By: Ariel Ludwick 

     At the end of each year, as seniors finish finals and summer quickly approaches, the yearbooks are distributed for everyone to see. As yearbook editors finally see all their hard work pay off, students carry pens to collect signatures. 

     Editing the yearbook and preparing it for publication takes a lot of teamwork and cooperation from the entire staff, but especially the yearbook editors. This year, there are six yearbook editors: Ariel Ludwick, Emma Jameson, Brigit Cook, Carly Russell, Gabby Hodak, and Hialeah Stanton. With six editors, it can still be difficult to get everything done before deadlines approach, which is why they typically start early. 

     In June of the previous school year, the editors have a cover meeting with the yearbook cover artist. During this meeting, the editors and artists work together to get a layout and general idea of what the cover will look like, what texture it will have, and what it will say. After that, the artist finishes the cover and sends it to the editors in October to finalize the way it looks. 

     During the summer, the editors begin to organize the page layout and prepare for the year by creating accounts ahead of time for each member. The page layout is quite a tedious task, as it requires a lot of time and planning to ensure enough pages are given for everything such as senior pages, grade pages, sports and club pages, and senior ads. 

     In the beginning of the year, the editors start with the senior portion of the yearbook, as the deadline for those pages is in late November. Editors receive senior biographies, senior photos, and baby photos for the yearbook from each senior, and carefully design the pages to contain all the information received. Once that’s finished, they submit the senior section and move onto the next set of pages. 

     In September, yearbook members start working on page layouts and getting photos, but in November, December, and January, they really start finishing pages and getting them ready before the February deadline. This set of pages includes student photos, faculty photos, superlative pages, and fall and winter sports pages. Editors work to ensure that members have the information and photos they need to design their pages and make the yearbook the best it can be for everyone to enjoy. 

     After that, there is one final deadline in March for remaining sports, club, and senior ad pages. This deadline tends to be much more relaxed and easier to complete as there is more time to complete it. Once that is finished, the senior editors are done with their job for the year. However, upcoming editors start preparing for the following year, and the cycle repeats. 

     Senior editor, Emma Jameson, participated only in sixth grade, but just joined yearbook this year once again. She has quickly made an impact on the club and works extremely hard. “I usually work on my pages and focus on layouts, photos, and captions. During homeroom I also check in on the younger kids’ pages to make sure they’re on track and help them if they have questions,” Jameson explained during an interview with The Squire. “My most favorite thing about yearbook is being able to get creative and capture moments from the school year that people will look back on for a long time.”