As the school year chugs on and students are enjoying the various clubs and sports they are involved in, one group of students is working hard to create a tangible recreation of the school year through pictures. It’s a group of dedicated students who care enough about their peers to donate their time to creating a lasting memory: the yearbook.

The Yearbook Club meets Tuesdays after school until about three o’clock in order to pull the book together. Currently, there are seven people working on the yearbook, plus Editor Samantha Kirkham and Advisor Alison Guard.

Contrary to popular belief, however, the club is most definitely not senior-exclusive. In fact, the Yearbook Club is urging underclassmen to join and learn the ropes in order to make next year’s transition a smoother one.

“Right now, we have just seniors working on it, but it’s not a ‘just senior’ club. Anybody can do it,” said Kirkham. “We’re actually looking for underclassmen; that way there’s people for next year so Mrs. Guard doesn’t have to do it by herself.”

“It is a sort of an understated thing,” said Guard. “Most people don’t realize how much time goes into it, and how involved it is. And we’d always love to get more people involved.”

Putting together a yearbook is a much more labor-intensive project than one might imagine. Kirkham has paid a lot of special attention to the “Introduction to the Seniors” page, with over eight hours under her belt.

Kirkham has worked together with members of her class, including Kyle Costa –who is putting together the senior slideshow – in order to create a yearbook that encompasses the spirit of the past year.

Once the yearbook is distributed, students sit in groups and eagerly flip through to find pictures of themselves and their friends. But just how does the Yearbook Club get every person equally represented in a school of 700+ students?

“We try to do our best job. You can tag everybody in the photos with the software, so it keeps track of how many times people are in the book,” said Kirkham. “Also, for the senior section and semi, I’ve made a list myself to tally how many times each person was in each section, and tried to get everybody in as much as possible, because I don’t want people to be left out. Especially if you buy the book. You don’t want to buy a book that you’re not in.”

The cover of the yearbook is always an exciting surprise. Some years the cover even features student artwork. Being the first thing one sees when looking at the book, it’s arguably one of the most important parts. How does the club figure out which cover to use to represent the Old Rochester spirit? Kirkham explained how they find the perfect cover.

“We had our yearbook rep come in, and he brought a binder with lots of cover options and he had examples with colors and fonts you can change,” Kirkham said.

And to give students an opportunity to make their yearbook a more personalized experience, there is an option to get your name monogrammed on the cover.

This year, the Yearbook Club members have taken it upon themselves to introduce some changes to the book in order to make it more affordable for the student body.

The book size will be reduced (but don’t fret – the same amount of content will be included). The Yearbook Club also plans to incorporate more business ads into the book, as having more businesses advertise will reduce the cost to purchase a book. These slight changes will offset the price of the yearbook for next year and upcoming years. So, underclassmen, rejoice!

The price isn’t the only thing the Yearbook Club plans to change. The club is trying to give the book a more connected feel, as Kirkham explained.

“In the past, the underclassmen were after the staff, so this year we’re putting them before the staff and after the seniors, so that they’re not as separated,” said Kirkham, “and it doesn’t feel like it’s just the senior book … it’s everybody’s book.”

Although the club needs to finish the book by March, it is not due to be shipped to Old Rochester until sometime in mid-April – just in time for distribution at the annual Senior Picnic.

For any questions, or to place a business ad to help make the yearbook affordable for all Old Rochester students, contact Alison Guard at 508-758-3745 ext. 1823 or email aguard@orr.mec.edu.

By Sienna Wurl

Each winter, Tabor Academy puts on its largest annual production: a musical.

Dancers, singers, actors, and students who are looking to try something new all gather to put together an amazing production. Currently, the cast is in rehearsals working all winter long to learn and perfect the songs, dances, and lines.

This year’s musical is entitled Thoroughly Modern Millie and is set in the 1920s. Millie Dillmount, played by Aurelia Reynolds, comes to New York City from Kansas to escape small town life and find a rich businessman to marry.

The effects of the 1920s on women – for example, allowing them to break social norms through their dress (the famous flapper style is a prime example) and lifestyle (engaging in previously forbidden behaviors such as smoking and drinking in public and demanding more freedom in careers and choices) – are also heavily explored in this play, through Millie as well as other women.

Another interesting aspect of the musical is its focus on ethnic stereotypes.

Mrs. Meers, under the guise of a Chinese Madame, runs a boarding house for girls who are new to the city. She has an underlying motive, however, to sell these women into slavery. She acts as a villain in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and nearly succeeds in selling Dorothy, another main character who befriends Millie, into slavery.

John Heavey is the director of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

“Rehearsals are going great!” said Heavey.

One big challenge with this show is that there are two huge tap dance numbers, a feat previously not attempted by any Tabor musical.

“The cast has been working really hard,” said Heavey. “Danielle LaTullippe, our choreographer, has tackled the challenge of tap nicely, and the cast has already memorized the big company numbers.”

The main characters, too, are “perfect for their roles,” Heavey said. “They’re doing a great job bringing their respective characters life.”

While this musical differs greatly from Hairspray, last year’s show, the core returning cast has been able to adjust and tackle all of the new challenges.

A lot of work goes into creating a musical production, beyond just memorizing lines and songs. The technical crew is working to build the sets, utilizing many pieces and techniques to put it together. The lighting designers, too, must constantly work to adjust spotlights and decide and implement lighting for each scene. The costume crew must create authentic-looking 1920s costumes, and the stage managers work with Heavey to help direct the actors and keep the show running smoothly.

“They’re all awesome,” said Heavey. “Millie would be impossible without them.”

The production of Thoroughly Modern Millie will undoubtedly be impressive and entertaining, but it’s easy to overlook the astounding amount of work that goes into every rehearsal and all the different people involved in bringing it to fruition. From directors to lighting and set designers to the actors, costumers, and choreographers, many different talented people have to come together to make this production work.

The show opens on February 18 at 7:30 pm at the Fireman Performing Arts Center on Front Street and runs again on February 19 and 20.

By Madeleine Gregory