Day in and day out, Scandia works hard gathering information and designing a book that encapsulates the whole year. Each yearbook they create has a different theme, which is incorporated throughout all the spreads — the pages within the yearbook — and the cover.
Scandia creates this book during their fourth period class. They also have a “late night,” and a “working lunch” once per cycle—one cycle lasts around two to three weeks. All members of staff meet up after school on a Thursday for the late night, which runs from the end of the school day until 10 p.m.. They spend this time working on their pages, eating and re-energizing with a late night dance party. During working lunches, they stay in their class during lunch the Friday after the late night in order to finish up their pages.
The staff has two co-editors-in-chief: seniors Marjan Fathi and Maya Nair, who work together with their advisor, Zane Mills, to lead the class. Together, they decide the theme, work on the cover and make the final decisions on spreads, which are equivalent to two pages of the yearbook.
“We give usually only around two weeks to complete a spread, or maybe three weeks, I would say, which is pretty difficult because you have to collect all the content and then design as well,” said Fathi. “And content is usually pretty difficult because you need to put in enough time for the person to respond to you and for you to go out and get photos and everything like that.”
Junior Ava Jones said to begin the process, the staff normally figures out the groups they will be working in, which are called Spread Groups. The Scandia staff comes up with their own ideas throughout the year for what they want each spread to look like.
“Then we kind of go back and forth and almost compete with each other for what spread topics we want,” said Jones.
Junior Priyanka Kannan, a new member of the Scandia staff, said that although the work is rigorous, she has the support of their experienced supervisor, Mills.
“He knows what he’s doing. He is a great advisor. He’s so nice. He’s hilarious. When he’s in a good mood it just cultivates productivity,” said Kannan. “He rarely gets angry with us, even when we’re behind or anything like that. And his positivity is just astounding.”
According to Fathi, Mills gives a speech at the beginning of the year that emphasizes the importance of the yearbook as a document that holds importance to alumni later down the road.
“He always talks about how a yearbook is technically a legal document, it’s a form of identification, and even if people don’t necessarily appreciate it now or don’t find it important, a lot of times it’s a great way to recall memories of your high school experiences,” said Fathi.
Jones said that her time on the yearbook has helped her grow.
“I would also say that I’ve grown a lot, in terms of there’s a ton of things that you can find interest,” Jones said. “So if you’re interested in writing, if you’re interested in connecting with other people, if you’re interested in photography, if you’re interested in art or design, or something else entirely, there’s going to be a spot for you at Scandia, because there is so much work that goes into this book, and it’s so much work that we all care about as well.”
Morale and community are an integral part of the Scandia class and club. Jones said that the community has made her enjoy working on the yearbook much more.
“I would say that joining Scandia has been one of the best decisions I’ve made. I’ve been able to find my group of people and a place where I can work and really explore my interests and feel welcomed and very guided in that process,” said Jones.
Although the work is rigorous and time consuming, everyone on staff—including Mills—supports the members in getting through it. Senior Priya Annapureddy, the copy editor for Scandia this year, said this helps boost morale.
“It’s a lot of work but you have a community around you that will help you get it done,” said Annapureddy. “You’re going to feel stressed and bogged down with all the work, but ultimately, when the book comes out, you’re going to be so proud of what you produced.”
