What Really Goes Into the Yearbook?

The Yearbook is a memory book, it’s a way to look back and remember everything that happened over the school year. The West Middle School 2019-2020 yearbook is completed but due to the unpredictable pandemic, it is unknown when they will be handed out. 

“I think the main thing that makes the yearbook special is how it helps us connect to other people,” says West Seventh-grader Marie Grahor. Grahor explains, “It’s really easy to see what other people in school share your similar interests. It also helps us connect when we get to sign each other’s yearbooks.” The yearbook reflects the events and lives of everyone involved. 

When West LME teacher Mrs. Bazzi, West Spanish teacher Mrs. Bridges, and the committee design the yearbook, they use a website called Walsworth Yearbook Design. They create a common theme and collect pictures to reflect the year. This year’s theme is, “So fun and colorful! Most of the time, themes are clean-cut, this one allowed lots of creativity and thinking outside of the box,” describes Mrs. Bazzi. The Yearbook takes lots of planning and organizing to get it exactly how it wants it to be when it is printed.

West sixth-grader Maria Lakkis, a member of the committee, reflects, “ My favorite part of working on the yearbook was adding my own style to the yearbook, … it was a great experience.” She learned that even with everyone’s different styles, the yearbook can still turn out great.  West sixth-grader Christina  Lakkis, a member of the committee, reflects, “My favorite part of working on the yearbook is designing the yearbook and being creative about it.”

Mrs. Bazzi informs us that, “Being on the Yearbook Committee is kind of like being part of an elective class that you have a say in. A good yearbook committee is made up of people who enjoy being creative and can come to meetings with new ideas. We do have deadlines and so committee members have to be on top of it to meet them and get pages and spreads done.”

If you are interested in joining the committee there will be an initial meeting after school in the fall with a ‘tryout’ to show off your creativity.