Bearden annual staff working hard to bring fresh ideas to 2021-22 yearbook

This year, the staff of the Bearden annual has focused on creating a diverse and unique yearbook from previous editions.

Co-editors Ellie Foster and Anna Moore had the same goal for this year.

“We wanted to do something different,” they both agreed.

Added faculty advisor Ms. Mae Hnilica: “We were traditional for so many years. Just the past few years, we’ve broken out of the box of constraints and allowed the students to have more creative thought with it.”

Both Foster and Moore were members of the annual staff during the 2020-2021 school year, with Foster also being on staff the 2019-2020 school year. She has had a front seat experience on how Covid-19 has transformed the editing of the yearbook. She is also one of the few staff members that has had to adapt to a new design system.

The annual staff works daily with design company Herff Jones and uses this new eDesign program to create a unique yearbook from those the Bearden community has seen in past years.

“This was the second year that we used ‘Herff Jones’ as our primary publication,” Ms. Hnilica said. “It is much more user-friendly and advanced in technology than previous years.”

This is such an expensive project, that it is a top priority for staff members to prioritize small details and make sure everything looks flawless.

“We are trying to make it the best and have something that everyone likes,” Foster said.

The staff has worked hard to stay in touch with students and create a diverse and representative reflection of this school year.

The yearbook class is a student-led organization. Foster and Moore direct the daily operations, and Ms. Hnilica acts as a facilitator.

“Basically, [students] come in here and they start by reaching out and emailing clubs or making Instagram posts to get pictures,” Moore said.

Both co-editors emphasized that it is a huge responsibility this year as they lead the class and their peers to create the best yearbook possible.

Ms. Hnilica described the average day for students as “total chaos.” 

“It’s 25 kids going in 25 different directions trying to get 25 things done at the same time,” Ms. Hnilica said.

Through the past few years, the production of the annual has changed drastically. Covid-19 policies have modified the daily operations for the yearbook staff.

“99 percent of the pictures are taken outside so we can remove [masks] and see faces,” Ms. Hnilica said.

This has been a year full of challenges for the students and staff working on the Bearden High School Annual. If interested in buying this yearbook, students and families can visit yearbookordercenter.com and input the School Code 21602 to purchase a yearbook. Extra copies will not be ordered this year, and the last day of sales will be Feb. 28, 2022.