As the golden years of high school fade into distant memories, alumni will always have the school yearbook to look back on their youth. Northwood’s yearbook, “The Element,” showcases the notable achievements of various sports, clubs and classes around campus. Student leadership, staffers and photographers under the guidance of yearbook advisor Jeanna McCann work diligently year round to ensure that “The Element” remains one of the most prestigious student publications at Northwood.
“Our goal is to tell the story of the people and the events that take place during the 2023-24 school year,” McCann said. “We are tasked with being the recorders of history and making a very pretty book.”
Yearbook’s student-led format allows them to start a cycle by carrying out discussions, collaborating and pitching spreads—or sets of two pages—to one another. Once the list of spreads are approved, various staffers, photographers and graphic designers work around the clock interviewing students and teachers, writing paragraphs and creating media to meet their deadlines. Students in Yearbook are usually tasked with creating over 15 pages for each month-long cycle and often stay late into the night on deadline days to proofread their spreads.
It’s no easy feat, but yearbook students hold the necessary dedication to create a finished product, gaining important communication skills and a love for detailed work through the process.
“It’s a space where we expect staffers to express their creativity but also their journalism and design ideas,” organizational editor senior Chloe Park said. “It’s a really fun way to express both a creative side but also an academic version of me because it incorporates so many new skills.”
Currently, staffers on “The Element” have finished three spreads for the end of September and are planning on finalizing 12 by the end of October. Staffers plan on adding a plethora of fall activities from fall sports like girls cross country to summer stories. They are also finalizing the visual look of the yearbook as a whole, including the design of the cover, although the overall yearly theme of the yearbook is still as of yet publicly unavailable.
“We record history and are the thing that people hold onto,” McCann said. “Do we cost more money than other publications? Yeah, we do. But we are the thing that people go back on when they want to remember what high school was like. Every kid on this campus is part of the story that is Northwood High School.”
Students who wish to join the yearbook class can submit applications when they open at the end of February. Applicants will be asked to submit a sample short story if they are applying for a staffer position and a portfolio of their photos or art if they are applying for a photographer or graphic designer position. Students are encouraged to join Yearbook staff if they have an appreciation for fine details and want to have an opportunity to express their creativity.
Students who have not purchased the yearbook yet may do so through Northwood’s MySchool Central Student Store at https://northwood.myschoolcentral.com/(S(1vwqc4xqkxi3hyslxiz4rw45))/Index.aspx
