Bishop O’Dowd’s journalism team, spearheaded by teacher Damian Barnes and students Avery Forristal and Maribel Romero, received a Gallery of Excellence award for their 2022 issue of the yearbook. The award was given to O’Dowd’s team by Walsworth Yearbooks, the program it was created on. Forty yearbooks were published with Walsworth this year, while only four received this award.

Avery Forristal, the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the yearbook, single-handedly created 178 spreads. She shares, “We all worked really hard on this yearbook and it’s one of the best ones we put out in a while, so I’m really happy we got recognized!” Maribel Romero, the other Co-Editor-in-Chief, reveals, “I feel really honored because the yearbook takes a lot of hard work throughout the year. Avery and I made sure we put in extra work and made Mr. Barnes and the rest of the school body proud.” Their hard work was apparent to the journalism class and it was their dedication and determination that brought this 2021-2022 yearbook together.

Next year, the 2023 edition of the yearbook will be taken over by Natalia Jamula. Natalia shared her happiness about the award and excitement about becoming the yearbook Editor-in-Chief, saying, “The award we got is MUCH deserved. I know several girls who would stay up all night perfecting every page, and this award is just the cherry on top of our masterpiece. I am so excited to pick up on the amazing work O’Dowd puts on every year as editor!” 

O’Dowd’s journalism team was committed to producing a yearbook that fully encapsulated the love and creativity on campus. Indeed, their hard work and diligence were recognized with the Gallery of Excellence award. The entire O’Dowd community looks forward to enjoying the book, especially the seniors, who are now able to conclude their time at O’Dowd with an award-winning recollection of their past four years.