Sitting in Room 6203, we’re throwing out ideas for the 2024-2025 yearbook theme. After “Really? Yes, Really” I knew I wanted to do something drastically different. Something more reined in. We wanted something more refined.

As the editor-in-chief of the Replay, I, along with my fellow editors and returning yearbook staffers, have been developing this year’s yearbook since April of last year. After throwing around many different ideas, we landed on “Refine & Rediscover.” Refine refers to all the ways our school has improved ourselves, including sports, academics and fine arts, and rediscover is about what we’ve remembered about ourselves as individuals and a community. Throughout the book, we repeatedly use other words starting with “re” to emphasize our theme.

“We slowly got to elegant and classy, and then we came up with the theme and it all started to fall into place,” co-assistant editor and senior Zeke Osborn said. “It was really cool how we all collaborated together and it’s a really concise and fun idea.”

So many of the elements you see throughout the book feel personal to me, especially being the one who came up with the cover concept for the second year in a row. The emerald color throughout the book is one of my favorite colors and I drew the squiggles myself in Adobe Illustrator. Our font Princesa was shown to us by Jostens Creative Director Kel Lemons, who assists us in design, and our messy cutouts and black and white photos were pulled from current design trends.

“I feel like I’m doing my community a service in a way,” Osborn said. “We’re covering things that are happening in our community that are so close not only to what I do in my everyday life, but also the 2100 other kids that are here. So it’s meaningful, it’s impactful.”

Current co-assistant editor and junior Faye Zayed was a first year editor this year, and is in line to be editor-in-chief next year. A true powerhouse, she led the newspaper as their editor-in-chief and was an irreplaceable part of our editorial team.

“When I was named as a yearbook editor for this year, I felt recognized for my hard work, but I was also a bit scared because I didn’t really know everyone on the staff well,” Zayed said. “Being a sophomore at the time, I knew everyone was going to be older than me. But this year, I got to see the environment and how welcoming everyone is.”

One of our juniors, Brooklyn Delgado, moved back to the area in December, where she quickly fit in with the rest of the staff.

“I forced myself to socialize because I’m very much like a turtle in a shell whenever it comes to making new friends,” Delgado said. “I felt more comfortable talking with everybody and felt more comfortable interviewing once I did it with a few people at first. I’m really excited for the book to come out, because now I appreciate the yearbook more and I know how much work and stress is put into it.”

As an editor, I saw my staff grow so much this year and it was truly incredible to see them blossom. I watched photo editor and senior Conner Ford and senior Maximus Cole find their passion and talents for writing, legally blind senior Alyssa Doss continue to amaze with her incredible photography, seniors Raven Norris and Lindsey Heyman learn to balance their sports with yearbook, junior Fatima Montoya interview with a language barrier and Delgado jumped right in as if she was here all year.

“While I love taking photos, I felt like I needed to branch out,” photo editor and senior Conner Ford said. “With photography I capture people and their skills, but with writing I show them from another light. A photo may show the game winning touchdown, but the story brings to light the struggles and setbacks that were faced to get there.”

When I came into yearbook, I was very shy and never thought I could ever be an editor. Through this incredible program and the guidance of my adviser Shelby Nickells, I feel like I was able to refine my own skills and grow as a journalist.

“It’s a super fun environment, especially if you aren’t as talkative,” Delgado said. “I think it helps you get out of your shell more. You’re seeing things in a different perspective, because most kids look at the yearbook and think it’s pretty easy, but it’s so much more.”

Every year in yearbook, I’ve looked to my editors as the blueprint for what a great journalist and a great leader should be, and I can only hope I was able to demonstrate that for the future staff and editorial team. I’m so proud of everyone who has worked on this book and I’m so excited to see what they’ll achieve next.

“It’s honestly been super rewarding to see the progress that we’ve made, and seeing this book completely done,” Zayed said. “I know Nickells and I have joked that we’re excited for next year, but now, I think we realize it’s gonna be scary. We’re gonna lose a lot of talented staffers. I’m definitely going to miss all the seniors, especially the editors, and I’m going to cry at graduation. But it’s good to remain hopeful for the things to come. I think we will pull through.”

The Replay yearbook has shaped my high school experience and given me valuable skills in my personal life. “Refine & Rediscover” means so much to me because it feels like me and my amazing editorial team in a book, and I’ll always remember this crazy, wonderful, impactful year when I see a squiggle, a gradient or a messy cutout.

“It’s bittersweet because I’ve loved doing this, but I’m so proud that I’ve gotten to work on this book and previous books,” Osborn said. “It’s honestly such a privilege to be here and to create this thing that students will have for decades. Being an editor has probably been one of the greatest achievements for me. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better place to be in for senior year.”