Founded in September 2014 after the merger of West and East High Schools to the new Corning-Painted Post High School, Tesserae has consistently distinguished itself as one of the best high school yearbooks in the nation.
Every edition of Tesserae has been on the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and National Scholastic Press Association finalist lists. In 2017, with Vol. 3, "Only Go," Tesserae earned its first CSPA Gold Crown and its first NSPA Pacemaker — the first "double" in the history of our school district's publications.
That began a five-year streak establishing a true reputation for excellence: along with Vol. 3, Vol. 4, "The Best is Up to You;" Vol. 5, "Here, We Do;" Vol. 6, "But You Already Know That;" and Vol. 7, "Be A/Part of the Whole" all earned both Gold Crown and Pacemaker honors. Only five schools in the nation's history have achieved a five-year "double" streak. Vol. 8, "It's About Time," earned a CSPA Gold Crown and an NSPA Pacemaker Finalist recognition. The editors and staff at Tesserae are proud to be a part of this tradition of excellence, working each year to set the bar high for themselves and high school yearbooks nationwide.
On December 6, 2021, the Journalism Education Association named our co-adviser, Michael Simons, the 2021 H.L. Hall Yearbook Adviser of the Year in a surprise announcement at CPPHS. Mr. Simons is now in his 22nd year advising, having started at West High's Skjöld in 2001, and joining East High's Logos 2012 as the schools neared their merger to Corning-Painted Post High School in September 2014, when he founded Tesserae with our first staff and their book "1+1=ONE."
Mr. Simons was a JEA Medal of Merit recipient in August 2021. The award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to scholastic journalism. NSPA honored him with its Pioneer Award, their highest honor to journalism educators, in November 2021.
