Although the pursuit of success in life and academics fills the minds of many, there are always a handful of those that understand the importance of capturing every moment- both big and small. Lauren Sturgeon, Mr. Browne and the rest of the Yearbook Committee are recognized for their constant efforts in preserving the memories of students, staff and administrators within Leo Hayes.
Throughout her years in high school, Lauren, a twelfth-grade photographer, has been in and out of the Committee. She explains that she was very involved during her first year but found that she was unable to do so during her tenth and eleventh grade years. However, this year, as a senior, she decided to contribute her time and talents to her commitment. Throughout her time within the Committee, Lauren explains that there were various skills that she developed and applied to her personal life. A significant skill that she noted was the ability to properly formulate and communicate her ideas through write-ups for the Yearbook – that which she found useful when it came to writing essays for her academic and personal endeavors. She emphasizes that the Yearbook Committee has a strong “sense of community” brimming with passionate members, including her closest friends. Their presence and the encouragement she received inspired her to join and participate in Yearbook. Knowing the hard work that she and her members have put in, she explains that she is most exited to see the final product.
Mr. Browne, an admirable arts teacher, also has history with the Yearbook. In our interview, he explained that he has been in charge of the Committee for almost six years.
He truly enjoys the time he spends with the editors and seeing them take ownership of their work whilst making “creative and solid decisions.” Moreover, he appreciates the reactions and joy shown by the members when they first see their final product. However, the Yearbook Committee is without its challenges. Amid the pandemic, the cancellation of clubs and events due to restrictions and the high turnover of retiring staff limited their content. Regardless, Mr. Browne expresses that the creativity of his editors resolved the situation in which they made various rearrangements; they gave more attention to smaller activities and let go of things that they usually did in order to try something new. Yearbooks, Mr. Browne explains, are important for the future; they’re not necessarily for “your eighteen-year-old self, [they’re] for your forty-eight-year-old self.” He sees that not many teachers choose to make yearbooks for long and, as a teacher, he has learned to overcome the new challenges of working with deadlines and trying to take control of a collection of “real-world projects” captured in a single image.