By Hannah Curran, Editor
TRUSSVILLE — Magnolia Elementary School (MES) unveiled its 2021-2022 yearbook, which was created and designed by an entirely student-led staff.
MES Principal Dr. Phyllis Faust said the students of MES are the heart of the school.
“As our motto states, we strive to provide our students with every opportunity to live, laugh, learn, and grow,” Faust said. “When I began thinking about our yearbook, I knew I wanted students to take ownership of this book of memories, and I also knew that it would take someone willing to invest in this process with me.”
Faust explained that when she shared the vision with MES Librarian Rebecca Bishop, she immediately wanted to be a part of the process.
“I was thrilled beyond words that she wanted to be involved,” Faust said. “I knew our yearbook would be in excellent hands.”
Related Story: Magnolia Elementary launches its first student-led yearbook staff
MES fourth and fifth-grade students had the opportunity to apply to be a part of the yearbook staff, and 17 students were selected. Bishop said that the plan was to meet one day a week before school, but the students wanted to do more.
“We met three mornings a week before school all year,” Bishop said. “These kids, unless they have like tutoring or something like safety patrol, they were here almost every day.”
Faust said she spoke with Trussville City Schools (TCS) Public Relations Supervisor Jason Gaston for his expert advice.
“Mr. Gaston took time throughout the year to meet with students and talk with them about all things photography, and he shared other important information that helped students learn about this process,” Faust said.
Bishop explained that she created a yearbook ladder with all the different pages the students wanted to incorporate into the yearbook and let them pick which pages they may wanted to work on. There are colors of the rainbow throughout the book, and each page has a different color specifically chosen by the students.
It’s not just colors that the students picked, but they also had hand-drawn art by the different yearbook staff members placed periodically throughout the book and on the front and back cover. Bishop said were allowed to express their creativity and imagination and bring them to life.
The students designed every piece of the book, whether it was the font style or frame shape. They captured unforgettable moments and shared them in a yearbook that was all their own.
Bishop said it was amazing to see the student’s pride when they saw the finished yearbook.
“To watch the dedication of our team and Miss Bishop throughout the year has been a blessing,” Faust said. “I knew we would have a great yearbook, but I never dreamed it would be as memorable as it is. I am forever grateful to Miss Bishop and our team for creating such a beautiful piece of artwork on every page for our Magnolia family.”
Faust said the 2021-2022 yearbook is special for many reasons.
“It has been an incredible school year, and our yearbook team perfectly captured our year,” Faust said. “This team has truly set the bar high for yearbooks that will be produced in the future.”
Yearbook Staff:
4th Grade:
- Eva Burroughs
- Lydia Buckley
- Rylee Firesheets
- Isabella Gracianette
- Maci Grillo
- Lucy Harvison
- Ethan Parker
- Olivia Limbaugh
5th Grade :
- Mirrol Christison
- Kaitlyn Clark
- Abby Denson
- Grace English
- Trinity English
- Nyah Garner
- Bayleigh Gorham
- Charlie Hodges
- Nathaniel Jackson