Yearbooks are important mementos

Reaching senior year of high school or college is something to celebrate. It means that graduation is on the horizon and another chapter in students' lives will soon come to a close, with a new one likely to begin shortly thereafter.

School- and graduation-related traditions abound, from homecoming games to dances to class rings, and it can be difficult to figure out how to spend one's time. While celebrations may look a little different this year due to the pandemic, yearbooks can offer a sense of normalcy for soon-to-be graduates.

Seniors, particularly high school seniors, may find that their last year of school is, among many other things, expensive. In addition to college application fees, test prep courses, graduation garb, parties, photographs, and much more, students often weigh the option of purchasing a yearbook and wonder if it's necessary. The yearbook experts at YearbookLife.com say the average cost of a yearbook is around $75 nationwide. Even though yearbooks may be somewhat costly, they can be valuable mementos of time spent in school. Here are various reasons why yearbooks make for important, cherished mementos.

· A yearbook will serve as a time capsule for trends, interests and newsworthy events that unfolded during students' time in school.

· Yearbooks promote a sense of school pride and unity. Families that will have multiple generations attending the same school may share the unity of being apart of one school and can compare yearbooks from various years.

· Sections of the yearbook are devoted to student accomplishments and can herald happy, productive days.

· Yearbooks promote social interaction, not only when students become part of yearbook production committees, but also when asking classmates to sign their yearbooks.

· In the future, yearbooks will present a way to remember old friends' names and can facilitate reconnecting through social media or another avenue.

· Reunion committees may use yearbooks as a way to draft reunion party guest lists.

· In an era of digital photos and other online media, yearbooks are tangible items that can be easily accessed from time to time.

· Yearbooks, in addition to diplomas, are symbols of academic achievement.

Students wondering whether to be involved with yearbook design or to purchase a book should consider the many benefits yearbooks offer.