Every year, when Upper School students are strategically filling out their course request forms for the following year, many students check the box requesting to be enrolled in the Yearbook Class. However, Upper School students did not see that as an option this year as the Yearbook is transitioning from an art-credit class to a club.

The yearbook class has met in the past during G3 and G5. Thirty to forty students received an art credit for their participation in the yearbook. In class form, there was a limited amount of students who could be involved and other extracurricular activities, like Grape Jam, interfered. 

Yearbook Faculty Advisor Travis Chandler has worked with Head of Upper School Justin Brandon to make this change. Chandler believes this is the right decision for many reasons, one of which is that it makes the yearbook more inclusive. “It will be much more accessible for incoming freshmen who want to be a part of it, but have not had a chance to when this was a class,” Chandler said. The club will be open to all members of the Upper School regardless of grade or experience. 

Chandler believes that the smaller group of students will lead to a more focussed group.  “I am hoping that it will attract the most enthusiastic students and that will lead to a smaller, but a more dedicated group working on the book,” Chandler said. 

The transition from yearbook to club has not changed the amount of interest for the yearbook. “It looks as if we have at least as much interest in it as a club than as a class. We have a lot of people who show interest in it as a club which is great,” Chandler said, “I would like to encourage anyone to reach out because we can always use help with different parts of the book.”

Despite the same amount of participation, Sophomore Annabelle Garelick, one of the 2021-22 Editor-In-Chief of the Yearbook believes the interest has shifted form upperclassmen to underclassmen. “We got a lot of underclassmen interest which was good because usually not that many people would get into the class,” Garelick said, “But, then again, less upperclassmen participation because it is now not going to be an art credit, and people will be hesitant to join to do extra work outside of school if they are not going to get a credit.”

Yearbook editors have the ability to sign up for an independent study to get an art credit, although it is not necessary. 

Some students, previously  in the Yearbook class, took advantage of the “easier” art credit that Yearbook provided. Senior Emily Simon, one of the current Editor-in Chief’s of The Yearbook, believes that the absence of an art credit will help to stop this. “Students would sign up just to check the art credit off the list but the yearbook is a lot of work, which most people do not realize,” Simon said, “It will weed out the people who just want to use it as an art credit and keep it with the students who are dedicated to making it the best book possible.”

The change from a class to a club will also help to ensure a smoother transition between the Yearbook staff from year to year. “When the upperclassmen graduated, there was not a bunch of experience coming from the younger side which made the transition into positions more difficult,” Simon said, “So as a club anyone who wants to join can that way we will have a more rounded out age range.”

Chandler believes that the club next year will look similar to how the class ran this year with independent and asynchronous classes. “It won’t be necessary to have every year-booker in the room for every single club meeting, but it will be necessary to have smaller groups to focus on pages that are due soon with the editors and they rotate out,” Chandler said. 

The Yearbook in club form will not give out any grades as it is recreational. Despite Simon believing it will be a very hardworking group, she is worried about what to do when participants are slacking off or not showing their best work. “There is always that question of if someone joins and does not give it their hardest work, how do we encourage them to be better and stay on top of their work when it is not a traditional class,” Simon said.

Freshman Quentin Stauber, who is new to the Yearbook club, believes that he is already supported amidst the transition. “The editors have done a great job of keeping me motivated and they still make it fun and helpful,” Stauber said. 

One way that 2021-22 Yearbook Editors-In-Chief, Garelick, junior Alex Carlin, junior Mia Bronstein, and junior Sofia Brown, have tried to ensure a smooth transition is through a week of Josten Zoom teach-ins. Jostens is the software that the Yearbook uses and each new member was required to attend one of the teach-ins. “I thought that the teach-in sessions have been super valuable for me, but also for everyone else,” Stauber said. 

The Editors-In-Chief have utilized other softwares, so all members of the club are on the same page. “We also made a google classroom, so people know when things are due and when to come, and posted resources like videos, so everyone who is new to the club is transitioning smoothly into knowing how to use the software,” Garelick said. 

The club will also allow for the editors to have more independence. “I have made the transition of giving the editors more and more of the responsibility,” Chandler said, “This is the final step where they will really be in charge of the club and I will just be here to help make sure things are kept on the rails.”

“I am excited for the transition,” Simon said, “I think it will be a challenge, but Mr. Chandler and the Editors-In-Chief next year are an amazing group and I know they are ready to take it on.”