Compiled by Warren Harris

After way too many months away from school, we have finally returned.

Among the millions of questions that everyone has, you’re probably wondering – “What about the yearbook?”

The yearbook theme this year is Making Headlines. It’s for sure that 2020-2021 has been a year full of headlines.

Smoke Signals staffer Warren Harris recently visited with yearbook Editor-in-Chief Ella Lucas and staff sponsor Mrs. Rector.

This may help you find some answers to a few questions that you might have, as well as some questions about the overall experience of a mostly distance learning yearbook.

SS: What steps are you taking to overcome the obvious challenges of publishing a yearbook with almost no in-person school? 

Rector: I brought in 3-4 students at a time to work on selling ads and setting up interviews with students and staff. We also had Google Meets with our yearbook representative to help us come up with new ideas for creating a book during this challenging year.

Lucas: We’ve been trying to find events like team pictures and other school-related things that we can put in the yearbook to fill the void of Homecoming week and football season. It’s going to look very different this year to say the least. We’ve also been meeting weekly to design the yearbook itself and try to come up with solutions to the emptiness we are dealing with.

SS: Where/how will you find photos/stories to use? 

Rector: We have had to be creative and do a lot of stories from home. You may see more submitted photos from students and staff in this book than in years past. We also want to thank Smoke Signals for sharing their pictures with us!

Lucas: We can use submissions from students, and we’ve been getting a lot of help from Smoke Signals with pictures, and honestly any important pictures/stories that any student has and wants to share would be greatly appreciated. You can just send it to me (Ella Lucas) or Andi Rector. 

SS: How have you managed to keep the yearbook team and yourself motivated? 

Rector: This has probably been the most difficult part of the book this year. Trying to come up with ideas to fill the book is a daunting task. Since we haven’t had dances, pep rallies, or school plays, we have struggled to come up with new ideas to fill these spaces. Because of this, sometimes it is hard to find the motivation to continue working on the book. However, after talking with our representative and looking at last year’s book, we all found a spark to keep going and to fill the pages. It also helps when the students can come in and work together. When they are able to bounce ideas off of each other, they get excited about the book and the possibilities. 

Lucas: It’s been hard. Sometimes it feels like there’s no point in even putting together a yearbook this year, but we have to remember that this is just a part in our lives that we will one day look back on and remember how hard we worked to get through it. 

SS: What is one positive thing that you have gained from this experience?

Rector: I absolutely love working with this group of yearbook students! I give them a task and they run with it. This clearly isn’t an ideal situation for us, but they are up for the challenge and are doing great things. I can’t wait to see their final product!

Lucas: One positive thing I have learned from yearbook this year is that everyone’s mind is so different and beautiful. When we were picking out layouts and designs, it was so interesting to hear what my classmates had to say and the good ideas they brought to the table. 

SS: How will the book be different than usual? 

Rector: This book will definitely be unique, but I hope we are able to highlight the “good stuff” that happened this year. We will have more pictures from home and more interviews from students and staff, than usual. There may be fewer pictures of events around the school, but we will find ways to fill those pages with the things we have all been doing during this unprecedented time.

Lucas: Sadly, I can infer that this year’s yearbook will be much thinner than previous ones. It will not have Homecoming, Soirée, pep rallies, or anything like that included. Although, it will have screenshots of zooms and people wearing masks. 

SS: Will the current situation change the publishing date or the cost? 

Rector: The book’s cost and publishing date should not change. The book is $60 and is always printed and mailed home in the Fall. We should have the book ready to send to the publisher by this summer, as usual!

Order your Yearbook here.

We hope this answers and questions you might have had about this year’s yearbook. If you have any more questions, you can contact Mrs. Rector.