Date: Fri 19-Jan-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

schools-yearbook-Ryder

Full Text:

with cut: Commemorating The Life And Times Of The Class of '96

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

What would the high school years be like without yearbooks? What would we

refer to when attempting to remember the name of our date to the junior prom

or the guy who sat behind us during freshmen earth science? And how could we

prove to our children we played high school football or captained the

cheerleading squad?

No doubt, Newtown High School alumni still occasionally pull out copies of

their yearbooks from days gone by for a pleasant taste of nostalgia.

NHS yearbooks, like most others, are more than publications of pictures,

superlatives and personals. In a way, they're more like memorabilia of what

life was like in "the good ol' days."

Yet another NHS yearbook is currently in the works as this year's 19-member

staff is busy putting together the life and times of the class of 1996.

The road to the 1995-96 yearbook, entitled Another Brick in the Wall , began

last spring when the students got a crash course in the fine art of creating a

high school yearbook from adviser Kurt Ryder, now heading his fifth yearbook

project after taking over the job in 1991. With the book scheduled to go to

press in just a few weeks, the group is putting the final touches on its work.

"You really have to work together as a team when it comes to the yearbook,"

co-editor Maria Robertson pointed out.

"It's a lot of work, but I think it's a lot of fun. You have a final product

that people will keep forever," explained co-editor Kristina Petretti. "It's a

one shot deal."

This year's yearbook is dedicated to former math teacher and baseball coach

Tony Urban and student Harlan Allison, both of whom died this past year.

Yearbooks sometimes have their share of misspellings and names under the wrong

pictures. Avoiding these mistakes is the staff's top priority, so it is

constantly proofing pictures, photos, and copy.

Mr Ryder said he doesn't give tests, pointing out that the real exam is in the

final product.

"They're producing the actual layouts that will be published. What better test

is there," he explained.

While neither Mr Ryder nor NHS administrators censor the yearbooks, certain

items are not allowed. The word beer or pictures of beer cans are not allowed.

Instead, the word grog is used.

Photographers Erica Hanson and Melissa Eigen say they try to get as many

different faces as possible for the annual, sometimes going outside the school

to capture a moment.

"We've taken photos at parties, but we can't use them in the yearbook,"

Melissa explained.

Mr Ryder said this year's yearbook staff has been a success because of its

ability to self-direct. Afterall, it's the students themselves who bring the

pages to life.

"I think it'll be a nice book. Each book is different," Mr Ryder said. "I'm

the adviser, I let them do whatever they want, as long as it's legal and in

good taste."

The Newtown Bee has every NHS yearbook on file dating back to the early part

of the century when high school students from Newtown attended Hawley School.