Flipping through the pages of its history, this year Ojai Valley School has entered a new chapter of the Yearbook program with the advent of new Yearbook advisor Ryan Bowden.
Just a few weeks prior, the Yearbook class submitted the final copy of the 2023-2024 yearbook to their publishing company, Jostens, rounding out the year of change and setting up a new precedent for the future of the Yearbook program at OVS.
“There is such a weight off of my shoulders now that we are all done and submitted,” says Mr. Bowden. “I feel like I am free right now; I walk around campus a little bit lighter.”
Given the submission of the Yearbook and the lifting of such pressures, let’s look back on the road that got us to where we are now.
Mr. Bowden took on the Yearbook program at Upper Campus this past fall, in addition to photography and digital design classes. At the previous schools he taught at, Mr. Bowden was no short of recognition. Almost every single year, he and his team won national awards for their Yearbook, a feat he hopes to pursue in the coming years at OVS after he joins the program.
One of his biggest modifications to the course at OVS is the use of entirely new online software, Yearbook Avenue. This program allows for an organized and systematic layout of the yearbook by page and has countless features for easy creation and editing.
“Compared to the simple Adobe Photoshop and Google Drive system we used before,” says Editor-in-Chief Tallulah Bell. “Yearbook Avenue is much more advanced and easier to use in many aspects.”
One of the key differences when flipping through the pages of this year’s and last year’s yearbooks is the amount of writing. Last year, the book mainly focused on photography and colorful backgrounds, one of the few pieces of writing being the title and an occasional caption.
This year, however, one of the most prominent features of each page is the script outlining each experience. The pages are swimming with captions, quotes, and literature that capture each topic pictured like a simple image has a hard time doing by itself.
The Yearbook elective has seen a surge in popularity, doubling its staff compared to previous years. This increase in interest is a testament to the diverse range of skills the course offers, from photography and writing to design and editing.
An entirely fresh start was sure to come with numerous challenges, some of which included the Yearbook Avenue software and getting the staff motivated enough to handle such a shift in class organization.
Design Editor Elsa Feng summarizes that although the platform took some time to get used to, the class feels more like a real Yearbook program than it ever did before.
“Training the staff to think in an entirely different way was not the easiest feat,” says Mr. Bowden, “but I am so proud of them rising to the occasion with such a big transition and am excited to see their reactions when we open up their books.”
The Yearbook program holds a significance for any school that goes beyond a mere book. It’s a time capsule, preserving memories of people and their high school experiences. It’s a document of how the community evolves with the ebb and flow of students, faculty, and curriculums. As a primarily student-led production, the finished product authentically represents student life through the years, evoking a sense of nostalgia and appreciation.
“It is a lot of different creative minds being put into one output, which is really cool,” says Tallulah.
With the recent final submission for the books to be printed, the Yearbook staff is given a period of relaxation and relief before the school year comes to an end. Not all work is done, however, as Mr. Bowden and the Editors are already brainstorming how next year will look regarding the staff, the book’s theme, the dedication, and more.
“I think the most exciting part about next year is that I now have a veteran staff that we can build off of,” says Mr. Bowden. “Now that we have a blueprint of what needs to be done, the only direction for us in the future is up.”