It’s that wonderful time of the year at Potomac Falls when all journalism students are recruiting mainly underclassmen, and some upperclassmen, to continue on the yearbook and newsmagazine legacy here at PFHS. But, do you have what it takes to be a part of the yearbook family? Read more to find out what this class is truly all about and if it is a good fit for you. 

According to yearbook members (including myself), yearbook is a fast paced, energetic, and strenuous class. Don’t let the word strenuous scare you, though. The class takes a lot of hard work and effort to make your deadlines and find the right people for your spreads. Staff Members are required to gather all interviews for the actual pages of the yearbook, and Editors-in-Chiefs (EICs), are in charge of designing spreads.

A typical day in yearbook consists of having a coverage meeting discussing upcoming events such as games, club meetings, and gatherings at Potomac Falls so that we have content for the yearbook. Groups then meet with their EIC, and the team leader makes the “game plan” for that class period. Depending on how close your group is to their deadline, the workload differs in yearbook. Some days are busier than others. A laid-back day usually involves planning out the next “layer” (or content) that is due, and busier days are filled with seeking out students to interview and writing captions or taking photos.

My role in yearbook is being a staff-member, so I am usually running to get interviews, writing captions, brainstorming headlines and subheadlines, and communicating with my team leader and EIC. If you continue yearbook starting sophomore year to senior year, you have the chance of applying for a leadership position including editor-in-chief, managing editor, business manager, marketing manager, photo editor, or video editor. Not only does the consistency of taking the course all three years look good to colleges, but there is a GPA perk as well; your third year of yearbook (or newspaper) is an Honors course, so students receive a bump to their GPA. 

Emily Everett, head of student publications, says that students with a social and outgoing personality will thrive in the yearbook environment. “You get to put together this publication, market, and sell it and then see people enjoy your work at the end of the year— and forever,” said Everett. Although Everett is the teacher of the class, students ultimately run the class since the course is a student run publication. All interviews, captions, headlines, and designs are made by yearbook editors and staff members, as well as the majority of the photos included.

Junior Molly DeHaven is an editor-in-chief in the class and has taken yearbook for two years. “I feel like there is a stigma around yearbook only being for one type of personality, but that is totally not true. There is space for so many different talents, whether it is writing, photography, design, videography, or even just having a creative and artistic mind. We are always looking for fresh ideas and we need a large and well rounded staff in order to achieve that,” said DeHaven. DeHaven explains that in order to be successful in yearbook you must be organized, have strong time management skills, and be able to work in a team setting. 

Junior Angelina Lam is a team leader in the class and has taken yearbook since sophomore year. “The class is fun and there are parties after every deadline where everyone brings in food to celebrate finishing a deadline,” said Lam.

There are many perks to being a part of the yearbook staff, according to members, including free admission to school events if you are taking photos for the yearbook.

Course selection will be coming soon, so consider taking yearbook as one of your electives. Though it is a considerably easy class, it looks great on college applications especially if you apply for a leadership role. Come on over to room 239 and grab an application to apply.