Battle Ground students and staff work to complete a yearbook like no other

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Prairie High School teacher Leah Zika always keeps a watchful eye on the number of deadlines that she and her students face as they work to complete the school’s yearbook. Not only does the project of creating a yearbook require lots of hard work to get it completed in time for the end of the year, but the publisher also imposes penalties for missed deadlines, so there is a lot of pressure to stay on target.

As the seriousness of the COVID-19 crisis was becoming apparent in early March, Zika had a hunch that she and the 17 students in yearbook class had better start making plans to complete the final 36 pages of the 248 page book early.

“We were starting to worry that the COVID-19 outbreak was going to shut down schools, so we were throwing around ideas in class for how we could complete the project on short notice if we had to,” Zika said in a news release. “We asked ourselves, ‘What can we do to get this done as soon as possible’? We came up with some ideas, and immediately after we made our plan, the announcement came over the loudspeaker that our schools would be shutting down indefinitely. We just looked at one another in shock for a few seconds, and then got to work.”

Zika and her students managed to complete the remaining content in just a few hours. In a normal year, the group might have spent several weeks completing the same amount of work.

“There’s always the problem of meeting deadlines, but at least you know they’re there,” Prairie High School senior and co-lead yearbook editor Maggie Munoz said. “While we missed out on the opportunity to make the best possible version of the yearbook, we all worked really hard to make it the best we could under the circumstances, and we should all be proud of that.”

At Battle Ground High School, the yearbook class is putting the finishing touches on the yearbook. Ryan Karraker and his students have requested submissions from students to showcase what they’re doing while learning remotely. The class has received photos from students who have made face masks or taken advantage of the warm spring weather.



“While it’s always going to be a process and a learning curve to get the yearbooks completed, this year has required a lot of creativity and a willingness from students to learn on the fly,” Karraker said. “So much content that we were relying on, like spring sports and the TOLO dance, were no longer options, and we had to move forward and figure out ways to persevere. I’m proud of my students and excited to share the results.”

The students completing the yearbooks are learning many skills that can be applied to their future academic and professional careers. The classes are set up to teach traditional desktop publishing, and students learn everything from stylistic design approaches and photography to publishing procedures and even legal issues surrounding sharing stories and pictures. Students can also develop leadership and project management skills, as many students take the class for multiple years and eventually become editors.

“Being able to work hands-on is typically what is most needed to be successful with this project,” Zika said. “This year has been difficult for students in so many ways, but they have shown tremendous maturity and ingenuity to work around the roadblocks that have been placed in front of them.”

Yearbooks at BGHS and PHS are available to order now through each school’s ASB office.

Visit bghs.battlegroundps.org/ or phs.battlegroundps.org/ for information about placing your order.

— The Reflector