In previous years, the yearbook was organized in sections and distributed over the summer because the book could not be finished before then. Two years ago, the yearbook staff changed the book to a spring book that had a supplement that came out in the summer, instead of the entire book. This year, the 2020-2021 yearbook staff has changed the book to be chronological and has moved their distribution date back to summer like it used to be. 

“The organization of the book is the biggest difference. We did a chronological book so it is organized from start of the year to finish. Moving the book to a summer book, allows us to include all of the events of the year and not need a supplement. This organization also allowed us to have the most creative spreads we have ever created. I think the students will find something for everyone. The book reads more like a magazine and there is so much to look at on every page,” adviser Wanda Vanish said. 

The staff originally changed the deadline of the yearbook to a spring book so seniors could have the book in their hands before the school year ended. This year the staff chose to do a summer book again because of the uncertainty held within the school year, this option allowed for the most time for them to adapt. Portraits were not able to be scheduled until February.

“The hardest part of this year has been being virtual the first half of the year and not being in the classroom, and now having some of the staff in person and some virtual has been a challenge in itself. It’s also really challenging to predict how the rest of the year is going to go, so it’s been hard to know what is going to come next for myself and the rest of the staff,” associate editor Madison Zimmerer said. 

The editors on the staff this year are sharing their second book affected by COVID-19. This group of editors was part of the editorial team last year when school was shut down for quarantine for the first time. 

“The leadership from the editors and support of many staff members has been amazing.  Putting together a yearbook can be stressful for some students. Many have never worked in an environment where deadlines are real and cost money. Also students are paying for this product and deserve quality pages. I can say that the quality of the book this year did not suffer, and the students should be very proud of what they have produced,” Vanish said. 

The staff and editors have been meeting since the summer and have continued to work throughout the school year. The staff has met all of their deadlines thus far and are approaching some of the last ones for the book. 

“We put in hours of editing, taking pictures, trying to meet deadlines on time and making sure to get as many people in the book as we can. It’s very stressful sometimes. We try our hardest to make sure the book turns out great. I also feel like with the book we cover a lot of things like all of the big events that happen during the year, so I feel like we impact the school by helping the students remember what life was like during Covid and during this decade for years to come,” Zimmerer Said. 

The staff has worked side by side with many people throughout this year including the photographers from Provine who take care of school pictures, the intro to publications classes and the school newspaper, the Mountain Echo. The staff is also responsible for contacting advertisers to fund the book and keep the cost down for students. 

“I wish the school and students always kept in mind that this is a student created publication. Students are still learning even though it is a printed publication. It is their publication, and my role is only the adviser. I wish everyone had a day in the publications room to see how much time goes into creating the book. At this point, Jocelyn [our editor] spends five periods a day working on the book plus countless hours outside of school. People are so quick to point out errors and faults but need to focus on the positive. I also hope they know how hard everyone tried to get school photos and communicate through email, social media and announcements. The yearbook staff supported Provine for two weeks as they took photos during the school day and also offered evening hours and two make up days. Quarantined students and parents were sent emails to send us photos. We honestly did everything we could do to get every student in the book,” Vanish said.