| Are High School Yearbooks Worth Saving? | |||||
|
|||||
|
Let's face it. I graduated from high school fifty-nine years ago. It's no surprise that things have changed. Yet for me, there's great nostalgic value in a high school yearbook. I was dismayed to read that the high school yearbook may be on its way out (Kim Hone-McMahan, "Yearbook staffs trying to save tradition," Chicago Tribune, March 8, 2009). Whether it's the economy, the popularity of social networks such as Facebook, or decreasing student loyalty to their schools, the traditional yearbook "filled with memories of the times that shaped many of our lives" may be an endangered species. In my opinion, it's worth saving. "It's the only thing from high school that you'll probably have 20 years from now," said a member of the Tallmadge High School (Ohio) yearbook staff. Twenty years? How about fifty-nine? During my recent move, my senior yearbook, the College High Reflector (1950) resurfaced and made its way to my bedroom bookshelves. Ms. Hone-McMahan's article made me take a look. The Reflector is made up of typed pages (remember typewriters?) photocopied and bound with metal rings in a cheap cardboard binder. The first-page dedication reads, "Folded within these pages are the unforgettable high school memories so dear to every student. Perhaps as you thumb through the records and events presented here in pictures and words, you will remember the personalities and affairs which made high school so important to you. Remember the success you have had and carry it out in everyday life. Many have already made themselves outstanding in some field of endeavor. Let this small success challenge you to bigger and better accomplishments." I was on the staff, but I wasn't editor-in-chief. I don't think I wrote that. Would anyone use the word "affairs" in a similar context today? Just wondering. All twenty-one of us seniors are pictured, and our various school activities are listed. Mine include band, choir, dramatics, yearbook, and student council (vice-president my senior year). True to my nerdy nature even back then, my activities were not social or athletic: no homecoming court or cheerleading or Girls' Athletic Association for me. I was too shy for forensics, too. I was the class valedictorian. In the grainy black-and-white photocopied pictures, I look a bit plump, and my hairstyle leaves much to be desired. At least I was smiling. Of course it was a tradition to sign others' yearbooks. Perhaps because I wasn't very interesting or popular, the messages in my yearbook are all much alike: "Good Luck!" is repeated frequently. A fellow senior and student council member wrote, "I wish the best of luck in your future years at college. I wish you lots of A's, or will you get those A+'s? It's been nice being a classmate of yours." Here's another message: "I hope you don't study so hard when you get to college as you have been this year. You make hard competition. Good luck." I guess there are worse things than being known as a good student. I was surprised to be reminded that yearbook "advertising" took the form of a page and a half of handwritten signatures of local business people: Badgerland Co-op, Colette Beauty Salon, Majestic Cleaners, Skindingsrude & Lein Furniture Store and Funeral Home, Krahnke Rexall Drug Store, Golden Rule Shoe Repair, and many others. Even the Chief of Police signed and apparently contributed. "College High is grateful to the above people for their support." So it is an undistinguished yearbook that would probably bring a laugh from today's far more sophisticated, computer-using students. Still I'm glad I have it. My high school years were not really a high point in my life, but I'm sure that the homecoming queen and the star athletes, especially those who did not go on to college, found joy in this yearbook for many years. Approximately one-fourth of my small class is now deceased, so this yearbook is a good way for the rest of us to remember them. Of course there were no computers or social networking sites in those days, but to me, the yearbook still seems longer-lasting. "Those types of sites might be gone, or at the very least remarkably different, when today's high school seniors are grandparents." A Talmadge High School senior says, "When I'm 50 years old, I'm not going to have a Facebook." A classmate added, "And those sites aren't capturing enough of what's happening inside the schools." Of course as a former English professor, I also appreciate the school yearbook for giving students writing opportunities. I don't know what parts of the 1950 Reflector I wrote, but perhaps being on the staff helped push me toward the college newspaper, my first bylines, and my interest in journalism and writing in general. Yes, by now I write for the Internet, but it's still nice to have that yearbook around to remind me of my long-ago educational roots. Please share your experiences with and memories of your own high school yearbooks! |
