Yearbook staff members begin creating the LHS yearbook Reflections the second they walk through the door on their first day back to school. From that moment on, every staff member must work hard taking photos, proofing pages, writing copy and meeting deadlines to make the yearbook the best it can be for students and faculty.

“Being a part of yearbook challenges you,” senior Amber Ekroth said. “There are a lot of responsibilities, and you can’t get behind.”

From typing baby messages and senior wills to proofing pages and selling ads to local businesses, the yearbook class works every day to create the book that preserves the memories from each school year.

“Their ability to work as a team and network with each other to get things done is impressive,” yearbook adviser Mrs. Diamond said.

Diamond said taking the class gives students “a chance to cultivate whatever talents they choose.”

“There’s something for everyone,” she said.

Ekroth said being in yearbook has benefited her in a variety of ways.

“Yearbook teaches me that you have to keep up on work and go above and beyond what’s required,” she said. “You also learn more skills in photography, business, and design.”

Assistant adviser Mrs. Campo said since there are so many different skills needed to produce the yearbook, so they welcome all students to take the class. Whether you are someone who is good at taking photos or at writing or have an eye for design or are just a really organized person, Campo said there is a place for you on staff.

“They can have many different talents and be successful in this class,” Campos said.

Once Diamond and Campos gauge a staff member’s particular interest or talent, he or she is then assigned to a different section of the book such as sports, music, clubs, etc.  Within that section students might have to take photos of clubs or sports, conduct interviews, type up hundreds of messages from parents, proof the senior wills, and make decisions about design.

“Typically I spend about two to five hours working on my sections outside of school,” junior Ryan Barrett said. “People who think [the class is] an “easy A” are terribly mistaken.”

Each page must go through three levels of edits before it is approved for the yearbook. First the page goes through the section editor, then through the assistant editors, and then the chief editors are the last to proof the book to make sure they don’t find any errors.

“Yearbook is a lot harder than I expected,” senior Alec Tedder said. “It takes a lot of motivation and time and patience. You have to put a lot of hard work in every single day.”

The photography staff is another important part of the yearbook. Multiple photography staff members attend sports games, stand on the floor during pep rallies, attend drama club productions and any other event that offers the chance to capture a story-telling picture.

“The best part is definitely the finished product,” Tedder said. “It’s amazing looking at something you did and seeing it turn out so cool.”