High school yearbooks go virtual for Western Pa. grads
For high school graduates of 2020, that chance to write a senior yearbook message has been taken away with the pandemic. But resourceful teenagers have found a way to sign a yearbook virtually.
They’re creating yearbooks on Instagram, the social media platform that emphasizes photographs.
In most cases, one student creates an Instagram account for the senior class and fellow students post their photos, either the professional senior shot or another favorite photo. They include a few words about their next phase: college, trade school, military or gap year.
Maddie Willard, of Penn Hills, a senior at St. Joseph’s High School in Harrison, saw that students at Burrell and Highlands had created Instragram pages and joined in. “I wanted to start it because I know we have been stressed and this is a way to build each other up,” Willard said. “It is uplifting and supportive and a way to celebrate our senior year on social media.”
Her class of 51 students can now show their accomplishments in an widely accessible format. A traditional hardback yearbook may still be published, but it most likely won’t be available until later this year. With students living in many areas of Western Pennsylvania who attend St. Joseph, this brings them closer, Willard said.
People can leave comments on the photos, just as they do in a physical yearbook.
These virtual yearbooks will endure, said Katelyn Johnson, a senior at Hempfield High School who started an Instagram yearbook with friend and classmate Emma Jones. Johnson got the idea from a friend who is a senior in Ohio.
“We wanted to give our classmates a chance to show what their plans are and we wanted to focus on the future,” Johnson said. “And not focus on what we are missing this year. We have gotten so many messages. It is really a nice way to recognize what the senior class is going to be doing.”
Social media is helping the 485 students in the class of 2020 stay connected, Johnson said. The Instagram page can become a permanent record of this unprecedented time.
“In the comments we share memories and lift each other up,” Johnson said. “We all need that positivity right now.”
Grace Gackenbach, of Indiana Township, a member of the Fox Chapel Area High School’s senior caucus, was also motivated by the desire to take positive action. She and classmate Jess Klein of Indiana Township saw that Hampton, Mt. Lebanon and North Allegheny had Instagram yearbooks and thought Fox Chapel, with 341 seniors, should have one too.
“The Instagram account will remind us of our senior year and that it is a stressful time and it is unfortunate. But we also need to keep in mind that families are losing loved ones. So missing out on this time in our lives isn’t as huge a loss as these families are experiencing,” Gackenbach said.
“It is so nice to see the class of 2020 come together for this and I think it is so important,” Klein said. “It is also cool to see these are student run. We know there are people in worse situations than we are and we understand that and we feel for those people and their loss. It is important for us to not just be known for the year of the coronavirus or the year when there was talk of an impeachment. We have so many accomplishments to be proud of and we are going on to do great things.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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