Yearbooks are the most sacred tradition, even after graduation. However, people underestimate the work that goes into making it. The yearbook staff meticulously plans and works on everything from pictures, to designing and editing, to even coming up with a theme. 

The theme of this year’s book is “Refresh” to represent our community restarting after the last two years of enduring the effects of the COVID pandemic. The pages feature a lot of bright colors and fun shapes and designs to highlight new school activities having a fresh start.

“Coming up with the theme was a group effort,” junior Giselle Afolabi said. “We all contributed to it, which I love because it’s like the yearbook is a representation of everyone’s designs and ideas. I like that because the whole yearbook is cohesive, but each page has different design elements.”

Although there is one theme, each of the staff members take different approaches to designing each page, while the theme of the entire yearbook is on each of the only times, but they all have their different approaches.

“Designing is my favorite part of the whole process because that’s when I really use my creativity,” Afolabi said. ”My favorite page I designed was probably the summer travel page. I really got to display my design abilities, although it was the most difficult spread I’ve ever designed.”

Yearbook is not only about putting colors together, going to games and events, and interviewing people around the school; it can be a way to learn communications skills that will be useful after graduating high school and beyond.   

”Yearbook really brought me out of my shell,” senior Katie Caron said. ”It’s definitely helped me with my ability to talk to people because I have to go out and get interviews, so I can say that now I can engage people in conversations better.”

Because of how being in the yearbook has helped them, the staff is encouraging freshman and incoming high school students to join the yearbook, so they too can learn graphic design and communication skills: it is a truly rewarding class to earn an elective credit for.

“I think people should join the yearbook because it allows people to experience things,”  Caron said. “For instance, I hadn’t been to a football game before I joined, now I have been to both golf tournaments and swim meets, which not many people can say they’ve been to.”

Yearbooks allow people to experience a new side of high school that they haven’t before. It also teaches them that while high school can be incredibly stressful and mentally exhausting, it can be fun if you let it. 

“There are about 900 kids in each grade, but you’re never gonna meet all of them but with a yearbook you really get to branch yourself out and meet new people,” senior Maria Detrinidad said. “Also, you get to go to so many new activities because I had never gone to a basketball or volleyball game before in the yearbook and they were so fun to watch and our teams are so good and I really regret not doing that before.”