After the cancellation of this year’s yearbook class due to lack of enrollment, senior Mattie Fritz has brought the yearbook back as a club. The members of the club are optimistic about the challenges they will face and they hope to refine the entire yearbook process.

“When I heard that the yearbook was being cancelled, I thought it was really horrible that we were losing a Tam tradition,” Fritz said. She explained that a yearbook is an important tradition, and one that is distinct from social media.

“The yearbook is different from social media in that it stays, and…it’s put together in a way that it shows the best snapshots of high school,” she said. “The yearbook…really boils everything down to the concentrated…memories.”

Although transitioning from a class to a club is difficult, Fritz is hopeful. “We plan to meet twice a week, to kind of refill that class time that we’re losing…a great thing about the Walsworth design program that we’re using is that it’s available anywhere that you have Internet access, so people can work on it at home… So I think the workload is going to be a little less stressful, especially now that we had a great showing of support at a previous yearbook meeting.”

Art teacher and yearbook advisor Zachary Gilmore is excited to use his knowledge to contribute to the club.  “Since I teach graphic design, and I teach drawing and painting, and I taught photo last year, I’m hoping to support the actual, physical design of the yearbook, and hope to make it something that…looks good.”

While the yearbook will be the same length as past years- 350 to 400 pages- and cover most of the same topics, Fritz wants to change the process. “I really wanted to make this a yearbook for all grades,” she said. “I think part of the problem of  why yearbook was cancelled in the first place was that only upperclassmen were enrolling in the class…[So] the older students will mentor the younger students and continue the cycle, and that’s how it can move forward in a class format next year.”

Anyone can join the club, or just submit photos. “The yearbook is happening…so you should buy it, because it’s going to be awesome this year,” senior and yearbook editor Courtney Chang said.