High School Yearbooks

The Lure of High School Yearbooks

High school is a time in your life like no other. It’s where you solidify your personality, make life long friends, and in some cases, decide what you’d like to do professionally in your life. Not sure if buying your high school yearbook is for you? Consider these reasons for buying one:

• The way we were…

Nothing captures the time (or the hairdo’s!) like a high school yearbook. Throughout the years, long after the prom and graduation celebrations, you’ll pull out your yearbook and smile at all of the fond memories. Senior trip, school spirit week, homecoming; it’s all time!

• All those written messages.

Favorite teacher’s telling you good luck, best friends pledging to be there forever, secret crushes writing cryptic messages- they’re all there for you to smile over, cry, over and in some cases, puzzle through!

• You were so darn cute!

Let’s face it. When we get our hands on our yearbook, we hurriedly flip through its pages to see how we look. Nine times out of ten, whether it’s ten years down the line, twenty years down line you’ll think, “What was I so concerned about? I was so darned cute!” Trust us, it’s a great feeling!

Getting In

Ok, you understand the lure, have poured through your parents’ yearbooks and know one thing- you want to be plastered all over the pages of your yearbook. Here’s how to do it:

• Participate

Participating in your high school’s activities is a sure fire way to have your picture taken. You can do this in several ways. One way is by joining a club. Whether it’s the French club, the writing club or the math club, if you’re in a club, you’re all but guaranteed to have a spot in the yearbook.

Along this same line of thought, you can also participate on a sports team. Volleyball, basketball, tennis; no matter the sport, high school yearbooks around the world have a special section dedicated to extracurricular activities.

• Join the Staff

Need another way to guarantee your picture being taken? Join the high school yearbook staff. There’s usually a teacher in charge of yearbook. Go to that teacher and express an interest to work on the staff. Chances are, he or she will let you on.

But be prepared! It’s not all lights, camera, action! Yes, it is fun, but you’ll also have to contact professional photographers, deal with printing companies and lay out each page of the yearbook- by hand.

• Spirit Week

Go all out for school spirit week. Members of the high school yearbook staff are on strict orders to get the best pictures, so the more outlandish you’re look, the greater chance you’ll have of being photographed.

Looking Good

All right, you know you’ll be in your high school yearbook, but how can you guarantee you’ll look good? Start with the basics. That means smiling, laughing and actually enjoying yourself. Nothing looks better on film than enthusiasm and a natural zest for life.

When it come time to take the official yearbook photo, keep things simple. This translates into outfits, and for the girls, simple makeup. Simple, however, should not be confused with lazy, or a lackadaisical attitude. You should still take pride in your appearance, and that includes your dress. Guys still look great and classically handsome in a dress shirt and/ or jacket. Girls look great in scoop necks or sweetheart cut tops. Save your t-shirts and tanks for another day!

A Final Word

Finally, there’s the issue of price, and yearbooks don’t come cheap. Different schools have different ways of pricing the yearbook. Often times it comes as apart of an overall graduation package, one that usually includes your cap and gown, graduation ring, etc.

Often times, your school will give you the option to pay solely for your high school yearbook, if that’s your choice. No matter which package you choose, remember to smile and fun- it’s going to be a great time!