiled in the Star Ledger. The reporter wrote, “The program is truly an all-sports masterpiece. If there is a business in Summit that did not advertise in the tome, we want to know why? Summit's gem takes a backseat to none.”

Honorees include schools from Washington, Delaware, California, North Carolina, New York, Texas. Arizona, Ohio, Illinois, South Carolina, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Georgia and Michigan. The Summit Hilltopper is the only New Jersey publication to be recognized.

“Receiving this award makes it seem like all of our hard work has paid off, but our goal is to consistently provide a product with new and improved features. We have a lot of great additions in store for the 2013 edition,” Wilson said.

For information about advertising in the 2013 edition, which will publish in September, contact Wilson at msw1230@comcast.net. Ad deadline
is Aug. 16.

This press release was provided by the SUmmit Boosters Association.