Not Yet Written

If you know nothing about producing a yearbook — which is totally understandable (I knew nothing when I started advising in the fall of 2020) — know this: it’s incredibly difficult.

There are rules. So many weird, oddly specific rules.

Each book must have its own theme unique to that year. About 10% of the pages should cover academics and clubs, 20% should focus on sports and student life, and ideally, every single student should appear in the book at least three times. The cover must include the book’s official logo and a logo for the theme. Leads in traditional spreads need to match the dominant photo. Caption writing has a strict formula. Every photo must have a caption. The list goes on.

And then, as the advisor, you have to know all these rules — and somehow get a group of teenagers to care about them. To stay motivated for one massive project from August through June. To collaborate under deadlines. To get their work critiqued and revised. To care about telling the story of their school — and telling it well.

At Notre Dame de Sion, our yearbook is called Le Flambeau (French for “The Torch”). The 2022–2023 edition was themed

Not Yet Written, a title that reflected both where the students were in their lives and where they were headed. The book was organized chronologically by quarter and was designed by a staff of 12 juniors and seniors — three of whom shared the role of Editor-in-Chief and guided the publication with vision, humor, and a collaborative spirit.

Below are a few snapshots and behind-the-scenes details from this beautiful, labor-intensive project.

Theme development

Every yearbook has a theme. For this year's staff, the feeling was a little sentimental. We had several ideas and brainstorms as a group - everything from a clean magazine style look to a full collage scrapbook look before we settled on something in between. They wanted the freedom to doodle, to show off their photography and to really tell the stories that make the school and their experience in it special. Therefore, "Not Yet Written" was born.

Read the full theme copy below

Illustrated Secondaries

The goal on every spread is to cover each event

or season uniquely. For sports, that means not only reporting on the results of the season, but looking for special team traditions or moments within. I love this short additional coverage on

the gremlin stuffed animal the track team brought to meets.

AUTHENTIC ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY

Sometimes the best photography is when the subject is a little sweaty, a little sad, a little wild. This prom spread highlights strong action photography, especially since at events with low light like dances, the photographer must use the flash in addition to navigating manual settings.

four-color cover

This year was special in that the editors chose to customize covers and endsheets for each class. The designs were the same, but seniors received pink books, juniors got green ones, sophomores got orange and freshmen picked up blue yearbooks.

specialized typography

This particular book's theme was "Not Yet Written" and the students chose to go for a more scrapbooked, handwritten look when we could. A student on staff, Gabel, has unique handwriting which we turned into a font and typeface and used throughout the pages.

THREE EDITORS

The last few years have felt like a rough draft.

Something, a certain pandemic shall we say, left everything a bit off.

Before, it was writer's block, but now? Now we are inspired. We came together in the fall ready to face our first "normal" school days in three years and to flourish our traditions back to the way they used to be.

But just like any great story, it started with a hook.

And there were notes in the margins and red pen struck through the things that weren't working. The writing process, just like life, includes continuous demolition and construction as a way to grow and learn from the past.

The truth is, it all begins with an outline. A Foundation.

This year it was a literal foundation change. We sat in makeshift classrooms, hearing the violent noise of a drill or hammer in an almost never-ending pattern over lectures and projects. Science labs were performed between black curtains in the Grande Salle. A writer can't write without a touch of wifi, which was sorely lacking in the fall.

Shakespeare never had to deal with hotspots, did he?

But despite the setbacks, we kept the vision.

Theology director Jessica Hull organized a fleet of vans delivering student volunteers all over the city for orientation week.

The Storm Stomp basketball tournament came back to campus with Willy Wonka and her Oompa Loompas taking home the knockout championship, the Founding Ballers dressed best, and sophomores winning the 3-v-3 tournament. Altogether we raised over $16,000 for student scholarships.

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl and we kicked off that weekend with an impromptu pep rally involving a sea of red and yellow.

We hosted the International Student Conference on Kansas City soil, inviting tweens, teens and teachers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France and the UK to a traditional American pep assembly and "Eco Prom." We were told our high school experience was "just like the movies."

We aren't sure we totally agree with that. But we know one thing.

Our high school experience is full of stories.

Each year, each tradition, each event and each day hold stories.

Every hour can hold a new chapter.

The time we spent planning, recording and stitching together our experiences was only a fraction of what we actually lived.

Life at Sion is more than one single story.

Honestly, there is too much to tell because it's not just about this year or this special place...

It's about what's not yet written.

NYW Theme Copy