San Marcos High School - Crown and Sceptre Yearbook (Santa Barbara, CA)

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X., --ln., 5 '. . ' - W-,ag-a--Q ,in ai I wi Myth 0f The Self-Propelled Yearbook When Ijoined the yearbook staff at the beginning of the second semester, I had much to learn. I was naive enough to take the class because I had no sixth period, and wanted an opportunity to do my homework. Like the rest of the student body at San Marcos, I thought that the yearbook magically came out by itself. I imagined that all the staff had to do was choose from an infinite number of candid pictures, write a few clever lines beside each one, put them together, and send them to the printer. Presto! A yearbook appears in June. Little did I know . . . Before I could blink twice, I was drawing layouts, cropping pictures, writing copy, designing pages, and dispensing advice. I had become an unofficial Organizations Editor, and I still d0n't know how it happened. Eventually, it became clear that putting out the yearbook rested on the shoulders of about eight people. It was a major shock, somewhat like a punch in the stomach, to realize that if we didn't put out the yearbook, no one else would for us. To me, this seems to be a paradox. The responsibility for the yearbook, which holds the record of an entire segment of our lives, is left to a handful of people. How can eight or ten people give an objective view of the lives of 1800 others? It should be the contribution of everyone. Obviously, I do not expect the whole campus to sign up for yearbook next fall. On the contrary, too large a staff can create a poor book. We do need input however. It would be no extra work for each organization to send in a list of their activities, and for the club presidents to identify the formal or group shots. I can't count the number of times I had to send people running all over campus, trying to identify one person in a group shot. Sure, we could have left them out . . . but how would you like to be the missing person? We had so few offers of help from anyone. There was little cooperation from the organizations and athletic teams, and this did little to turn out the book quickly and efficiently. Yet, these are the same people who kept walking into the room and asking us, Is the yearbook going to be on time? Will it be good? They expect us to answer, UYES! Of course, with all the generous help and time you,ve given us why of course, it will be here on time, and the best yearbook you've ever seen? I hope that next year brings some drastic changes in the way yearbook is put out. Something like a yearbook, that means so much to so many people, should be approached more realistically. Eight people spent many hours a day after school for four weeks, days when only the muted shouts from the athletic field and the clacking of typewriters from the yearbook room broke the silence of the deserted halls. We were here evenings, weekends, and half of spring vacation, trying to get the book finished . . . that's too much. With a little more cooperation from the student body, the job would have been a whole lot easier. So many people have no concept of the organized time and effort that is necessary for the production of a yearbook. The yearbook doesn't come out by itself . . . my illusions of that are gone now. From the staff, I've learned so much-about cooperating with people, about writing, about dedication, about the quick passage of time, and mostly, about DEADLINES. However, I know that next year's new staff members will have the same illusions that I did. If every person on the campus were aware of the complications entailed in yearbook production, perhaps this knowledge could be passed on, and the problems could be lessened. For the sake of next year's staff, I hope so. Holly Wanless Staff Member

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he Myth Of: The Super tudenti' The mythical image of the high school student can be summed up in one word: INVOLVEMENT. If the student is male, he is supposed to be a five sport letterman, be school president, have two million friends, twenty-five girl-friends, and maintain a straight 'LAN average. He's also editor of the school newspaper, is in all of the school plays, is a favored student in every class, eats a balanced diet, and is the apple of his family's eyes. 6 1 l 7, J ,, , . . . If the high school student is female, she is president of five out of every seven organizations at school, rides horses, keeps her room tidy, plays ten different musical instruments, and would never kiss a boy on the first date. She is adept at every sport one can think of, being something of a tom-boy, but also models in her spare time, sings solos in choir, and is queen of the dance floor. Where does one actually find these super students? Do they really exist? How do they so cleverly manage to keep from going insane? If the students made these images realities, they would be in mental institutions, by the end of a year of such activities. To be an active i 220 member in so many things would have them spread out so thin, that he or she would be more of a problem than a benefit to the organizations involved. Imagine having to go to play rehearsals for at least two hours after school every day, have five deadlines to meet in the school newspaper, have baseball practice three days a week, and so all of your homework for five solid academic classes. As well as writing three term papers, a thesis, and volunteering to do all the family baby-sitting for the next two months. Who could live through that, much less do a good job? By not being able to devote real time to any one project, the student comes short on the quality in spite of the quantity. This is irritating to those who do devote their time to the activity the quantity,' student is only superficially involved in. Thus, the involved oe becomes a real problem, and those around him find that if they want a good job done, they had best get rid of those who are keeping them from obtaining the desired good results. The super-student is better left a myth, for the good of all involved. However, there are those students who do attempt to realize this imageg they find in the end that it is a costly one.