Behind the Scenes of a Superlative Photo Shoot

We went back to school for the cover photo shoot of our July edition. For the third annual installment of our Superlatives Issue, we found two native Lincoln gals who made it to the big leagues as members of the New England Patriots cheerleading squad – who better for our cover photo? In keeping with the high school yearbook superlatives spirit of the story, we brought rookie Brittany Dickie and third-year veteran Jodi Ricci to Classical High School for the shoot with photographer Corey Grayhorse. Needless to say, they caused quite a stir. They slipped in the door relatively unnoticed in the warmup sweats, but once they changed into the iconic uniforms they became an undeniable presence.

First, we met with Principal Scott Barr, who, as you might imagine, was more than gracious in welcoming the ladies into his school.

Next up, we brought them into the library. Not surprisingly, bringing two cheerleaders in uniform into a library full of high school kids proved to be a bit of a distraction.

We also got librarian Jonathan Ryder into the mix, playing off the job's reputation for professional shush-ing.

For the second photo setup, we moved out into the hallway, where student Odina Ellis was kind enough to let us commandeer her locker.

When the bell between classes rang while we were still mid-shoot, our ladies again proved to be the center of attention.

For the final set-up, we moved them out in front of the school's trophy case. Though the ladies were forbidden by NFL policy from jumping or dancing in our photos, that didn't stop Corey from showing off a couple moves.

Of course, fuzzy iPhone photos barely do justice to the incredible work these ladies put in. To see the final results, you'll just have to wait for our July issue. Suffice to say it will be one of our most cheerful covers ever.