Yearbook Gaff Followup
Oh god, those poor kids trying to fix this mess under a deadline. The 2007 yearbook won awards and the 2008 one stinks and will remembered for how messed up it was. Ack-the file names are different, too. See this previous post about the mess they are fixing.
Yearbook staff left to fix ‘serious error in judgment’
By Paul Gosling, McKinney Courier-Gazette | Created: Thursday, May 22, 2008 10:50 AM
After all the official apologies were made and the platitudes were spoken, the “suits” went home and the real work of fixing the 2008 McKinney High School yearbook was left to the very same students who saw their year’s work ruined by a Lifetouch employee’s “serious error in judgment.”
In a second floor office strewn with circled photo proofs and empty soda cans, the student staff of the McKinney yearbook and advisor Lori Oglesbee have been working around the clock to make sure MHS students get the reprinted book as soon as possible.
From the moment it was discovered that pictures in the “The Lion” had been digitally altered by outside contractor Lifetouch Photography, yearbook staff showed their dedication and commitment as they cancelled social plans and work to spend this past weekend pouring over hundreds of pictures. The process of correcting the pictures is a labor-intensive one, made worse by a Lifetouch file-naming convention that does not match the yearbook staffs’.
“This stinks!” said senior Kate Petty with a smile.
MHS Principal Stewert Herrington said, “With what they’ve been through it would be easy to give up, but they’ve kept going.”
“We just have to grin and bear it,” said senior Danielle Steele.
To ease tension, staff joked about future media appearances and have suggested they could make lost wages back by selling copies of the doctored books on E-Bay.
Many of the staff are holdovers from the award-winning team that in 2007 won National Pacemaker, Gold Star and Distinguished Merit Awards, as well as a slew of individual honors.
Despite her staff’s hard work and dedication, Oglesbee is concerned the impact of the scandal may be ongoing.
“This is the time we use to plan next year’s book, yet we’re still working on this year’s,” she said.
“These students are ready for the challenges life will throw at them. They’ve forever missed out on the delivery of a popular book, but they remain devoted to the final product being the best it can be.”
“It says a lot about kids when on two-hour notice I can get 18 students to give up a substantial portion of their weekend. These kids are a credit to their families and their school. I’m proud to call them mine,” she said.
Yearbook editors Bailey Cox, Dylan Derryberry and Madeline Taylor released a joint statement: “This experience has taught us that we need to be prepared for anything that may come our way. Our staff proved their dedication from this accident by working through the weekend on a time-crunched schedule to practically redo our yearbook.
“Mrs. Olgesbee has spent countless hours at the school helping us get over this. She has even brought her newly-acquired dog to late deadlines. She has sacrificed her personal schedule to secure the rights of the students and staff members and keep the reputation of the McKinney High School yearbook at the high standard it has kept for years.”
Senior Josh Thompson, who has been documenting the efforts of the yearbook staff to fix Lifetouch’s mistake, captured the sense of humor that he believes has helped the tight knit group through the ordeal.
“We can always Photoshop our stuff if it doesn’t turn out right,” he said.
The McKinney High School Yearbook staff and Taylor publishing are planning on a June 3 delivery date for the reprinted book.