Capturing the stories of 2020 is the mission for the Talon yearbook staff. Each year, Talon staffers decide on a theme that captures the feelings and atmosphere of any given year. Last year, the student staff focused on a united front with their theme “We Stand Together”.
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“Last year (our 5th year) staffers did an incredible job of telling the stories of our students and staff,” shared, Cathy Mebes, Talon Adviser. The "5" in "Golden" represent that we completed our 5th year as a school! The responsibility for being a Yearbook Staffer is great, deadlines are stressful, the load is strenuous but the experience gained is unsurpassed. Staffers work hard and they #carehard as Mebes always says to her students. Staffers care deeply for making sure that they take photos and get interviews with students who may feel like they aren’t seen. “We want them to know they are important and we see them and we care for them”. Shared Senior Yearbook Co-Editor Vanessa Perez.
\r\nStudents, this year, were given the opportunity to take part in a 1/2 day in school training and an all day offsite experience sponsored by Josten’s, the yearbook company of CPHS. Mebes shared that all of her advanced Media classes and Yearbook classes get to take off site experiences and she explained that she doesn’t call them field trips but such enriching, career-skills focused events are referred to as off site experiences. Courtyard by Marriott in Walla Walla has partnered with yearbook as they hosted the 40+ yearbook students for this all day event this Friday. Partnerships like this are appreciated and what we strive for. The students loved being hosted in such a nice and professional environment. Senior Yearbook Co-Editor Gissell Luna shared that having the training in such a nice hotel really made all students feel like professionals. She added, “Mrs. Mebes says that she will not call us kids or children but young professionals and today, I really felt like we deserved that title as we conducted ourselves in such a professional manner as we planned for a great 2020 yearbook. We always want to remember that we are representing our school, Mrs. Mebes, our other teachers and even our community and we have learned to conduct ourselves as professionals.”
\r\nThe all day training was on the heels of a ½ day in school training by Josten’s Reps on Thursday. The two days of training was impactful. Skills gained were design, team building, brainstorming, proactive planning, theme development, coverage and more. Special thanks to Courtyard by Marriott, Jostens and Gear Up WSU/CPHS for partnering with the Talon on this enriching experience. Follow CPHS Talon yearbook on Instagram @CPHSHawks_ybk