The making of the yearbook, also known as the Log, is a yearlong project, a  well-deserved culmination of an eventful year for all of grades classes This year, Editor-in-Chief of community life Emma Reynolds, Editor-in-Chief of sports Saul Blain, and Editor-in-Chief of seniors Gabby Mercier raised the bar for future classes with their impeccable work on The Log.

The theme, “In the Valley We Call Home,” shines a light not just on the senior class, but on Williston’s picturesque surroundings, and reminds students that no matter how far they travel, Williston will always be an important part of their lives. It also emphasizes the feeling of home and inclusion Williston offers.

Senior Gabby Mercier believes this theme, which came out of a three-hour brainstorming workshop, is a perfect fit.

“My main goal for our yearbook was to show everyone how talented and diverse our community is,” Gabby said. “And not only did I want to create a book that encompassed what Williston is truly like, but I also wanted the members of our community to use this yearbook as a way to remember all the memories they created at Williston.”

Gabby has been working on the yearbook since freshman year. “It was something that I’d always been interested in,” she said. “I wanted to find more ways to be involved in the community and I found that in yearbook I could also pursue my love for photography.”

Students had the opportunity to make personalized half pages with some of their favorite photographs. All senior superlative winners were featured in their own picture. Six-year seniors were taken back to their middle school years with a page dedicated to them, including pictures from their semi-formal. Many parents of seniors sent in baby pictures and made surprise congratulations pages wishing their kids luck in college.

Another aspect designed by the editors was the dedication. Nominations were sent in the fall and a vote, taken in the winter, went, most deservedly, to Ms. Motyka

The opening page of The Log reads: “Ms. Motyka is, without question, exactly the friendly and helpful person that we all need to see first thing in the morning, though many of us take her for granted. Ms. Motyka works tirelessly to support the Dean’s Office, monitor student attendance, field parent phone calls, manage travel arrangements, keep track of community life budgets and much, much more.”

The staff surprised Motyka at an assembly with the news of the dedication. She was very moved and sent out a school-wide email which read: “I am literally speechless. I hope you all know how much I LOVE my job and working with all of you.”

Other Log features were pages for every Williston club, features of each sports team, features on all aspects of the arts, and features on many events that have happened on campus over the course of the year such as dances, convocation, and Why Not Speak? day. The book closes with kind words from Mr. Hill to the class of 2017.

Books were passed out to seniors on Senior Day (May 22) and the reactions were overwhelmingly positive..

Emma Reynolds,’17 is extremely happy with the results and pleased that, in the course of working on The Log, she discovered her passion for graphic design. “People don’t see the hours that are spent making just one tiny cutout on a page or choosing the fonts,” Emma said, “but to see all of that work come together is amazing. It looks so much better in person than I could imagine on the computer screen. I’m slightly obsessed and I look through it often.”

Next years’ Editors-in-Chief will be Emma Lehrer, Emma Gould, Jaelyn Coaxum, and Emily Wu. According to Mrs. Garrity, who has advised the Log staff for the past two years, they are ready to take on the big responsibility.

“These four were chosen because of their enthusiasm for the project and their individual talents,” she said. “Combined, we have an amazing group here with design, photography, and artistic backgrounds.”

To get involved you can join the club at the beginning of the school year, and your contribution can be as small as sending in pictures from events to creating entire pages.