At the end of every year at Roll Call, there is an assembly where the editors of the yearbook announce the teacher dedication, Webb Broadcasting presents a sports recap video, and the annual El Espejo yearbooks are distributed.
It is a sad time, knowing things will never be the same, but having a yearbook provides consolation – if a picture is worth 1000 words, then the yearbook is worth at least two million words. The yearbook contains images from events throughout the year, ranging from the welcome back dance to sports games.
A lot of work goes into making the yearbook, enough so that it is its own afternoon activity that is split into three different teams: photography, layout, and senior section. Hilary Barhydt, humanities department faculty, oversees yearbook throughout its entirety and Megan Horejsi, fine arts department faculty, leads the staff along with Ms. Barhydt in the spring season. Each section has editors that help oversee the staff and plan the general design of the yearbook.
The yearbook staff uses Yearbook Avenue, a software created by Jostens and an American manufacturer of memorabilia. A representative from Jostens aids the staff throughout the process of making the yearbook to help train new staff and design the cover of the yearbook. Jostens generally sends representative Chris Joy to help out the Webb yearbook staff.
Photography:
The photography team, which is made up of ten people, is currently led by Linh Nguyen (’20), Ava Sinha (’20), and YiYi Ouyang (’21). The photography team begins their job early in the year to make sure the yearbook will have photographic memories from the beginning of the year. All photos are first edited by Jefferey Zhong (‘20), who uploads the photos for the layout team to place in the online yearbook.
Ava said, “I joined yearbook because it allows me to improve my photography skills and contribute to my community”
Linh said, “I’ve been taking photos for a long time but the yearbook has definitely challenged me. There’s a lot more pressure when everyone is counting on your photos, but I enjoy the challenge.”
Layout:
The layout team is led by Elaine Liu (‘20). She is in charge of organizing the layout of pictures in the yearbook. On Jostens, there is a yearbook template that the layout team works with to create a cohesive and clear format. Jostens requires a certain amount of pages to be completed by specific deadlines, so it is important to time the pages based on what events have happened. Each person on the layout team must also follow a similar structure and style to make the yearbook a collective unit.
Charles Wu (‘21) said, “ This is my first time being a part of yearbook and I’m glad I chose this activity. It’s a pretty laid-back environment but we’re doing something meaningful for everyone.”
Senior Section:
The senior section of the yearbook is run by me, Christian Ndiritu (‘20). I’m in charge of the superlatives, senior portraits, and senior pages. I also help design the cover of the yearbook which I am excited for people to see. I am assisted by Kasra Nikooforsat (‘20) and Amelie Cook (‘20), who also serves as the copy editor of the Webb Canyon Chronicle. We work closely with other seniors and the rest of the yearbook staff to create a great yearbook.
