The "A Big Yearbook Sanfu" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Late May and the school yearbooks that I have created have been delivered to the schools.  I started as the advisor to the high school (grades 9-12) yearbook where I taught in the late 1960s.  When I retired from teaching in 1999 I asked the school principal if he wanted me to continue as the yearbook advisor.  He felt it best if someone who saw the students on a daily basis would be in charge and I agreed with him.  The following day the principal of the middle school (grades 6-8) called and asked if I would be interested in taking over their book.  I could name my price if I cared to do so.  Not long after I was in charge of the book!  The book is only 64 pages instead of a few hundred pages as the high school book was.  The first year I tried to use student help, but that didn't work since I didn't have contact with the students on a daily basis.  Then seven years ago the middle school changed to grades 7 and 8 and a new intermediate school opened with grades 5 and 6.  The principal called and asked if I wanted to do their book.  Sure, why not.  That book also is a hard-bound book and 64 pages.  

The Manheim Township Middle School and Landis Run Intermediate School yearbooks for 2019.

Each yearbook features class photos, administration and faculty sections, clubs, musical groups, sports and plenty of candid shots.  This year for the first time the books were in color.  And, each year I strive to make a perfect yearbook.  The yearbook company contact tells me each year that there NEVER was a perfect book and NEVER will be!  I was positive I had at least one this year, but....they were right once again.  When I returned from a trip to the Caribbean in the end of May, after the books had arrived in each school, I got a call from the company contact telling me he had received a call from the middle school principal.  I had spelled her name wrong!  And to top that off, I had spelled the word FACULTY wrong on the same page.  The next day I called the principal and talked with her.  I apologized and she said it was no big deal, but it is to me!  I get paid to create the book and I strive for a perfect book.  

My wife places a sticker over the mistake on a page
in the Middle School yearbook.  Click to enlarge.

The company contact had stickers printed and he and his assistant as well as myself and my wife sat in a hot room and unpacked all the books and placed the stickers over the mistakes!  They looked OK, but they weren't perfect!  And, no one knew what the mistakes were beside the principal until now, when everyone reads this post!  I did enjoy the company and conversation for the three hours it took to put the stickers in place, but it could have been best spent doing something else.  As far as the intermediate book goes, I once again thought I had a perfect book until the final day of school when the books were delivered to the students and....well you guessed it.  One student had the wrong photo above her name.  

We placed stickers on all of these books.  Took three hours!

In this case it happened because the company that had taken the class photos had made the mistake and it had never been caught by the school until the books were handed out.  Now, once again, I have never had a perfect book.  I think often of stopping my wonderful job as creating yearbooks for these schools, but I enjoy visiting the schools many times a year to take the photos.  The students always greet me and are more than willing to pose for photos for me.  I would miss the interaction between the students, faculty and administration that I have developed over the past 50 years.  To many of the students I am like their grandfather, and perhaps their great grandfather, when I arrive with my Nikon DSLR with flash on top.  I haven't made up my mind yet as to what I will do next year, but I will more than likely hop in the car on opening day of school and head to the schools to document the first day of school once again. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.