Not many people know or understand how much work and effort is put into the school yearbook, except for two girls that spend more than half of their time in the publications lab. Seniors Kate Pendleton and Bethany Henneman are the head honchos of the yearbook. If it weren’t for their time and dedication, the yearbook would not be as amazing as it is.
Pendleton has been involved in yearbook since freshmen year, while Henneman has been on the yearbook squad since her junior year. Both Pendleton and Henneman agree that their favorite part of yearbook is when they see it come out in the end of the year.
“It’s pretty hard to see the yearbook at it’s fullest during the year because of all the deadlines,” Pendleton said. “Seeing it completely done is very satisfying.”
Yearbook just started using a new program called Monarch. It is supposed to be a more efficient way to complete tasks. It is also online so students can use it at home just by logging into their accounts.
“Monarch is nice to have, but it’s also pretty annoying sometimes. It’s’ hard to get used to a whole new program so fast, especially when everyone else is learning as well,” Henneman Said.
Yearbook has many aspects that not only give students the opportunity to learn new things, but also get them ready for real world encounters.
“In a way I think of it a lot like a business; communicating with teachers/students, learning technical skills on the computer, exploring visuals, etc.” Pendleton said.
“The most important thing I learned was for sure time management,” Henneman said, “ Having deadlines and staying on task is super important. We really have to stay on top of things in order for everyone to receive their yearbooks on time.”
To many, yearbook is a way to look at the school and community with a different set of eyes. “You really get a different perspective working in yearbook,” Pendleton said. “It’s really helpful knowing what is going on. It’s more behind the scenes,” Henneman said.
Most to all of yearbook is done in the publications lab, which is shared with newspaper. “On average we both probably spend about 10-15 hours a week in the lab,” Pendleton said. “During a deadline we probably spend about 20-25 hours a week in the lab,” Henneman said.
Dedication, time and effort are three of the many qualities yearbook requires. “Deadlines and the whole process itself are the two most unrecognizable things that yearbook portrays,” Pendleton said. “I think that students [and teachers] appreciate the yearbook, but don’t fully understand how much work is really put into the whole thing.”
“One of the most stressful things is having to look over everything and try to find any mistakes/errors,” Henneman said, “It is really nice to hear compliments on the yearbook because of how much work we all put in. It’s nice to know something we worked on will be kept for many years”
Both Henneman and Pendleton have a passion for yearbook/publications. They hope to enjoy the rest of their senior year to the fullest and finish yearbook strong. After high school Henneman will be attending University of Wisconsin Madison. She hopes to find a career she would like to pursue. Pendleton plans on attending Loyola University Chicago or Fordham while studying social work. She would also enjoy being involved in publications in her future.