As the year comes to a close, there are a lot of things to look forward to.  For some, it may be dancing the night away with friends at Prom, while for others it may be getting their diploma on graduation day and leaving for summer.  For almost everyone, however, simply obtaining a yearbook can help them appreciate the memories of that year and have something to look back on in the future.  What people don’t see is that the blood, sweat and tears that are shed in the process of making it are a spectacle in itself.

This year’s Tracks yearbook has 288 pages that are filled with tons of information and pictures, all of which take time and effort to make sure it not only is accurate, but looks appealing as well.  With all the classes that pertain to journalism, like newspaper and yearbook, each has their own unique structure and focus, which is part of the reason that sophomore James Sanderson picked yearbook for his high school schedule.  

“I took it in middle school for a year and really liked it, and I’ve always been into journalism.”  Sanderson said.  “I’ve taken journalism classes since sixth grade, so I knew I’d be good at it, but I felt like newspaper wasn’t really applying to my strengths, so yearbook was my preference between the two.”

Not everyone who is in yearbook has taken journalism classes in the past, meaning they joined almost blindly into it.  It’s a class in which the students work everyday and must reach deadlines for their pages and assignments, which can consist of many things like interviews, design of the page, taking, editing, importing photos and more.  Someone who is just starting out may need a helping hand from the returners of the class, which sophomore Tylie Biggs can attest to.  

“Having the returners in here is definitely really helpful, because there’s a lot of things that we don’t necessarily learn at the beginning of the year that we kinda just are expected to know, so we have to look to the returners for that and just ask questions, and not be afraid to ask questions,”  Biggs said.  “They’re all very helpful and all willing to help us, and whatever we need they’re always there for us, in yearbook and outside of yearbook.  

Although it isn’t a requirement, Journalism is a big help for people who want to get into the Yearbook class.  Journalism is the main root for Yearbook, Newspaper, and even the Wolfcast in some aspects.  The journalism classes that Mrs. Hert offers often act as a segue into the Yearbook class, according to senior Jordan Garza.  

“Mrs. Hert offers a Journalism 1 class,”  Garza said.  “Which for the students that take it, sparks their interest in Yearbook because you need to learn how to write in a journalistic style.  You need to learn how to write captions and personality profiles and all that kind of stuff.”  

Garza has been in Yearbook since her freshman year, and has acted as a mentor for newer members like Biggs.  For her, however, joining in freshman year was  a “happy accident” as she says now.  

“I wasn’t supposed to be in yearbook freshman year,” Garza said.  “When I showed up, I had a lot of friends from middle school in the grade above me already in the class. I told Mrs. Hert that if she would be willing to give me a shot, that I would love to try it out, and that it just seemed like a lot of fun.  She knew that I would have some mentors in the class based on the people that I knew, and so she did give me a shot and I ended up being really good at it, so I just stuck with it and I found it to be very fun.”    

It seems that experience isn’t the only important factor for this hardworking class, rather that anyone who is willing to work and put the effort in is well equipped for yearbook.  To top it all off, the yearbook is now finished, meaning these hardworking students can finally see the finished product of their beautiful work.  The theme for this Yearbook is “It Goes Without Saying,” which represents Cedar Park’s exceptional reputation being held for the past 25 years.            

“We wanted to have something that just represents Cedar Park really well,”  Garza said.  “When people hear the name Cedar Park High School, they immediately think ‘Oh, they’re really good at this sport,’ and ‘they’ve won a ton of state championships,’ and ‘they’re super good academically.’  All of that just goes without us even having to say anything, since we’ve already gained that reputation.” 

As a reward for these students, after someone finishes their assigned pages, they get to ring the “hype” button, which plays an airhorn sound effect.  The final airhorn was sounded just last week, meaning that the yearbook is ready to go.