Eagle Peak Middle School student A.J. Bass has won the Grand Prize in the nationally acclaimed Jostens 2020 Photo Contest. Bass, a 7th grader, and first-year digital media student, was honored for his photo, ON THE MAT! Bass will receive a cash prize along with a camera equipment package and will be featured in several Jostens publications. 

Nearly 5,000 photo entries were received from middle and high school student photographers across the country. From these entries, only 108 photos were selected as the award winners, and Bass’ photo claimed the overall Grand Prize. 

“I was in shock that I won. I didn’t believe it. But people kept texting me that I won.” said Bass. “I’m a big Muhammed Ali fan, and one of his photos was my inspiration on the photo I took.” 

Three other students from Eagle Peak were also recognized for their photographs. Beyanah Boek took 5th place in the Photo Illustration/Manipulation category for the photo, MAGICAL MOTHER EARTH. Davin Friedland earned an Honorable Mention in the Portrait category for the photo, BEHIND THE GLOVE, and Dakota Hill received an Honorable Mention for the photo, NOSE GOES, in the Middle School category. 

“I’m so proud of my students and the hard work they put in to create each of these images. It is so wonderful to see their creative process be rewarded at such a high level,” said Elizabeth DeVinny, who teaches these students in her digital media program. It’s been an outstanding year for Devinny, who was also recognized as the California League of Middle Schools Region 1 Educator of the Year for this school year.

“We needed good news like this,” said Eagle Peak Principal Dan Stearns. “We have been working hard to make sure that students are engaged in remote learning and are fed under these challenging times for our families. When I found out that our students were recognized, and that one of them won the top prize, I was walking about three feet off the ground for a few days.”

“As the local Jostens representative for Northern California for over 30 years, I’ve been blessed to work with many talented students and advisers, but the program that Elizabeth DeVinny has built is beyond compare. Her students consistently excel and work so hard under her guidance and leadership. I’m so proud of the whole class and can’t tell you what a joy it is to work with them,” said local Jostens representative, Sheri Scott. “Seeing local schools honored in this way is always so rewarding.”

The Jostens 2020 Photo Contest winners can be viewed at https://issuu.com/jostens and will be featured in the next release of the Jostens Look Book. Contest submissions were judged by a panel of four judges consisting of professional photographers and yearbook advisers. The judges focused on composition, artistic merit, and technical qualities, as well as the ability to convey a compelling story.

Visit https://eaglepeak.uusd.net/ or call (707) 472-5750 for information about Eagle Peak Middle School and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education.