As West Bloomfield High School students transfer from first semester to second semester, the classic American high school staple is in the works: The Exodus.  During first semester, Ms. Noel McHardy’s Yearbook class of enthusiastic writers worked on getting information about fall sports, homecoming fun and the beginning of senior fanfare. This included taking photos and getting quotes from students and staff members. The students are all hard at work creating the best yearbook so far. Sophomore Katie Labe says she, “[enjoys] being able to have input into a publication that reflects the school year.”

The class has  30 students who are divided up into 6 committees. Each create a “section” of the yearbook. The sections include senior section, student life, business, academics, sports and underclassmen. Senior Zoia Naseem works for the academic section. In this section there are three spreads which are medical mentorship/political leadership/Co-Op/OTEC,  leadership/mentorship, and APs/honors classes. Naseem likes, “that [they] get to be creative with [the] pages and pictures and [they] can make it look how [they] want.” Each committee is led by an editor or two. Jillian Goldstone and Emily Chaben, both seniors, are the chief editors of the entire publication. Goldstone’s favorite part about Yearbook class, “is that [they] get to create an entire book that reflects student’s high school experience” and that the best part is, “handing out the books when they’re complete.”  Hundreds of hours have produced a collection of unforgettable memories for all.

One of the main challenges for the yearbook class this year has been cutting down on costs. The past two years, McHardy’s team sent their work on a disc to Balfour, a yearbook printing company. However, this year, as a way to improve finances, yearbook is using Balfour’s online publishing tool which is convenient because it can be accessed on any computer, whether at home or at school. Another positive change this year is promoting openness and sharing within the classroom and amongst the staff so that “everybody feels like they are working on the same book,” says McHardy. The yearbook sold for $70 at Jumpstart and $75 at parent-teacher conferences. The price increases as the year goes on. Like Spectrum, the yearbook is made for your school and filled with your memories.