Have a great summer! Redmond High yearbook hits the halls

The cat is finally out of the bag. Since last summer, staff members for the Redmond High School yearbook, the Revista, have had to zip their lips about the theme of the 2008 book. On May 28, seniors got their hands on the book, with a cover reading “THE BRAVEST AND THE BOLD,” a phrase borrowed from the Mustang fight song.

The cat is finally out of the bag.

Since last summer, staff members for the Redmond High School yearbook, the Revista, have had to zip their lips about the theme of the 2008 book.

On May 28, seniors got their hands on the book, with a cover reading “THE BRAVEST AND THE BOLD,” a phrase borrowed from the Mustang fight song. Books were distributed to sophomores and juniors on May 30.

The Redmond Reporter has followed the progress of “the making of the yearbook,” with visits to advisor Doug Kimball’s classroom in September, when the work was just beginning, and again at milestone points in November and March.

On the morning of May 28, Kimball and the students who created the book, lugged heavy boxes of the finished product into the cafeteria and set lines with recipients’ names in alphabetical order. They looked happy, slightly nervous — and at the same time, there were impromptu hugs among the seniors, knowing that “this was it,” not just the end of the book production process but the end of their era at RHS.

As the advisory period began, the rest of the class of ‘08 stampeded — yes, they are the Mustangs — into the room, eager to claim their books. As fast as they could, they sat down in groups to devour the contents.

“This is really exciting. They’re really pretty,” said Lauren Odle, who, like nearly everyone else, looked first for her own name in the index and then looked at all of the other senior portraits, many of which were accompanied by a signature or motto from the soon-to-be grad.

Nick Ray remarked, “I like the cover. I always wanted it to be black — I was getting tired of all that green or white.”

He snickered, but looked pleased when he found a page where his parents had bought space to congratulate him.

His friend Nico Martin added, “I like the layout with all the different sections. There’s a lot more pictures of everyday scenes.”

That was a very intentional aspect of this year’s book. From the early planning stages, the staff was determined to include as many students as possible, from the whole gamut of social circles and interest groups.

Pages devoted to pets, cars, fashions, faith expressions and many other topics ensured that there was a place for everyone to shine, even if they’ve never won an academic award or heard thunderous applause on a stage or athletic field.

Jenny Dreyfuss, an 11th grader who’ll be assistant editor for the 2009 yearbook, flipped through the pages and let out a contented sigh of relief.

“I really like it. It’s really personal. It was worth the pain,” she said.

Maria Reisinger will be next year’s editor in chief. Charlene Wilson and Alex Wilson will be photography editors and Jordan Keddie will be senior editor.