As students have been informed, Owatonna Public Schools are not estimated to be up and running again until January 11, 2021. While teachers are hard at work to brainstorm new ways to make learning more efficient for students, yearbook adviser Mr. Dan Leer has been busy finding new ways to fill the 2020-2021 book of memories.

As many students probably know Mr. Leer has been sending out surveys over email with a photo attachment, asking them to fill their thoughts in the required blanks “chances are you’ll make it in the yearbook by answering the survey.” With school not being in social function, the yearbook has run into some difficulties. 

On a regular day, Mr. Leer would send his students out to catch shots of students busy at work or to interview a student and get a picture during the time they had together. Mr. Leer says, ”We are really trying to be creative in the things we cover, we don’t know if some of our normally covered activities are going to be just delayed or canceled.”

Yearbook staff are running into some obstacles. Yearbook staffer Hailee Olsen student says, ”Kids don’t like submitting pictures of themselves; they would rather just submit their quote. We are trying to continue covering pages normally as we would if we were in school.” A lot of the coverage has been done electronically and with that comes technical difficulties which can only be resolved virtually with help. Each student does their part to the fullest they are able. Each student is assigned a portion to complete and it is their responsibility to find coverage. Being distanced, they are not able to do that as freely as preferred. Yearbook asks that students are checking their emails and responding to the surveys.  

While COVID-19 continues to bring out the worst in the thoughts of the community, Mr.Leer has tried to distract from the negative of quarantine and push on with the fun of yearbook. During distance-learning a typical day for yearbook students consists of focusing on their part and pushing everything is still being covered, students of yearbook are doing their part, and more. Mr.Leer and the yearbook team have managed to cover most of the fall sports and events. 

Given that students may be back in school by January, yearbook plans to get as much coverage as possible during that time, while OHS continues online they have taken advantage of the survey answers they have been given. If you are interested in a 2020-2021 yearbook this link.