Although wake-ups for the school year book Echowan are usually a time for celebrating, students had to adapt their traditions in light of the COVID-19 outbreak according to sophomore Kathryn Haertzen.

“Wake-ups are when the senior editors come to your house early and wake you up to tell you you got an editor position,” Haertzen said. “Normally they would come in your house and then we’d do team bonding

activities, but with Coronavirus they just came to our house and stood outside to give us our signs.”  

After finding out she would be a copy editor for the 2020-2021 Echowan staff, sophomore Rosario Montero-Ward was immediately introduced to the decision-making process for next year’s yearbook. 

“Wake-ups are really the first time you’re seen as an editor and immediately you have major staff meetings where you have the responsibility of coming up with next year’s theme and important aspects for the following year,” Montero-Ward said. 

Haertzen said wakeups are a fun way to find out what job you will have on staff next year.

“Wake-ups are important because it’s a fun way to find out about positions and even though this year was different from past wake-ups, it was still really fun and I’m glad it wasn’t just an announcement,” Haertzen said.  

Junior Selee Olmen said the new staff will have to respond to different challenges they will face in the beginning. 

“For the upcoming school year, we’re all adapting and stepping into a new role with different tasks that can be really hard at first, but it always gets better as the year goes on,” Olmen said. 

Montero-Ward said she hopes she can help new staff in order to build strong relationships.

“Next year I hope that I can be more organized and clear so I can inspire incoming minor staff to put their best work forward,” Montero-Ward said. “I also hope that next year we can have a strong Echowan community like past years and keep that amazing spirit alive.”

Olmen said she wants to make a yearbook that people will help document the 2020-2021 school year. 

“I hope to make an awesome book and capture the memorable moments of the 2020-2021 school year to be remembered for the rest of our lives,” Olmen said.

Echowan has also begun raising money to help pay for books to give to seniors. Students who want a book should apply through the counseling office before June 16th according to the Echowan instagram.

Olmen said that they want to help 12th graders by giving financially strapped seniors the chance to get a yearbook regardless of their ability to pay.

“Echowan just recently started fundraising to provide free yearbooks to seniors who may not be able to afford them,” Olmen said. “We were motivated to do this because we saw this as a way to give back to our community and help provide books to seniors.”