Walsworth Yearbooks

A collection of photos that, taken together, tell the story of first semester at Shawnee Mission Northwest draws readers into the opening spread of the 2010 Lair. The copy on this spread is written in first person, with the writer taking the reader through moments that left their mark on students at the school. The last paragraph of this copy connects these moments to the book’s theme: “My Shoes.” “We all have similar experiences, but feel them in different ways,” it reads. “No matter how insignificant, the things we experience change us, change our perceptions. We all carry around stories that others don’t know or maybe just don’t see the same way. It’s like our shoes. Every ark, every stain, every duct-taped hole tells a story.”

This is the first spread in a two-spread calendar that begins the 2010 Lair. Each month of the school year is captured with a list of events and a couple of photos. These pages allowed the staff to include a lot of information in a small space and act as a teaser for the rest of the book; events that are featured later in the book include a page reference.

Shoe prints add texture to the background of this spread. These subtle additions not only help the staff include their theme on every page, they also direct the reader’s eye around the spread and help divide information that could otherwise be visually confusing.

The Lair staff chose to divide its book into five non-traditional sections: content, portraits, club photos, sports photos and ads. The content section includes academics, sports, organizations, profile, theme and events coverage all mixed up. The folios for each section are a color bar at a specific location. Content spreads, for example, have a maroon bar at the top of each page. People spreads have a lavender bar slightly lower on the page. The result is that portraits, club photos, sports photos and ads are easy to flip to.

This spread is typical of the spreads in the “content” section of the book. When it was appropriate, the staff allowed its theme to drive sidebar content. On this spread, a diagram of a dance move is designed with shoe prints similar to the ones used graphically throughout the book.

This story covers passing periods between classes in a unique, interesting way. The reporter for this story presents pieces of conversations that were overheard in the hallways throughout the day. The reporter takes readers into the hallways with those students and, through quotes from interviews, reveals some of the back-story to the overheard conversations. This approach makes readers feel like they are at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School and, no doubt, helps students remember conversations they had during passing periods as well.

The design of the 2010 Lair is consistent throughout. This spread, in the sports photos section, is no exception. The color palette, font choices and graphic details match the rest of the book. Another feature of the Lair is its extensive cross-referencing; on this spread, a candid photo of a football coach adds interest to a spread of team photos and draws readers’ eyes to a note that says “go to p. 28-29 for more on football.” These references are found throughout the club and sports photos sections.

Continuing the personal, self-reflective tone that was set in the opening copy, the closing recalls moments from the year in first-person. The writer reflects on a friend’s act in the school talent show, a surprise WPA queen and a favorite teacher’s successful heart transplant. These events changed the 2009-2010 school year, but beyond that, they changed the students at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. The final lines of the book tie these events back to the theme: “I can’t deny the fact that these shoes have been through almost every experience of my year — they have character, they’re worn, but mostly they’re My Shoes.”