Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Woodbridge High School is currently practicing a full virtual learning schedule. One of the big questions that result from this is how will the yearbook staff get content for the 2020-2021 yearbook?

Due to the fact that there are no students in the building, and social distancing needs to be maintained, the process of creating the yearbook has changed.

Ms. Gioia has been teaching Graphic Design, Digital Photography, and multiple yearbook classes at WHS for the last four years. “It is very different from previous years. I feel like I‘m doing the yearbook for the first time again,” she said.

“I have to come up with new and innovative ways to engage student participation to create a yearbook when we physically aren’t in school,” Ms. Gioia said.

In terms of getting content for the yearbook, a different approach has been taken. “Social media is a big plus for us,” Ms. Gioia said. The yearbook staff sent out a senior participation form allowing seniors to submit content such as photos of themselves, their car, and their pets.

However, the response has been lacking. Senior Kim Ortiz has been a part of the yearbook staff for three years. She said, “We received very little participation from students on certain things than we usually do.”

According to Ortiz, out of a class of about 400 students, the yearbook received roughly 100 responses.

The lack of participation is not for lack of engagement. Ms. Gioia said, “The most difficult thing is trying to engage an entire school of about 1,500 students when we aren’t in school. Another difficult thing is not being able to cover traditional events because they just aren’t happening, so we lost a good chunk of coverage that we now have to come up with new ideas to replace.”

Although it is unfortunate that the yearbook will not be the same as usual, and the process of making it has become more difficult, Ms. Gioia and her students are doing the best they can.

More importantly, to Ms. Gioia and her staff, there is still time to send in materials to comprise this year’s yearbook. Ms. Gioia said, “The more stuff we get from students the more we can put in the yearbook.”

WHS yearbooks are currently for sale, and the yearbook staff continues to encourage all students to participate in anything they do. They can be found on Twitter @YearbookatWHS.