The yearbook is created annually to show the memories and accomplishments the school, staff, and students have made throughout the school year. Yearbook has become a school tradition for Phoenix, ever since Journalism teacher Katie Comeford created Phoenix’s first one in 2011.

Students have great responsibilities in creating the yearbook. The yearbook committee include editors, photographers, and graphic designers. Junior Abigail Smith is an editor for the yearbook,.

“Phoenix Yearbook has inquired many awards from “The Illinois Journalism Education Association.”  These awards are from a variety of topics such as photography, graphics, writing, coverage, layout, and theme.” said Smith.

The yearbook is not just a research paper done overnight, it is something that takes months to create. The yearbook committee has to work in unison with one another to make everything fit together.

“We have to variety of things to do before we can begin to create the yearbook, we have to research clubs and their members, new staff members, and the event the school will participate in this year.” said Smith.

The yearbook is more than pictures and text;  The yearbook represents personalities, themes, and reputation. Not only does it represent different students, it represents Phoenix as a whole.

“ This year we are trying to implement a more complex theme that can be broken down into our disciplined formal JROTC side of the school, but can also show the personality of the students who are under the uniform,” said Smith.

Being an editor for the yearbook is not just extra busy work, it is an opportunity to get involved in the school,

“The interesting thing about being an editor is you get to see how much the students are involved and contribute to the school, and the opinions of others that get taken into consideration in creating the yearbook,”said Smith.

The yearbook does not only have the intention to only show memories, but also to be able to connect to one another.