For the first time in five years, the Fluco “Fluvannual” Yearbook has a group of three editors, all working together to create the 2026 yearbook.
Seniors Molly Cook, Carson Johnston, and Cecily “River” McMillian are this year’s yearbook editors. They are working all year to tie memories of the school together into one book.
The process began in the spring of 2025, when the editors asked Journalism students to do a “mock yearbook” project, coming up with theme ideas that they thought would appeal to the whole student body. Out of this process, the 2026 Yearbook “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” theme was formed.
The editors then meet with Journalism teacher and Yearbook Adviser Elizabeth Pellicane multiple times over the summer to refine the theme idea, come up with layout and page ideas, and create the cover. The process continues into the fall, when a new crop of Journalism students arrives, and they get trained on how to write, take photos, and learn marketing, sales, and desktop publishing skills.
“Oftentimes, during class, Mrs. Pellicane and the current yearbook editors ask the whole class what they think of certain ideas and new layouts. They listen intently and take our thoughts and suggestions into consideration. This collaboration makes the final yearbook, as well as the process of designing it, a more creative, well-rounded experience,” said senior and past Journalism student Maddy Hamel.
Under Pellicane’s direction, once the editors have created the layouts, they then work closely with younger staff on their assigned pages. This can include uploading pictures, having fun with colors and fonts, and getting quotes from people around the school.
“Working on the Yearbook is a lot more time-consuming than people think. Though much of the work itself is not a difficult task, everything is very tedious, which makes it harder. When we brainstorm ideas for our book and what we can include in it, we put a lot of thought into what we think students will want to see and how we can get the most engagement from the most people. Our intention is to be able to appeal to the largest crowd so that everybody can enjoy our book,” said McMillian, who is in her fifth time taking Journalism.
Teamwork is crucial for the creation of the Yearbook, and having strong editors helps ensure cooperation and communication.
“I enjoy working with our entire Yearbook staff, as it is a good way for us to engage with our peers and meet new people. It’s been a great learning experience over the years of being editor because I’ve learned how to navigate being on a team and going through our workload to meet our deadlines,” said McMillian.
The editors look at each and every page, proofread, and then re-proofread them for mistakes, such as spelling, grammatical errors, font, and sizing, before sending the pages off to Pellicane, who does her own proofreading before sending the pages on to Principal Margo Bruce for final approval.
“There’s a lot of tedious tasks that go into making a good Yearbook, and it’s so easy to miss the little things. It’s a lot of aligning, revising, and looking for the small details, so mishaps are bound to happen,” McMillian said.
The yearbook couldn’t be created without the editors, who have to make a year-long commitment to taking Journalism, then work hard to meet deadlines.
“So far, we’ve been keeping up with our deadlines, if not surpassing them. We have really come out of our boxes this year and are creating something so unique that I know everyone will love it. I love working with everyone because it adds a sense of collaboration and leadership. Sometimes it is difficult to meet the demands of buyers, but with the help of Mrs. Pellicane, the pressure never really seems to get to us,” shared Cook.
“As a yearbook editor, I have learned to work with many different people, and understand each one’s ability. The yearbook is looking really good so far, and I can’t wait to see the final product,” said Johnston.
