Every year, the students at Hastings High School receive a piece of memorabilia: the yearbook. However, no one really knows how much work goes into the creation of the yearbook annually. It’s a complex process with many moving parts, and the only true way to learn about its origins is to talk to those at the heart of its design: our very own yearbook editors. This year, they are HHS Seniors Seren Zamore and Saffron Alfandre.
What does being a yearbook editor actually involve day to day?
A yearbook editor day-to-day is nothing too crazy. It involves checking emails from Mr. Merchant to ensure that the pages look nice. If anything doesn’t look great, we flag it and make sure to report it to Mr. Merchant. We also approve the cover, but that’s not an everyday duty. Last year, we attended a Zoom meeting to discuss the cover design, and since then, we have reviewed the design a few times and will probably review it once more prior to printing. Overall, making the yearbook requires a lot of planning and it is something that stays on our mind 24/7. As of now, we are coordinating dedications as well as making sure that as many students as possible appear in the yearbook.
What’s your favorite page in this year’s yearbook?
Our favorite page is currently the cover because we feel that it truly represents us and the work we have dedicated to it so far. There was definitely a lot of back-and-forth before making a final decision. We wanted it to be fun and different, so there were several ideas that initially went around. Ultimately, it feels like something unique to what has been done in past years.
What’s one thing people don’t realize about how much work goes into the yearbook?
Something people don’t realize about you being a yearbook editor is the amount of fun that’s involved in it. The one-on-one relationship with Mr. Merchant is like no other. However, the process also definitely has some stressors, as the amount of pressure that’s actually on us is intense. We have to make sure everyone likes it, with nothing too crazy but also nothing too bland, particularly for sports pages. It is extremely important for us to not put the same people in several times because that can spark a lot of controversy if one person is on a certain page ten times and another person isn’t on it at all.
How did you go about making the decision for who to dedicate the yearbook to?
We decided to dedicate it to a teacher due to our personal connection with them. They will remain anonymous until publication and distribution. We have so much free range on being able to dedicate it to anyone, so we wanted it to be someone who has impacted us throughout the majority of our high school career. This teacher has gone through lots of stress this past year and definitely deserves a win. Also, based on our knowledge, this person has never had a dedication in the past 10 years. Therefore, we thought that it’s well-deserved .
How do you decide what moments or people deserve space in the yearbook?
It isn’t about the person at all, it’s about the vibe of the photo and making sure our pages are diverse. We have around 1000 photos to choose from—some candid, some staged—and whatever feels right we put in. However, if one person has been featured multiple times, we often have to make sacrifices even if it’s a great photo. In addition, we sometimes go back to already finished pages and move photos around if we think a certain photo fits in a specific spot better than another. In addition to that, there are numerous pages that are essential. There are a lot of requirements that must be included, such as sports and musical groups that we do not have control over. However, we can always add fun, smaller pages if space allows.
Hopefully, all of your questions have been answered. If you’re ever curious about a specific part of the yearbook-making process, have some ideas for a page, or just want to get involved in some way, do not hesitate to reach out to Seren and Saffron! You can email them at [email protected] and [email protected]. Get excited for this year’s edition; it’s bound to be a great one!
