The Blog

Yearbook Staff Attends Conference

On the beautiful morning of Tuesday, September 18, a sleepy-eyed bunch of 10 yearbook staff members gathered in front of the administration building at 6:45 a.m. They hopped in a school van and made the long trip to Mahoney State Park for the yearly yearbook conference hosted by Walsworth Publishing. In past years, the staff attended the conference at a hotel conference center in Columbus, but that location was eliminated because of small attendance numbers.

After a large opening session where about 180 students where gathered, the group of 10 representing NC split off into separate breakout sessions covering things such as design, photography, and theme. Then, everyone came back together in the main room to listen to a speaker talk about the overarching journey that a yearbook and its staff embark on in the school year and how it resembles a relationship. At the end of her talk, the woman led the audience of students through a series of vow-like pledges, promising things like to be patient with each other and to be dedicated and faithful to the book.

Yearbook staffers Cody Griess and Adrienne Falk make their yearbook “vows” to each other during the keynote session of the conference, while classmates Laura Carlson and Kate Pipher look on.

“I thought the yearbook conference was very informative about different ways of developing our yearbook. My favorite part was definitely getting to spend time with people that I wouldn’t normally hang out with. I feel that the most beneficial part was understanding that there is a lot more that goes into a yearbook that just taking pictures and writing articles,” said Garrett Swantek (11), a first-year yearbook staff member.

A delicious lunch was provided, and the yearbook staff took the time to discuss what each separate group of students had gathered from the breakout sessions by comparing notes and bouncing around ideas. The last portion of the day was a final breakout session. On the way back to campus, the staff stopped at York’s Starbucks for a caffeine infusion and a second opportunity to share main ideas from the day at the conference.

Copy editor Kate Pipher is grateful for the time spent at the conference. She said, “I enjoyed the time to escape from school and get on the same page with the yearbook staff. The sessions were very informative and provided us with direction going forward. Overall, I think the conference will be a beneficial tool as we create this year’s Reflector, but I also enjoyed the chance to have fun with friends.”

Following the conference, yearbook adviser Becky Ritta reflected on the event, saying, “While we had a much longer drive to the conference this year, I’m so glad we were able to go. The conference is always helpful for our staff members, but I felt like this year’s sessions were especially informative, and the students came out with a great vision for the book.”

Top Photo: Yearbook students Seth Hower (11), Cody Griess (12), Garrett Swantek (11), Savannah Thomas (12), Josie Maberry (11), Carsyn Ostrand (12), Laura Carlson (12), Jada McHargue (12), and Kate Pipher (12) await the beginning of the yearbook conference.