Kelloggsville — Senior Dequarius Jones says he enjoys the nostalgic spirit of 1980s films like “The Breakfast Club,” where students from different backgrounds come together and form lasting bonds through a shared experience or project.
It’s how he saw the high school’s yearbook class, and part of the reason he decided to join.
“I think for us, personally, making the yearbook together was special, since it’s our last year,” Dequarius said.
It also was one of the reasons teacher Shannon Dahlquist wanted to reinstate the class.
“I participated in a yearbook class at my high school, and it made me connect with my peers in a way I didn’t expect,” Dahlquist recalled.
The yearlong class had been discontinued due to a lack of interest and the impact of COVID, she said. For the past several years, teacher Ron Fron has led the effort with help from a small group of students.
As Fron indicated an interest in stepping away, Dahlquist stepped forward and reestablished it as a class offering.
“It’s a student project,” she said. “It’s for them, so it should be created by them. It should be in their hands, and in the process, it helps build more school pride.”
A Class, But Also a Job
The class is offered as an English option for seniors. To be part of the program, which was capped at 20 students, those interested filled out an online application and Dahlquist then met with them to discuss expectations.
“I wanted them to realize that it’s a job,” she said. “Someone is spending $60 on a yearbook, so we need to be as professional as possible about this.”
She added that, to reinforce a professional, business-like environment, students were referred to as staff.
They had to be comfortable talking to businesses about ads and interviewing adults and other students. Dahlquist also emphasized the importance of meeting deadlines.
“They also had to attend six to eight events outside of school, so they had to understand that this isn’t just a daily class but that you are dedicating your time to your peers and their activities.”
Senior Kim Nguyen said selling ads helped develop her social skills in presenting and speaking professionally, along with learning how to be persistent.
Classmate Reonna Johnson said attending choir, band and sports events to take photographs piqued her interest in unfamiliar activities, and Donovan Hernandez saw the class as a good opportunity to represent the sports he participated in during high school.
Seeing students take photos and interview peers increased awareness about the class, Dahlquist said, and next year it will move to the computer lab, giving students more opportunities to develop their skills.
While gaining work and life skills is important, senior Kira Sherrill said the chance for seniors to work as a team and contribute to the yearbook was even more valuable.
Added senior Domenico Barone, “We were able to … provide a really cool visual representation that shows the school from our perspective.”
