Font samples, “editor care packages” and yearbooks of past school years covered each table in the publications classroom Aug. 14 and 15 as the editors of Hestia’s Flame, Archer’s yearbook, prepared for the upcoming school year during a leadership retreat. The 2023-24 Oracle editorial board also attended the publications leadership retreat, engaging in leadership improvement sessions with yearbook editors and breaking off from the group at times for Oracle-specific meetings and website design training.
The retreat provided yearbook leaders time to plan and brainstorm ideas for the upcoming yearbook — from selecting fonts to coordinating color palettes. In addition to outlining certain aesthetic and design-specific aspects of the yearbook, both editorial boards focused on developing their leadership skills. Editors in attendance participated in feedback-giving role-plays, took notes on leadership training slideshows and journaled on their own leadership styles.
Sophomore Olivia Hallinan-Gan recently transferred from The Oracle to the yearbook, where she will be taking on the role of copy editor. Hallinan-Gan said, after preparing for her new position during the summer, she feels comfortable stepping into an editorial role for the first time.
“Over the summer … I looked at what exactly I would be doing. I read through some of the yearbooks and exactly what the copy is,” Hallinan-Gan said. “Right now, I’m just learning more and getting to be here with all the editors, and they’re very supportive, so it’s great.”
In regard to the next yearbook, Hallinan-Gan said she hopes it will be an Archer time capsule, preserving the highlights of the school year for future generations to enjoy.
“My dream is everyone can have this long-lasting book that they’re going to show to their kids [and] grandchildren,” Hallinan-Gan said. “Later in life, [I hope they] look back on it and see the memories that they were able to make in high school.”
During their retreat, the Hestia’s Flame editorial board worked with Cindy Vera, Archer’s Jostens sales representative. Vera has been collaborating with the yearbook staff since last year, assisting them with all things yearbook production — from marketing to graphic design. Vera said she is continuously impressed by the dedication and determination she has seen from the staff.
“I’ve been super impressed with them as far as how hard they work, how determined they are and how excited they are about the process,” Vera said. “[I appreciate] their motivation for making a really beautiful book.”
Hestia’s Flame Editor-in-Chief Lucia Ponti (’24) said she and the yearbook team met several times throughout the summer in order to get a head start on yearbook production during designated retreat days.
“[The retreat] was better than what I’d hoped for. We got a lot of work done. And what it really looks like is just us uniting and collaborating as a team,” Ponti said. “And so these were a lot of … discussion-based workshop times where we were really able to come together and just talk about everything that we want to accomplish this year and just some goals that we have for the team.”
When the school year begins, the yearbook will gain 11 new staffers, bringing their staff headcount to 19, which is the largest it has ever been. Ponti said that with the amount of new staffers, organization and preparation are especially crucial to ease them onto the Hestia’s Flame team and familiarize them with the yearbook creation process.
“The beginning of the year for yearbook is incredibly important because we’re getting everything set up so that intro staffers can have a really easy gateway into understanding the ins and outs of … how to use the technology that we use,” Ponti said. “It’s incredibly complex, so it’s really just getting things set up so that intro staffers feel like they can put their best foot forward and strive for success.”
Additional reporting by Features Editor Maia Alvarez (’24).
