Yearbooks act as a time-machine to the past. Almost everyone can recall feelings of nostalgia when opening their yearbook. They can remember going through their parents’ yearbooks and hearing old stories; students can only hope to do the same in the future.

At the end of every school year, the yearbook staff comes together with the upcoming recruits to decide on the theme for the following year. With careful consideration into what the year represents, and avoiding the obvious themes other schools may choose, they lay out the general idea so they may begin to plan the yearbook over the summer. When students come back to school in July, the real work begins. Yearbook advisor Erika Stueber begins to teach the new recruits everything they need to know: conducting interviews, taking photos, and using the Josten’s’ software. From there, managers create activities for the class to do, and editors assign pages to the staffers. Staffers, the first-year members, are given a month-long deadline to finish their spreads. 

In January, Stueber asks each of the English teachers to find their most dedicated and driven students in order to hand select the candidates for Yearbook. Reliability is extremely important in Yearbook, especially when neglecting a spread can cost thousands of dollars. Each year, they aim to sell 2,100 copies. As of March 2022, they have sold 1,876 copies. This year has higher numbers of sales than the year before, as financial situations are constantly changing. 

Yearbook is also able to submit their work, such as photos, captions, and layouts, to competitions, such as the AIPA. A full list of awards and volumes can be found on Stueber’s page of the school website since she took over in 2015. They do receive a commission depending on the amount of yearbooks they sell, including the senior ads. “We don’t sell advertisements to businesses or anything; we want to keep it student centered,” said Stueber. The money they do earn is saved for costs to enter contests, equipment, and conferences. 

Every three years, Yearbook releases a spirit book so that every student can leave high school with one. Their last spirit book was released in 2020. The spirit book is a Perry themed edition of the book rather than choosing a theme. The yearbook finishes the week before spring break. They will then be working on a project called Yearbook Plus, which the opening page of the yearbook will introduce. They will continue to collect photos for that feature. They hold a yearbook reveal party for the staffers to get the first look at their hard work. 

Junior Rachel Corman started helping Stueber before she joined the yearbook, helping out with whatever she needed. “You have to really be involved in what’s going on around the school in academics, sports, all aspects of school to find the most important things to put in the yearbook,” said Corman. Sophomore Scarlett Adams is another first year staffer. “It’s made me come out more and talk to people I don’t normally talk to. It’s interesting to get to know their passions and get to know them,” said Adams. Both appreciate the familial aspect of a group like this. “The people in Yearbook are my favorite part. [I love] being able to work on it together and be here for each other to get to the same end product,” said Corman.