Even though the 2019-20 school year has been disrupted and students won’t be able to participate in many springtime traditions, one part of the year will remain the same: the yearbook. The staff of the Joliet West High School yearbook persevered through hard in never-before-experienced conditions to complete their yearbook and provide lasting memories of the entire year.

“We had to make some tough decisions and get creative with how to fill space for events that were no longer happening and trying to complete the book while managing my own e-learning requirements from home was tough but we knew how important this book would be and made it happen,” said Louie Mendoza, editor-in-chief.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed many plans for this yearbook staff. Having to leave school March 16^th and not have access to get pictures and/or quotes was very difficult, spring sports canceled, relying on dress rehearsal content for the spring musical and group interpretation, prom, other senior events needing to be rescheduled, and working remotely all contributed to the major adjustments the Alpha Omega editors had to make and overcome to finish the book by the deadline. Staff members worked through these challenges, and students at Joliet West High School can expect to receive their books. Distribution plans will be announced later in the year.

“I’m extremely proud of my yearbook editors for all the late-night work sessions we did remotely and for making sure we met our deadline to ensure we would still receive the books on time. The yearbook is an important keepsake that we know will be appreciated more under circumstances like these so we did not want to disappoint,” said advisor Jenn Galloy.

We will never forget all that happened this year. Decades from now these students will be able to revisit their memories of the entire school year with an Alpha Omega yearbook. Although students are missing many springtime school highlights, don’t miss out on a yearbook to remember the whole year. You can purchase your copy at yearbookforever.com. The deadline to order online is May 1^st. There will be a limited number of extra copies available for sale when distribution takes place. While there won’t be a spring supplement to complete, the yearbook editors are now working with the newspaper editors to create a special senior issue. Be on the lookout for this to be shared online on May 22, what would have been the senior’s last day.

We are proud of the students and staff working hard to ensure Joliet West will have a yearbook.