While the idea of working on a single project for eight months might be daunting to some, that’s what the two editors-in-chief on yearbook, Elise McCune and Rachel Kim – along with the rest of the staff – do. McCune and Kim are surprised they’ve come this far since they were recommended by their English teachers to join yearbook their freshman year.

McCune and Kim help each section of yearbook plan out what they are going to do, as well as manage what material is going to go into the book. As editors-in-chief, they are the general producers and overseers of the yearbook. According to McCune, this is an especially difficult job for both of them because it is new and they don’t have an older editor to help guide them.

“We kind of have a say in everything,” McCune said. “If sections have questions they’ll come to us. We’ll help them out with their problems.”

Yearbook starts off their year with a workshop in the summer. They then continue working throughout the entire school year until April when they often work from 8 p.m. to midnight each day to complete the book. All of their hard work usually ends up being nationally recognized, Kim said.

“It is a very difficult job,” Kim said. “There’s so much you have to think about […] the interests of the staff and the student body because you’re representing GBS.”

One of their favorite things about distribution day is when people pass by the yearbook office and compliment the book. They appreciate the recognition for all their hard work, according to McCune. However, when distribution day comes, McCune and Kim feel like some South students look past the hard work and just point out little mistakes.

“We’re human, we make mistakes,” Kim said. “Last year one of our layouts wasn’t printed correctly […] one of the photos had been misplaced and was duplicated for another student. That wasn’t even our fault. It was a part of the printing process, […] but it really brings you down when people point out the negatives.”

They also incorporate fun activities during stressful days at work, according to McCune and Kim. When staffers feel overwhelmed, they’ll sometimes have dance parties or run around the school, getting all of their energy out.

“We always have fun work nights because you’re working for a while, and then sometimes we come to this little lull where our minds are kind of tired and we kind of need that burst of energy,” McCune said.

McCune and Kim knew each other since sixth grade before they joined yearbook.

“We balance each other out so well,” McCune said. “I’m the one who’s really energetic and outgoing, and [Kim] knows when to have fun and when to be serious.”

Yearbook Adviser Brenda Field said that those were the reasons she chose McCune and Kim for the positions of yearbook editors-in-chief. She acknowledged that when one of them is lacking in something, the other makes up for it.

“[McCune and Kim] both demonstrated that they had a lot of leadership ability,” Field said. “Elise is very energetic, and people find her very approachable. Rachel is very detail-oriented. They fit well together in terms of what their strongest skill sets are.”