I GOT MY 2020 SCHOOL YEARBOOK! (was NOT expecting that!)
Wow! THIS is a story that I NEED to tell.
It started in September 2019, before the #coronavirus hit... My school had long released it's 2017-2018 yearbook and was preparing to release its 2018-2019 yearbook, which sadly never came out... At the beginning of the school year, all looked good. We thought we would have a few months, release the old yearbook by Thanksgiving, when they usually release the yearbooks, rather than summer for most schools (2020's release however was a summer release, rare for my school, it is likely that all future yearbooks will be a summer release, rather than a late fall/early winter release by the way.) Only one month into the school year, problems were already a rising, 2 months before the usual release. What happened was the old yearbook teacher/guidance counselor, Sarah, had left her job, and a new history teacher, Bob, came into the scene, and he was transferred to the yearbook position. The problem: he had NO experience for this position. Which caused a bad start, along with my former one-on-one, PJ, trying to solve the yearbook's problem. By November, the yearbook (2018-19) was about halfway done. Unfortunately, because we lost Sarah and her computer, her Lifetouch subscription, which we used to make the yearbook, expired around November/December, so the history teacher had to make a new account and we lost ALL of our former progress! Through December, we tried to figure out how to restore the progress, failing many times, rather than starting from fresh, like we should've done. Then, holiday vacation had to happen, and that was the end of 2019, and believe me, this next part is not good news... And so, 2020 began. January was NOT a good month for the yearbook, it was probably the worst month for it... January started with my old one-on-one abruptly ending his job as my one-on-one for school, likely because he lived about an hour away from the school. Then, even worse news arose: one of my school's main persons passed away after getting very sick, shockingly only a few weeks before Kobe Bryant passed away... And they announced this in GATHERING, very harsh news for the whole school to have to hear. Also, Lifetouch got a HUGE update for 2020 and the new decade, which involved switching from the old Flash program (ending 12/31/2020) to the new HTML5 based software. Because all of our old progress was on Flash, this was either the SECOND or THIRD time we lost our progress on Lifetouch in only ONE school year! Therefore, we decided that 2020 would be the last yearbook to use Lifetouch, and that we would switch to a new platform by the new school year. Unfortunately, this marked the end of the 2018-2019 half-finished yearbook that would never be released because we tried putting in 2018-2020 or 2018-2019, and we would only be able to do 2019-2020, so all hope for the old yearbook ended, and we had to start on the new yearbook. But even MORE problems arose. However, I forgot to mention, that I got a new one-on-one after PJ stopped working there, and her name was Taylor. By February, we were attempting to get the second page about the school moving from one town to another, planning to take a better picture of the school in April and finishing the yearbook by its April 20 deadline for a summer release. However, by late February/early March, we were told that that deadline didn't needed to be met. We were planning to do more, but disaster struck: the new coronavirus had hit the United States and was starting to wreak havoc; by early March, cruises were shuttered and the stock for one fell below $20/share, low from the former $50/share. By March 6, people were getting worried about this. By March 9, my school was planning a contest for who would win the upcoming March Madness. But guess what: it was CANCELLED because of the coronavirus. Little did we know, our school would be cancelled too, and only within days... March 13 was the LAST DAY of physical school. At 11am that day upon leaving, I said "see you Monday, maybe, probably!". But, on Sunday, March 15, my school was closed until 3/30, which turned to 4/6, which turned to 5/4, which turned to the rest of the school year. I was partying about this at my dad's house, but little did I know that 3/14-3/15 would be the last weekend that I would see my dad. Wow, times changed quickly... By the end of March, EVERYTHING had either been moved online or shuttered. So this left the yearbook, STILL half-finished, with no students able to help with it because of the coronavirus... Let's just say, the staff figured out how to do it by March, so they finished it, and made a surprise announcement on July 2 that the 2019-2020 yearbook along with all the summer school work, would be shipped by Monday. Surprisingly, it all arrived on July 3, I saw the yearbook, and guess what: I was in it like 11 TIMES, like I always am! So, the yearbook was FINISHED, on the 3rd or 4th attempt.
And so, that was the story behind my 2020 yearbook.
I GUESS THE THIRD TIME REALLY IS THE CHARM!
THIS was the result:
Sadly, this cover depicts that 2020 was a great year. However, that is NOT true!
It was a great yearbook, and I can't wait for the 2021 yearbook!
Note: Unlike most schools, who ONLY offer a yearbook to graduating students, and that the yearbooks at most schools cost $50, $75, my school offers a yearbook to EVERY student, graduating or not, AND they are provided at no-cost. That's right, my school gives out FREE YEARBOOKS TO EVERY STUDENT, EVERY YEAR! I have a 2016, 2017, 2018, AND 2020 yearbook, plus a 2014 one from my older days of public schools that ended that year. I don't have a 2019 yearbook, because, well, yeah. (Read above if you forgot why I don't have a 2019 yearbook)
Updated 7/5/20.
I am very happy that you are pleased with your yearbook. It sure was a long time coming!!!
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