Campus News
March 26, 2014
A2 The Shield
YEARBOOK STRESSES OVER DEADLINES
The Medallion staff faces major deadlines in order to publish the Aquinas yearbook. until a final product is produced.
by JORDAN EBERHARDY There is only one thing standing Reporter in their way: deadlines.
The staff has had three class-required deadlines so far, exThe staff of Saint Thomas plained Co-Editor-In-Chief HanAquinas’s Medallion Yearbook nah Ney. These are meant to keep faced its first major deadline that the staff working hard throughout required 112 pages to be sent off the semester and to give them a to the publisher by Monday. way to pace themselves in the deThough this energetic staff velopment of their spreads. The of ladies have been working week of spring break is the first persistently all year, the Monday deadline and two upcoming deadlines “All year we’ve been editing, but are certainly adding stress to their schednow we have to put it all together ules and are requiring the staff to work and send the pages in.” harder than ever to complete their HOPE THOMPSON spreads on time. Yearbook Co-Editor-in-Chief As Co-Editor-In-Chief Hope Thompson put it, real deadline for the printer, Wals“It’s crunch time.” worth Publishing. The pressure is The efforts of the persistent mounting as final edits are put in and hard working yearbook staff place, and double-checked pages often go unnoticed at Aquinas since their work is only showcased are checked again. “It’s definitely more stressful once a year. The production of now,” Thompson said. “All year the Medallion, however, is not we’ve been editing, but now we an annual, one-time process. It have to put it all together and is a work-in-progress that comes together with dedication from the send the pages in.” The yearbook process staff throughout the entire year. progresses throughout the year. Whether it is attending countless school activities to snap Thompson and Ney said the spring semester is a lot harder. the perfect picture, interviewing A lot of time first semester is students to give the yearbook a spent teaching new members real insight into the Aquinas life, how to use programs and become or being creative in producing proficient at making their creative spreads, these ladies will not stop
Photo by JORDAN EBERHARDY | The Shield
The yearbook staff works diligently during fifth hour, when the class meets, to complete their yearbook spreads. From left to right: Co-Editor-in-Chief Hope Thompson, Adviser Matt Hallauer, junior Natalie Gartland and junior Abby Pope. ideas a reality on the computer. Second semester, everyone knows what they are doing, and everyone knows their role. This allows for more responsibility and gets more work done. At this point in the year, the staff is at full-throttle, and the worry is no longer in how to accomplish their goal but rather the time in which they have to ac-
complish it. Even after Monday’s 112-page deadline, the Medallion will have 185 pages remaining with their final deadline having to wait until after state championships are complete. “We will pretty much live in that back room for the next three months,” Thompson said. Despite all of the hard work and long hours that are required
to produce the yearbook each year, the Medallion staff never fails to accomplish the feat of preserving the memories of a school year in beautifully- designed book. This year is no different, with 20 talented girls dedicated to the process of producing a final copy that students will treasure for the rest of their lives. g
MAGAZINE SALES DECLINE Administration speaks out about alternative fundraising ideas.
by JORDAN BARTZ Opinions Editor The school magazine fundraiser took a dip in sales this year due to untimely snow days and lack of participation by disinterested students. The fundraiser is run through Great American Fundraising and is scheduled far in advance. Director of Special Events Teresa Ahrens said, “Originally we scheduled it in between two Kairos trips that didn’t allow for any snow days.” Aquinas then had three snow days and could not make up the turn-in days because Great American Fundraising was booked. Sales were also hurt this year due to lack of participation by students. Out of 164 students polled, 98 Saints (60 percent) did not even take the packet home. “Part of it had to due with the guy talking on the intercom,” Activities Director Sarah Burgess said. “When he came on at the end of the day, I’m sure most of the students weren’t even listening. We need to get the sales pitch more in the students’ faces and get them excited about it like they do for other fundraisers.” Only the freshmen went to the meeting about the magazine sale this year. “What students need to be aware of is that this fundraiser is all for them,” Ahrens said. “They need to know that this money is given to Student Council for different events during the year. Without this money, events like hall decorating wouldn’t happen. It also goes to clubs. When Teens for Life went to Topeka, it paid for the bus and for their lunches.” This year, less money was raised for events and so there will have to be some cutbacks this year. “When asked for money, Dr. Ford usually says yes,” Ahrens said. “Now he is not going to be able to say yes all the time when a certain sport or club needs money.” The way the snow days hit this year was unfortunate, but the sales for next year need to be higher so that clubs and sports can continue to be funded. “A good way to get people excited about this is through competition,” Burgess
said. “Not through class competition among students to replace the magazines. because that hasn’t worked, but by competi- The biggest problem with this is many of tion between those who benefit from it.” the Catholic elementary schools in the area Her idea is sell cookie dough that clubs and “This is the one time a year that and the Aquinas sports have to administration does participate and sell [students] are given an opportunity not want to get in magazines in order direct competition to raise money for themselves.” with them. Other to get funding, which shouldn’t be items such as trash TERESA AHRENS difficult because in bags would also Director of Special Events Johnson County, come into competimore than 80 pertion with the grade cent of households buy magazines. schools. Many students are willing to sell but think “Cookie dough sounds good at first,” that Aquinas needs to change what they sell. Ahrens said. “Then you realize that it’s Cookie dough has been a favorite really cumbersome; refrigerating it all and
distributing it to the student body would be a very hard task.” She added, “It’s not very nutritional.” In comparison to other items, magazines are a good choice. Just about 40 percent of the total amount sold is given to the school; very few other fundraisers will get that high of a percent from the product. “This fundraiser is for [the students]. All the other ones we do go to other people and our students do a great job with those,” Ahrens said. “However, this is the one time a year that [students] are given an opportunity to raise money for themselves.” g