Central’s yearbook class is in need of students to contribute to creating a product we are all eager to look at. For this class, deadlines are essential and not meeting a deadline is a major setback. However with lack of manpower, it is difficult for pages to get formatted and completed before the company needs them. English teacher and yearbook class advisor, Lisa Sands is the only teacher in charge of the assembly of the yearbook and her class only consists of 18 students. 

    She urges students to join the class for a multitude of reasons. As a staffer, the position when taking Yearbook one learns all content necessary for making their own pages. They are taught all the components for creating a publication including journalism, reporting, interviewing, photography, design elements and business. 

    “It is a business because we are selling the product…it’s probably the most real world experience you can get in these walls,” said Sands. 

    The students learn about sales and how important it is that the class meets the requirements and deadlines set by the company, Jostens’, because if not they get billed late fees. 

    Once completing one year of the class, students become an editor which comes with more responsibilities. 

    “They’re responsible for making a lot of oversight decisions,” said Sands.

    Editors will pick the theme, design the “ladder” which is an outline for what content will appear on each page, template design and choose colors and fonts. They may also teach staffers the concepts they are specifically skilled at. As an editor the class is formatted for students to work to their strengths and help mentor others while working on a real product that will be distributed school wide. 

    The class is asking for more students to join but also wants people to know the student body can contribute without adding the class to their schedule. Yearbook plus is revolutionary for accessing more content and insight on students in the school. This feature allows students to add up to ten of their own personal photos to a website where the yearbook class can use them. It also means when someone scans your picture in the yearbook those submitted pictures will appear. 

    On top of the skills you learn from this class, the class has many more benefits. As mentioned earlier, students get to work with a real business so they gain valuable sales experience if that is a possible career path and strengthen their problem-solving. 

    “Gives you the chance to problem solve, get to know other people… to be creative and to share other peoples stories,” said Sands. 

    And while this class can be stressful, with more help the production can move smoothly and create a fun experience. The class is being offered as a wrap class during second period next year.