Yapping with Yearbook; A Look Into the Editor-in-Chief’s Mind

Ashlynn Morgan
Social Media Manager
  The yearbook staff at various schools often go unrecognized, with several students putting countless hours into editing pages and taking photos. One of these dedicated students is the Editor-in-Chief, Autumn Walker. Walker is a senior at Bonneville High School and has been attending Bonneville since her sophomore year after she transferred from Madison Junior High in Rexburg. 
  Walker joined the yearbook staff three years ago because she wanted to find the most effective way to get to know students at Bonneville High School. Although she has not achieved this goal yet, Walker helps manage the staff alongside Mrs. Wagner, the yearbook advisor. There are 28 students in the class that work towards the goal of completing pages. Walker enjoys reviewing photos when she has time, even though the process is lengthy. She sees it as an opportunity to help students improve their photography. Captions, however, are less enjoyable, as she finds it challenging to make them engaging without sounding “fluffed.” Something she enjoys leaving most of the yearbook up to the students by keeping their ideas in the final draft and letting them make it their own. She makes sure to do this by consulting staff about potential changes explaining, “I’m going to change this or what if we switched these parts around on the page?" Walker sees the dedication that the students put into the yearbook, and she applauds their effort that goes into the yearbook. When creating a yearbook, there are strict deadlines to deal with, and she needs to make sure each page is ready on time. Walker explains that deadlines can be difficult with interviews, especially with most students not checking their emails. When deadlines approach, Walker explains that Wagner may start ‘tweaking out’ and starts acting a bit ‘squirrel-ey.’ 
  Walker never expected to be Editor-in-Chief when she ran for a position. She explained that she was willing to take any position; she was surprised when the opportunity came up. Although she felt unprepared at first, she has grown to realize ‘it’s not that big of a deal’ and she will not stress out about the small things. She does her best at making sure that the students know she is there to help. One piece of advice Walker would give to students wanting to join is that it is not as easy as it seems, and it takes plenty of hard work and dedication. In the end, yearbook is an enjoyable class if students put in effort.

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