There are a lot of things that students at Academy are missing out on this year, but the annual yearbook will not be one of them. Many people are wondering what the yearbook staff is up to. We interviewed several people to get the scoop.

The biggest question that a lot of people have is how will the yearbook get everyone’s photo taken? Mr. Dolan, the faculty sponsor of the yearbook, stated, “Man, you know we have no plans.” The challenge we’re having right now is that we don’t yet know, and the administration has not yet really told us how, or if, we are going to be able to execute what we call ‘picture day.’” Amelia Johnson ‘21, is a part of the yearbook staff and she said that they will “possibly just have everybody send in their own picture.” Dolan added,“Photo day is just a mystery.”

Another thing that many people are wondering about, is if there is going to be anything special in the yearbook. Dolan told me that they “Were planning something that was going to be really cool, but ultimately it just didn’t work.” But, he reassured me, stating that they “are having to be creative and hope that yearbook will be really cool.” Dolan wouldn’t go any further, saying “That’s all I really wanted to tell you.” Johnson said “I can’t tell you everything. But, yeah we have some exciting things planned.”

One challenge that the yearbook staff is having is not getting people to submit anything to the yearbook. Dolan stated,“It’s consistently amazing to me how few people respond. What is sad to me about that is that it’s so open people could submit whatever they wanted, and it’s easier than ever to send us something.” Another challenge that Johnson brought up was “figuring out how to fill the space” that would normally be filled with “pictures that we don’t have this year.”

Like most clubs, Yearbook hasn’t had much in person time as a staff. Johnson said she misses “just meeting with the yearbook staff. It’s always fun and very inspiring, and I always enjoy it.” Dolan added that “A normal year is sitting around eating chips and talking about the yearbook. The only way that keeps people coming back and it doesn’t feel like a terrible office job is because we have Pringles and Oreos. I forgot how important Pringle time is.”

Johnson added,“Because we don’t have that much regular content, we have to fill [the yearbook] with other things. And one of the things we’re filling it with is interviews with students. So, if students are interested in getting interviewed by the yearbook staff, they can reach out to us.” In a followup email, Dolan told The Advocate:

“HERE’S HOW TO GIVE US WHAT WE NEED
Submit your stuff (Photos. Writing. Rants. Lists. Poems. Illustrations. Really anything that can be printed.)  here: https://www.dropbox.com/request/xgAkERk8PZ2OP5Qaws91

• Students, faculty, anybody! Submit as much as you want! Title your submission Lastname_Firstname_topic. If you want to submit multiple things, just put everything in one folder, title the folder Lastname_Firstname, then submit! Need a prompt to get you started? We would love writing or images connected to any of these topics:
• Hobbies or skills you’ve developed during the pandemic (Mr. Figueroa learned to make tortillas)
• Your workspace (ex. pictures of desktops)
• Side-texts (photos or descriptions of text conversations happening during Zoom class)
• Gaming and how games fit into your life
• Election night(s)
• Grocery store, your only social outlet
• The polarization of culture, political and otherwise
• March 11, 2020 (the day school was canceled): narratives (time-stamped stories) and ephemera (texts, photos, emails, etc)
• Blursvember Blurday, Bluryear (a typical day, these days)
• Month Day, Year (the day school returns in-person): speculative narratives and ephemera
• Your new relationship with sleep
• Letters from Z00mland (write a letter to someone or something about your travels in Z00mland)
• Friendship, and how it survives”

He also indicated that in the new year, there will be new opportunities to get involved with yearbook. “No experience necessary. Come one, come all. Writers, designers, illustrators, comic makers, photo takers, heartbreakers, speed racers.”

Even though this year’s book will be different, the yearbook staff has some exciting content planned for us. On behalf of the Advocate, I would like to thank the yearbook staff, and all of the amazing work that they have done to make sure that the school will get an awesome yearbook this year. Do your part and submit!