First all-color yearbook debuts at high school

“It’s a time for change,” says Dave Evans, nodding at a group of young men and women hunkered down over laptops, others feverishly peering at galleys and still others scrawling dates and information on calendars and lists that dominate a wall of white boards.

Then he smiles. “And this group of 25 rookies will do it,” he says, tapping his chest. “And me, I’m a rookie too.”

This group of “rookies” is responsible for the first all-color Fallbrook Union High School Moccasin yearbook in the school’s history. To further add to its importance, the page count has grown to 424 – the greatest number of pages yet. These rookies, students in Evans’ yearbook class, are kids who have never worked on a yearbook before. But this year’s theme, “A Time for Change,” inspires them.

The theme for this history-making edition addresses significant steps taken by FUHS this past year. First, the school invested $20,000 in computer equipment to bring the class fully into the digital age. Second, the class is working under the direction of a new principal and three new district board members. Third, Evans is a “change,” too.

The previous faculty advisor stepped down and Evans, with experience in social sciences and journalism, became the perfect candidate. “I was the ‘Lone Ranger’ who stepped up to the plate,” he says. This is Evans’ third year teaching at FUHS, but he’s been involved in student newspapers and yearbooks in other positions.

Finally, says Evans, the biggest change directly affects the students: it’s their graduation.

For Editor-in-Chief Darren Hansen, a senior, graduation will mark the end of his association with the Moccasin. But the job of editor-in-chief suits him, he says.

Evans agrees. Some of the students are good writers, others great photographers, still others are terrific at graphic design, but the editor-in-chief has to have leadership qualities. Says Evans, “I knew someone would rise to the top. Darren Hansen became the undisputed leader just before winter break.”

Although Hansen plans to pursue business and accounting in college, his motivation to work on the yearbook stems from a sense of purpose. “I thought it would be interesting to make something that people would have for the rest of their lives,” he says.

Hansen’s job on the Moccasin is more than leadership, though. He’s responsible for reading all the galleys after they’ve been proofread by other students to make sure any errors are corrected. It’s not a task he takes lightly. In addition to the one-hour class each day, he says he puts in six more hours each week at home. As the final deadline approaches, Hansen says many more students are spending the same number of hours.

Each member of the class works on two page spreads. In a sense, they are page editors, regardless of the topic; they write text, get quotes, take photos and edit them and lastly place all of the page components into templates provided by their printer, Herff-Jones, a leading supplier of yearbooks and other “symbols of achievement” since 1920. This printer has published the Moccasin for years, says Evans.

Alyssa Newhouse, who is also a senior, is keeper of the schedules. “They call me Mr. Evans’ secretary,” she says, but what she really does is manage the scheduling calendar, logging in page layouts as they are completed and making sure all due dates are met. This is an exacting job and one she may be perfect for, as she plans on a teaching career once she graduates.

Regardless of the subject matter – clubs, sports, campus life – “We help each other out,” says Newhouse. This attitude of cooperation permeates the group and, although they enjoy their roles in the class, students take seriously the importance of the history-making issue, because they all are “making something people will have for the rest of their lives.”

Evans says FUHS will have 350 extra copies of the Moccasin available for purchase at the ASB office. The price is $85.