If you couldn’t have guessed, I was the yearbook editor for my high school in 2016. Out of all the jobs I had (in and out of school), this one was by far my favorite. I told all my friends: “if this could be an actual job, I would go to college to be a yearbook editor”.

In my junior year of high school, I watched a yearbook be put together at times by people who just didn’t care. A yearbook is a time capsule that holds all the events and memories that occurred that year. One day, someone or even you will look back in the book and want to remember those moments in the best way possible. Out of junior year came the best yearbook squad I could ask for that followed me into the adventure of our senior year yearbook.

This book I knew had to be different. My team and I made the best book Bourne High School has seen in years. Each page had thought, passion and spirit. At the end of the year, a classmate messaged me and explained how amazing the book turned out and how it would be a memory to share for generations. This I could not have done without my team.

My advice to the person who decided to take on this task is this:

You took on such an important task. First off, get yourself an amazing core team. I can say that the 2016 yearbook would be as great as it is without my OG Yearbook squad. Time management is key. Those deadlines will come up faster than you think. Assign pages to those who you think will work well on them. If people are slacking, let them know. You have to be the boss as an editor. There are going to be times where you know a page someone made doesn’t look good and you have to fix it, even if someone gets mad about it. At the end of the day, the book is going to be in your hands and eventually in the hands of generations long after you. If something isn’t right, fix it. If the deadline is right around the corner and there are pages not done, you have to do them (even if you have to stay up until midnight). There were nights where my team and I stayed up late making pages and fine tuning each little detail. If you miss those details, it will be there forever. Put passion into each page. Once the book is published, you will look back and be so proud of the pages you put so much effort into; those pages will be the ones you will like best.

Yes, this is a daunting task but it’s one of the only reasons I wish I was still in high school for. I loved being able to create the book in its entirety: the cover, binding and all the pages in between. The yearbook website is just a blank template and you have to create the rest. The possibilities are endless. There were those long nights or stressful days, but it pays off in the end. Take the time to get those high quality pictures and make those pages extra special. Most importantly though: have fun!

My team and I lived and breathed yearbook and I’m sure we would all go back to high school just for that reason. You have to think: Where will you be in 10, 30 or even 50 years? Married? Traveling? Retired? When you want to look back on life, chances are: you will pull out a high school yearbook. The pages trigger memories (whether they are good or bad). Each page in that book is a milestone in that year. Make each one count. Yes, the best memories are found within the pages, but my greatest high school memories are the ones of making the book.

Sincerely,

The 2016 Bourne High School Yearbook Editor