Hours pass by as Templar Managing/Coverage and Copy Editor senior Wesley Chin’s eyes carefully scan his computer screen, adding final revisions to the text and approving the long list of student names for the index of the 2019-2020 yearbook. On a Zoom call with him are his fellow editors and adviser Lynn Alvarez, working throughout their spring break to officially complete the yearbook on April 6, one week earlier than scheduled to avoid publication delays from yearbook publisher Herff Jones in Kansas City.
“It definitely wasn’t easy, trying to meet an oncoming deadline with a lot of the stress on your shoulders,” Chin said. “As a staffer, after you finish the pages you’re assigned to, you start to relax and the yearbook-related stress starts to die down. However, as an editor, it only goes up and up and up.”
With the cancellation of in-person school, Alvarez and the editors discussed how to finish the yearbook in a matter of weeks, despite not being able to work at school. They maintained communication through Zoom meetings and texts as staffers submitted the final pages of the yearbook. Then, editors carefully reviewed each submitted page to ensure that all of the content met their standards while also checking that students and faculty members were correctly identified.
“I was so relieved when we finished the yearbook,” Copywriter junior Elijah Burgos said. “We were putting our hearts and souls into this book because we wanted to make it even more special this year for the seniors and students who felt like they had the end of their school year taken away from them.”
Along with the editors, staffers found ways to reach out to students and help their editors from home. Copywriters interviewed students through social media and photographers organized photoshoots done by students’ family members. Some photographers and designers made extra cutouts and created additional spreads to help ease their editors’ burdens.
“We wanted to do everything we could to make sure students could celebrate with their yearbooks even if the school year was going to end differently,” Alvarez said. “With the extra challenge of the school closure, the yearbook staff worked as a team. I’m so proud of the professionalism they exhibited even though they were feeling overwhelmed by the school closure.”
As of now, there is no set course of action for when and how students will receive their yearbooks. However, Templar hopes to distribute yearbooks in the summer if possible. Students can purchase a yearbook through the online student store. The last day to buy the 2019-2020 yearbook is June 11, but during the next school year, students can also purchase it online or in Room 311.