I only spent one year, my senior year, on the adventus staff. I didn't even get to be in the class with the rest of the girls on staff, because I had a literature class at that time. So, I was almost always in the yearbook room alone. I touched up write ups, uploaded pictures, and cleared files.
Being on the yearbook team made me a better student because it helped me get connected. I was more involved with my school during my senior year than any other time. I traveled with the band and took pictures of them, uploading them to their Facebook page.
I got to talk to underclassman and new students about what their favorite thing about the school was. I had never gone to any sporting events besides football games before being on the yearbook team, and found that I loved going to all of our sporting events! I felt connected with a group of girls that had the same interests as me, all working towards the same goal.
My favorite part of being on staff had nothing to do with photography or graphic design. I loved picture day and student photos being delivered. I loved handing out the photos to homeroom teachers, because it gave me a reason to stop by and say hello to some of my favorite teachers I had earlier in high school.
Not only did I become a better student because I was more connected with my school, but because I attended more enriching events offered by the school. I attended clean up events, biology seminars, musical theaters, and blood drives. I only went because I was asked to go and take photos or because I thought it might be a great focus page, but I ended up wishing that I had gone to more things like that throughout my high school career.
I never knew my school had so many clubs and extracurricular activities for students. I had thought up until senior year that my high school was being deprived of interest and hobby groups unlike all the schools around me, when in reality, I just wasn't looking hard enough. I had no clue that we had a technology club, a photography club, or a fishing and archery club that was separate from our fishing and archery team. The club was just for people interested in the sport or who didn't want to compete, rather than traveling and paying hefty fees to be in tournaments, when they only really cared to do their fishing in their free time.
Overall, though my time on the yearbook team in high school was short lived, it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I had while I was there. I learned a lot about what goes into capturing the memories of almost a thousand teenagers over the course of a school year, but I also learned how to get connected to where I'm at so I'll feel more at home.
