New year, new us, right?  Every year, people make different resolutions in an effort to improve their daily life. These include drinking more water, exercising more or recycling. For the yearbook staff, their resolutions were much different. As 2017 came to a close, one of the goals of the yearbook staff is to improve their work tactics and quality.

One of the biggest changes the staff wanted to address was the quality of images for various publications. Throughout the first semester, the team focused on building their skills with the cameras and lighting equipment. Part of the learning process is discovering what is possible which involved looking at different images online and in other publications. As is typical, the first images left a lot to be desired, but with a little of their photo editing skills, the images improved significantly. In past years, team pictures were taken on the bleachers or sitting on chairs with no editing needed. This year with the new lighting and editing capabilities, the pictures have improved dramatically. The boys’ team photo, which was taken and edited by Morgan Rock, received many compliments after being shared via Facebook and Instagram.

As reporters and designers, the students are constantly improving their skills. This includes being able to write meaningful stories for the school and community. Each week they are required to write and publish a story about sports or other events in the school district. As time continues, the staff’s stories keep getting better and better, so be sure to check them out!

These improvements are not just thanks to their new knowledge and Ms. Ripley’s teachings. They are also thanks to the new equipment being added to the classroom. These include new lights, computers, software, and cameras. The students are very grateful for these additions and have been having fun with them. Be sure to watch for these new improvements throughout the year!