The ballot box overflows with tickets. The fate of each candidate rests in these small slips of paper. No, these are not the results of one of the many Republican primaries taking place throughout the country. These are the Senior Superlative elections.

Before the votes are tallied, before the photos are taken, before people can happily declare themselves “Class Clown” or “Most Huggable,” the yearbook staff faces a daunting task.

The selection process.

The staff works tirelessly before the actual initial nominations of each category to first select the superlatives that will be included in the 2011-2012 yearbook.

“We try to come up with ideas that will best represent our senior class,” said Alexis Kelly ’12, a senior section editor on the yearbook staff. “After that, the entire staff collectively works to choose the best categories.” Although this may seem easy, it is difficult to embody and incorporate every student in the senior class.

However, choosing the categories is only the beginning. After the superlatives have been selected, the nomination process begins. The senior class is given a blank slip of paper on which it can submit an unlimited number of nominees for the various superlatives.

“It was difficult to select people for every category. For some I had so many people I wanted to nominate, but for other superlatives I could barely think of one name” said Emily Bicks ’12.

The nomination is perhaps the most difficult step for the yearbook staff, which must now count each nomination in order to figure out who will run on the final ballot. Usually the topthree to fivescoring nominations are the final contenders in the superlative showdown.

Although some categories may only have three candidates, each of the awards is equally coveted.

“I don’t think there is one award that everyone wants because all of the seniors are so different. There isn’t one person who fits into every category, and that makes it more exciting because it encompasses everyone,” said Amanda Pacilio ’12, senior section editor for the yearbook.

The voting took place on Thursday, March 29 during all three lunch waves, and soon after those final ballots were cast, the yearbook staff began to count all of the votes. In addition to being featured in the yearbook, the winners are announced on the loudspeaker by Mr. Dodig as well as posted on Facebook.

The results were released to the winners on Tuesday, April 2 and for some, the selection process paid off. Emerson Lovell ‘12, who won Most Huggable and Dynamic Duo along with good friend Andrew Fishman ’12, was ecstatic to receive a superlative.

“Danny and I had a giant hug-fest and we skipped around the lunchroom to let everyone know of our victory. We also bought victory clothing to wear for our yearbook picture,” said Lovell ’12.

Although it may seem like an easy task, the Senior Superlative selection process is an intricate and important procedure.