Memories are what make school years so special, and the yearbook is the perfect way to hold onto those moments.
As the Yearbook teacher, Hagan Wells plays a big role in capturing memories for students and bringing them to life.
Mr. Wells took the yearbook position at the beginning of the school year in 2023.
To capture the importance of producing a yearbook, it’s essential to have a solid understanding of its role of showcasing the school’s memories and stories throughout the school year.
“As a journalism teacher and someone who was involved in student media when I was a student at GRC, I know the importance of informing and representing people by telling their stories in the yearbook,” said Mr. Wells. “When I was offered this opportunity to take over, I thought it was a great way to become more involved in our media production.”
Balancing the roles of a journalism teacher and the yearbook adviser can be challenging, but having a great yearbook staff makes it all possible.
“They work very hard on the yearbook during class, but they also dedicate a lot of time outside of class to work on it, whether that is designing pages or going to events and covering those,” said Mr. Wells.
Building relationships on the yearbook team is crucial, as it helps everyone enjoy the experience while still being able to work hard.
“At the beginning of the year, we spend a lot of time team building because I want everyone on the staff to know that they are a part of a team,” said Mr. Wells. “We are focused on building this year’s yearbook and making it the best it can be, but sometimes we have to take a step back and just enjoy each other and most importantly have fun.”
Every year, new members have the opportunity to join the yearbook team and contribute their unique perspectives.
“In January I make an application form and put it up in my room and I print out a form for every English teacher to give to their students so that more students have an opportunity to get involved in the yearbook,” said Mr. Wells.
Having a variety of students from different grades and interests is important to be able to fully represent the school in the yearbook.
“I opened up applications to the underclassmen so that anyone in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade could apply to be on the yearbook staff, which helps incorporate a variety of grades,” said Mr. Wells. “When picking students to be a part of the staff, I ensured to choose students from a lot of different areas of our school to make sure everything is included and represented in our yearbook.”
The yearbook captures the fun memories that make school special, showcasing candid photos that highlight experiences students will cherish for years to come.
“An important aspect in a yearbook is capturing the candid moments of our school,” said Mr. Wells. “Everyone expects the usual school pictures, graduation pictures, sports photos, and school dance photos, but it’s those candid moments of people having fun that create lasting memories that will make a yearbook stand out.”
The yearbook is extra special to seniors because it serves as a keepsake full of memories to remember their accomplishments.
“Towards the end of the yearbook, we devote a lot of coverage to graduation,” said Mr. Wells. “There are so many special moments in students’ senior year that we want to include such as baccalaureate, project grad, and students walking through elementary schools.”
In every page of the yearbook, there are memories that will last a lifetime, capturing laughter and unforgettable moments shared amongst the students at GRC.
“I hope that we continue the success that we have established,” said Mr. Wells. “People understand that they can depend on the yearbook to represent GRC and I hope in the future we continue to find new creative ways to express how incredible GRC really is.”
