I dare you to be.

Better yet—I dare you to be without being dared. –To live a dynamic and purposeful life, despite challenges.

It is this choice--to overcome hardship and succeed—that Cavaleon, the award winning yearbook, embodies on its pages.

"The Audacity of Being," a theme chosen for its potential to showcase the bold individuals that make up the student body, as well as the impacting transitions recently undergone by the nation, is the unifying i dea behind Volume 68 of Cavaleon. After a year overrun with negativity, it is only natural that the pages of Cavaleon highlight the good, including Miami’s culture.

"A lot of bad things went on this year: the economy, the cutting of classes. We wanted to do something happy," Nina Zeitel, senior and Managing Editor, said. "We wanted to incorporate a bold look that celebrated where we live, especially because a lot of seniors are leaving."

Even more bold and daring, the Cavaleon staff contacted renowned artist Romero Britto, as he epitomizes Miami’s vivacity, and requested that he design the cover art for them.

"We wanted vibrant, happy colors," Ana Zuniga, adviser, said. "It all fits in with the theme of audacity. I mean, how dare we—a high school—approach this renowned artist who was recently featured at the Louvre to help us with the cover art?"

In order to arrange the collaboration, Zeitel drafted a proposal alongside James Orbein, senior and Editor-in-Chief, and Zuniga. The proposal was then taken down to Britto’s gallery, Britto Central, Inc., on Lincoln Road, in South Beach.

"I kept in touch with Britto’s assistant, who was impressed by the proposal; Britto agreed [to do the art for us]," Zeitel said.

To assure that the art remained true to the book’s theme while representing the school, Cavaleon offered Britto direction by providing samples of the traditional Cav Man. It took around four months (the initial contact occurred in October and the art was received in January), and Cavaleon had to agree to refrain from reproducing the art in any other way.

"This is an authentic Britto. It could be worth thousands of dollars later in life," Zuniga said. "$75.00 is a good price to pay for art from Britto, who designed it just for our school—that’s pretty cool."

The theme not only focused on the best of the student body and the neighboring community, but offered the staff an opportunity to break free from traditional yearbook design. Rather than working with curves, the staff chose a more geometric and angular look. The design can best be seen in the reoccurring pattern of four squares throughout each spread of the book, a design that is mimicked on the left side of this page. Each square is a different color and represents the four seasons of the year, as the content is organized seasonally.

"We decided that the seasonal approach was the most logical division of the year, limiting the number of life sections to four, which not only simplifies deadlines, but also allows for better flow throughout the student life section," Orbein said.

While these changes seem minor to those whose eyes are not sensitive to the minute details that make up a layout, an obvious change has been made: the book is a square.

Rather than printing the book as a rectangle, its dimensions are 9 x 10, which will be square when bound. This move is in itself audacious; yearbooks are rarely printed in the form of a square.

"The fact that the book is a square is the biggest risk we’ve taken," Orbein said. "It’s not done very often, but we had used squares throughout the book; we thought it would go along with the idea of audacity to change the size of the book."

This influx of changes will certainly startle students—or at least make them look. Ironically, they were the result of fresh eyes and new perspectives introduced to the staff—neither Orbein nor Zeitel have prior experience in journalism, a rather audacious move on Zuniga’s part. However, when asked about the changes in staff and design, she spoke confidently.

"I’m open to change," she said. "I like to try new things."

And that is the message that the book strives to convey:

"[I want students to know that] anything is possible. When they read the book, they will read about students who have overcome hardships, about students who have accomplished great goals," Zuniga said.

Serving as a "history book of students this year," it is not to be forgotten the book is the product of labor to preserve the year’s events.