Every year, students flip through the pages of the Manchester Township High School (MTHS) yearbook, reliving memories from football games, pep rallies, spirit weeks, and everyday moments in the hallways. What many don’t see, however, is the incredible amount of teamwork, planning, and dedication required for creation. Behind every carefully designed spread and perfectly timed photo is a group of hardworking journalism students and yearbook club members who bring the school year to life.
The yearbook is created by students across three different journalism levels: Introduction to Journalism and Communications, Advanced Communications and Journalism 1, Advanced Communications and Journalism 2, and Advanced Communications and Journalism 3. Each level plays an important role in the production process. Introduction students learn the basics—how to write captions, name check, conduct interviews, and design layouts. Advanced 1 students build on those skills by taking on more responsibility with writing, editing, and designing full spreads. Advanced 2 and 3 students serve as leaders in the class, helping guide others, reviewing pages, and making sure deadlines are met.
In addition to the journalism classes MTHS hosts Yearbook Club meetings after school. These students volunteer their time to help with photography, page design, organization, and meeting deadlines. The club allows even more students to be involved in capturing the year’s memories and ensures that no important moment goes undocumented.
One of the most important parts of creating the yearbook is designing spreads. A spread is two pages focused on a specific event, sport, club, or theme. Students are assigned certain spreads and are responsible for completing them. There are various deadlines over the course of seven months. These deadlines are spread out across the fall, winter, and spring to make sure the entire book stays on schedule. Missing a deadline can affect the whole production timeline, so time management and teamwork are essential.
Photography is another major part of the yearbook process. Students attend sports games, pep rallies, school events, and even capture moments during lunch or throughout the school day. Yearbook staff members are constantly looking for candid shots—students laughing with friends, teams celebrating victories, or classmates working together in class. These photos help tell the authentic story of the year, beyond just posed pictures.
Putting together the yearbook is more than just assembling pages—it’s about preserving memories. From interviewing students and teachers to carefully selecting photos and meeting publishing deadlines, every detail matters. The next time you open the yearbook, remember the countless hours of effort from journalism students and yearbook club members who worked behind the scenes to make it happen.
