Alysa by Lori Hart

2016

ALYSA VELEZ DESIGN EDITOR

SELF-ANALYTICAL EVALUATION

Over the course of my third semester in

been working out fine for me but there have

yearbook I have learned countless things that

been a few occasions when I needed the staff

I would not have been able to learn elsewhere.

to write captions and they didn’t, even after

Being a design editor has put me in a position

I asked them multiple times, so that was an-

of leadership and I am in charge of making

noying. There’s nothing I feel I need to change

sure the book looks good. I like being a leader,

about my leadership, I’m assertive enough

it’s empowering and it is a great feeling when

when I need to be so it’s fine. These skills will

I am able to help some-

benefit me in the future,

one. The cons of leader-

especially if I decide to go

ship are that I am sort

into business. My actual

of like the safety net for

deadline and production

the staff and team lead-

skills are very good. On the

ers and so for me, there

deadline nights I always

is really no room error.

stayed the entire time and

I’m like the last line of

am constantly working on

defense which is an intimidating thing. I think

something. Yearbook has

my relationship with my peers is okay, nothing

given me a good sense of teamwork because

special but just fine. Maddie, Emma, and I work

without teamwork, the creation of the book

well together. My style of leadership is pretty

would be literally impossible. This year I par-

mellow, but i did take charge when I noticed

ticipated in the sales and advertising as I co-

that all the mods the staff was turning in were

starred in the video we made for promoting

bad, and when I need captions and headlines,

yearbook sales. I learned about journalism eth-

etc. I’m never hesitant to ask the staff. I think

ics and that plagiarism is illegal. I would take a

they like me. So far my leadership style has

bullet for yearbook.

REFLECTION #1 -PROUDEST SPREAD The spread I am most proud of would

one on outdoor adventures. There were not

be the one I designed for deadline two on

enough pictures in the spread’s folder so

pages 84 and 85. It was my first and only

I had to find new ones to supplement the

spread I did on my own and I put so much

page. The completion of the spread was

time and effort into it. It’s definitely not

actually very difficult for me because it

perfect and could use some work but I am

was my first time and I ended up spending

still very proud of it. In terms of the stories

weeks solely working on that spread before

and mods on the page, i did not have much

I considered it good enough to be done.

direction or control over those but I think

Part of my problem is that I’m a perfection-

they turned out okay. I left the main story

ist and I just wasn’t satisfied with it. What

alone but I had to tweak the three mods

I do like about the finished product is what

on the page and write all the captions. The

I did to the dominant photo. Adamson

mods and pictures I received from Sadie’s

helped me with it but I think the transpar-

team were not the best so I had to modify

ency and solidity makes for a really cool

them. I completely redid the mod about

effect and placing the story over the photo

the teacher’s aides and I had to rewrite the

adds to appeal of the package.

REFLECTION #2 -BIGGEST CHALLENGE

The biggest challenge I have faced this

other spreads. Overall, there is still so much

year so far has been my inexperience with

more for me to learn but some things I have

design and the InDesign program. There is a

learned are, how to cut out photos and iso-

lot I just don’t know about design that I can

late colors from black and white photos, like

only gain through practice and exposure so

we did with the dividers, among countless

my time as design editor has been a learning

other things that have to do with InDesign,

process and an on-going experiment. I feel

Photoshop, and general design. If I could

like I’m not living up to the standard though

start over again I would have paid much

and that has been stressful. Katie Fricker was

more attention to the designing that was go-

such a good design editor and I feel like I am

ing on last year and had Katie teach me about

falling very short of that. It bothers me a lot

design so I could have been better prepared

and that’s another part of the struggle. It’s

for this year. To the person who has this job

also difficult knowing what I can and can-

next year, I recommend they shadow me and

not do on InDesign, I am developing a better

ask questions and learn before I graduate so

concept of that though as time goes on. An-

they can be ready for the next year and most

other issue I’m dealing with is time. It seems

of all I wish them good luck. The process of

as if there is no time to complete anything

being design editor has been challenging and

and since I’m not all that great with design

honestly right now, I feel inadequate but I

yet, I’ve been needing a lot of time with my

know I will learn and get better and come up

spreads, which has been slowing down the

with great things, it’s just a matter of practice

process of going through and fixing all the

and time.

REFLECTION #3 -BEST PHOTO

Out of the few photos I have taken

depth and dimension set up by the lap-

this year, I like this one the best because

top in the foreground and the boy in the

it has great triangles between the three

background. The emotion is evident on

subjects and the laptop. The center of

the subjectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faces and makes the picture

visual interest is clear and there is good

intriguing and attractive.

REFLECTION #4 -I’M AN ASSET I believe that I’m a crucial asset to the

things. One of my favorite parts about be-

yearbook team this year. As design edi-

ing an editor and having some authority,

tor it is my job to plan, coordinate, and

is that people come to me when they need

edit the spreads and help people when

help and I really love helping. It makes me

they need it. Anytime a staff member,

feel like I’m doing a good job but when

team leader, or fellow editor needs help

I’m unable to help someone, it makes me

with anything I will always try my best to

feel terrible and I get down on myself for

help them as much as I can. For example,

not being able to do whatever they were

today I showed Korie how to form a text

inquiring about. I am so committed to this

wrap and I helped Mia create transpar-

yearbook. I love this class and publication

ent fading boxes. The other day I helped

with my entire heart and joining year-

Christina come up with and idea for her

book has been the best decision I’ve made

thanksgiving mod among many other

throughout high school.

REFLECTION #5 -PROBLEMS/HARDSHIPS This semester I have faced many new hard-

was recreate two of the mods and find new

ships and challenges, many of them dealing

pictures. I struggled when it came time to

with InDesign and stress. An issue I com-

writing the captions, headlines and second

monly face is being able to get help and at-

decks. At first I gave this task to different

tention when I

staff members

need it. Since

I saw hanging

I’m relatively

around, but the

new to InDe-

work they turned

sign, I usually

in to me was usu-

have a lot of

ally incomplete

questions and

or insufficient;

concerns, but

eventually I real-

sometimes

ized that if I want

when I need

good captions

help there is

and headlines

no one around

for the spread,

to assist me,

I’m going to have

which instantly makes me anxious and

to do them myself. I learned that if you

stresses me out. While I was designing my

want things done right, you should just

first spread, many of the mods I received

do it yourself in some instances. I feel like

from Sadie’s team member were in poor

I could’ve handled the situation better

condition, so basically what I had to do

because for three weeks, the spread was

DEADLINE 1- DESIGNED DIVIDERS

SPREADS -DEADLINE 2- DESIGNED HELPING ‘EM OUT

STUDENT-TEACHER’S aides share the perks of being a teacher’s assistant.

KYLE KELLEHER

“It’s a class I can get all my homework done in and I feel accomplished when I help the kids in the class when they’re struggling.”

JACK WILSON

“I like spending time with one of my favorite teachers and what I enjoy most is talking with him.”

NICOLE CURNUTT

“I have time during the day to get ahead on my homework, and I get to spend extra time with my biology teacher.”

FRESH OFF THE PRESS

1 WAITING for students to

step off the busses, Annalee Barnett and Lauren Haggar, sophomores, distribute newspapers to the student body on a Friday morning. Barnett and Haggar were first-year staff writers for the CS Press.

THE creation and distribution of the newspaper is explored

AS STUDENTS pick up the newspaper in the middle of every month, they are not really aware of what the staff goes through while creating the paper that the students hold in their hands. Kaley Dodd, a sophomore, states “the stress from newspaper feels like a mountain on my back because the work is just piled on and on”. Even though the stress is piled on, the production days are a completely different atmosphere. Ashley Wong, a junior, shares that production days are usually “very quiet and everyone works hard”. Wong states that “production days seem to be way more stressful for editors”. Even though all staff work on skimming the articles for grammatical errors, the editors have to make sure that everything is set and stone. Some of the errors brought on by this day

are that sometimes articles are not finished. Many of the staff members work on headlines for all of the articles. Dodd shares that “sometimes it gets really hard because I don't know how to edit the pages yet due to it being my first year in newspaper. Also, sometimes it can be hard to stick with one writing style because your mind starts to wonder”. Despite all the stress, the newspaper staff has a nonchalant atmosphere with a lot of variety of food for the staff to indulge in.

2 LEANING on his bus,

bob bobby, bus driver , hangs around after dropping students off at school and reads the school paper.

SCANNING the newspaper, Julia Smutny, a sophomore, smiles while reading a story in the October edition of the CS Press. The school paper comes out once a month on Friday.

BREAK A LEG

x She started to help the trainer because she wants volunteer hours, first aid, and patient experience.

x Her dream is to go to Berkeley and then medical school to become a surgeon. x She is completely obsessed with Disney. She considers it a lifestyle.

ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE Sidney Niskanen, a senior, shares his advice on what to bring while going on an outdoor adventure. Niskanen said, “I don’t really have a favorite trip to go on, but if I had to choose, it would have to be Lake Powell”

x She is Chaldean.

x She speaks a language that is 2.000+ years old, Aramaic. x Her last name translates to vegetables in Arabic.

1 TAPING up her peer,

Natalie Nabaty, a junior, receives hands-on experience with first-aid.

2 COACHING a fellow

trainer’s assistant, Lindsay Bayans, a junior, helps teach Natalie Nabaty, a junior, how to tape an ankle.

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ALL ABOUT ME