Have you ever wondered what goes into your yearbook, and why?
Every year, the yearbook team puts together incredible collages showing the school year’s greatest moments and proudest achievements. It takes a lot of time, effort, and teamwork to translate every school year into their own catalogues. The coolest part? The majority is done by our fellow students.
“Every single aspect of the book is the responsibility of the class,” Batistoni said, “which sometimes means that we sometimes have to do things after school or on weekends to attend different events to make sure that we got as many stories and faces that we can get in there.”
The yearbook is headed by Rosalie Batistoni, who is fairly lenient when it comes to letting the students make their own decisions. Batistoni has a long history with journalism and publications, and she is very passionate about what she does.
“My time in Australia was marketing and communications for a large not-for-profit, and one of the things I love the most about that was creating publications and stories about the organization. So ,when I had the opportunity to take the job here when I returned in 2021, I was told I was able to do the yearbook. That was the main reason why I took the job: because the yearbook was part of it. Making sure we had a beautiful rendering of the year was really important to me, so that’s why I decided to do that.”
Making the yearbook is a huge responsibility, and the people chosen to help construct it are nothing but the best.
“The yearbook staff does a lot more than I originally thought we’d be doing when I signed up,” staff member Cristin Renfrow said. “Creating the yearbook allows you to take responsibility for photos, articles, interviews, gathering all necessary information, then assembling everything nicely on your pages.”
Indeed, crafting the yearbook is a long process that requires a lot of commitment, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not fun.
“One thing I would like to tell people if they are wanting to join,” staff member Tegan Luken said, “is that it is a great experience. You get to know what goes on behind what you see, before I joined I had no idea how much work is put into the yearbook, so you learn a lot of new things.”
Being on the staff is more than just creating the book. It is also about forming connections not just with your fellow staff members, but with Central Hardin as a whole.
“Probably the fondest memories for me,’ Batistoni said, “are the staff itself because every year it’s a whole different group of young people who have different passions, and they get really excited about publications, so having time developing the staff are probably my fondest memories.”
Throughout their time, many on the yearbook staff have developed close friendships and gotten great memories.
“Some specific fond memories that I have in the yearbook ,” staff member Sabrina Aldrige said, “is when we went to our Yearbook convention trip and going to all the different types of booths and learned about different things in the yearbook and editor world. I also have a specific memory of my sophomore year getting to learn how we did so much more than just your book like we helped with project grad and I had no idea that the yearbook did so much more.”
If photography, journalism, or anything like that is something you enjoy, the yearbook staff may be the place for you.
“For people who want to join next year,” staff member Hailey Logsdon said, “I definitely recommend joining. It takes responsibility and a lot of trust for creating the yearbook from scratch. Many think being in a yearbook is just for taking pictures but it’s not, it’s being behind the scene for everything at Central.”
According to those who have already worked on the staff, it is an unparalleled experience and the people are very welcoming. The application deadline for next year’s staff has passed, but if you are passionate about being involved, reach out to Batistoni at [email protected]. She can advise you further about the best time to get involved. You never know what trying something new could bring!
