TJ students are now able to take a yearbook class, allowing them to invest more time and energy into the final product. photo by Lucy Peterson
Thomas Jefferson High School introduces a new yearbook class for the 2017-18 school year.
A new school year has begun at Thomas Jefferson, and along with it a new yearbook class has been added. In previous years, TJ’s photography teacher William Forrester would find students in his classes willing to work on the school yearbook as opposed to completing their typical photo assignments. Now, students have the option to take a new class taught by Forrester that is dedicated entirely to creating the school yearbook.
The new class will prove to be very beneficial to TJ and students who are in the class and interested in publishing a yearbook. Principal intern Jon Poole believes the class will be a valuable addition to TJ. “It is difficult to get the best product from students if they are not a captive audience. If it were a club, kids would get involved but they wouldn’t be as involved or as committed as they would be in a class,” Poole explained. With an entire class dedicated to the production of the book, students will have more structured work time.
Not only will the yearbook improve, but the students taking the class will learn important skills as well. In the class, students take the photos that will be used to capture different events occurring over the course of the year. They also develop writing and design skills which will be apparent in the final copy of the yearbook. Students practice leadership and teamwork in order to work successfully to create the best possible final product. Forrester described, “They will learn a wide variety of real life skills that will prepare them for college and career. One of the unique traits of yearbook class is that there is a final product that is distributed to the community.”
After working on the book for months, students will have a tangible representation of their hard work, which will provide an extreme sense of fulfillment for the students on staff. Spartans are thrilled to be taking this new class, and Forrester is extremely enthusiastic about teaching it. Forrester expressed, “I’m thrilled to see the students thrive and make a book that they are excited about.” Students are able to learn and grow as they create a yearbook, and because this class is brand new to the TJ schedule, it presents a new challenge to most of the students in the class. Although some students worked on the yearbook prior to being in the class, it will be an enlightening experience to work on the book full time.
Students in this class are actively creating the book with the guidance of the main editors seniors Katie Schroeck and Mikayla Armijo, while continuing to put their own style into it. Armijo mentioned, “In the beginning of the year we had each staff member give their opinion on how they want to be apart of yearbook, like photography, design, writing, etc. We also have group discussions on what each of us would like to see in the yearbook to make it one of the best yearbooks we will create.” There is no doubt the yearbook will look fantastic with all the attention given to its production in the new class, and students look forward to viewing the final product in May.
