UHS’ “Rosemary” Turns 100

This spring marks the one hundredth edition of UHS’ yearbook, The Rosemary. The yearbook staff has been working tirelessly throughout the school year to create a signature issue that embraces the 2009-2010 school year, but also pays tribute to the previous century’s worth of UHS coverage.

To celebrate the anniversary, Editor in Chief Mariah Burgess and the other yearbook staffers added some changes to the publication’s contents. One big addition to The Rosemary is an expanded student life section. “This year we tried to cover more people who aren’t necessarily involved in a club or a sport so they appear in more than just their school picture,” Burgess said.

Another change for 2010 is a collection of Urbana High School significant moments scattered through out the yearbook. The Rosemary’s Advisor, Michael Lehr, said, “This is a special time for UHS, and we’re trying to look back and include some of the history that has been so important to shaping the school.”

While working on the yearbook can be stressful at times, the staff finds it an overall satisfying experience. “My favorite part of working on The Rosemary is when the yearbooks come in… it’s like Christmas morning getting to open the first box and seeing it all bound together,” Burgess said.

UHS students who want to be a part of The Rosemary should sign up for the Yearbook class during course registration. “Students in Yearbook learn marketable life skills, like how to use Photoshop and write articles that appeal to a real-life audience while working on part of an authentic task,” Lehr said. Rosemary staffers are also expected to attend extra-curricular activities to take photos, interview students and write articles.

Students who take the class also have the opportunity to help chronicle their era at UHS for future generations. “It’s important for us to record our school’s history as it happens so people can look back and remember it through pictures and text,” Lehr said.

Students who haven’t pre-ordered the hundredth edition of The Rosemary yet can do so in Mr. Lehr’s room for forty dollars until Spring Break. After the break, the price will rise to fifty dollars.