GUSTINE — What began as a small group of Gustine High School students determined to tell the story of their school year has grown into an award‑winning effort. The 2025‑26 Gustine High yearbook earned First Place Overall in the Picaboo Yearbook Hall of Fame, a recognition that surprised and delighted the students and staff who spent months photographing events, designing pages and meeting tight deadlines to bring the book to life.
For senior Alina Camacho Mendoza, the honor validated the countless hours the staff poured into the project. “It is recognition of all the extra hours we put in both inside and outside of the classroom,” she said. “It shows that the creativity, uniqueness and attention to detail we put into our yearbook were noticed.”
The yearbook staff was small — just 18 students in advisor Alan Ward’s fourth‑period class, more than half of them freshmen. Another nine students who were not enrolled in the class stepped in to photograph events throughout the year. Ward credited former advisor Mrs. Noceti, her husband and Miss Ioane with helping provide additional photographs.
The work often stretched well beyond the school day. Seniors Camacho Mendoza and Yasmin Ruiz were among those who balanced their regular coursework with late afternoons spent in Ward’s classroom, tracking down quotes, identifying students in photos and finishing pages before deadlines. Ward said he often wore an “Anxiety Inside Out 2” shirt as a humorous warning that crunch time had arrived.
“Deadlines are real in Yearbook,” Ward said. “If students don’t go to an event and get pictures, we can’t cover that in the yearbook; it’s like the event never existed.”
The award came during a year of major transition for the program. GHS switched from Lifetouch to Picaboo, giving students more creative freedom and extending the production schedule by nearly three weeks. Editor Cecilia Rivera said learning a new design platform while producing the book made the recognition especially meaningful. “It means a lot because we worked on it really hard with the little people we had,” she said.
The book’s theme — “hue by hue, we grow” — evolved gradually. Students first explored a nature‑based concept centered on growth, but struggled to carry it consistently throughout the book. They kept the idea of growth but shifted to a more artistic approach, using gradients and changing colors to connect sections. Ward credited student Jasmin Sicairos with developing section titles that fit the palette‑inspired theme.
Some design elements emerged from problem‑solving. When a homecoming royalty photo had an awkward gap, students cropped the image and added a gradient bar to improve the layout. They liked the result enough to incorporate gradients throughout the book. Camacho Mendoza said the varsity and junior varsity cheer pages helped establish the book’s visual identity and guided the design of other sections.
“I think what helped our yearbook stand out was how much of our own identity we put into it,” Camacho Mendoza said. “We wanted to create something that represented the students, activities and personality of Gustine High School.”
Ward emphasized representation, encouraging staff to include every student on at least three pages. The yearbook has grown steadily under his leadership — from 144 pages to more than 180 last year — and editors are considering adding even more pages this year.
Freshman Angel Cardona said earning first place during his first year in the program was “astonishing.” Editor Bella Benge said the recognition showed what could happen when students pushed through the difficult parts of production. Ruiz said the award brought back memories of the long hours and teamwork that went into the book. “We put in effort, dedication and basically overtime to ensure it was beautiful and memorable,” she said.
Ward hopes the community recognizes the program not only for the finished product but for the skills students develop along the way. “Yearbooks serve as a historical document, a time capsule and a book of memories,” he said. “There’s something important and valuable about producing a physical record.”
Camacho Mendoza hopes the award inspires more students to join the program. “Just like our yearbook grew hue by hue, I hope the GHS yearbook program continues to grow, one creative idea at a time,” she said.
