This year’s yearbook cost may be pricey to some students, but there’s more going on behind the scenes. The cost of the yearbook is paying for the production of the yearbook and the middle school newspaper, “The Bruin Times”.
Materials to create and print the yearbook and newspaper are expensive.

The paper used in making the yearbook is a strong and durable material, not flimsy notebook paper. Rather than having black and white pictures, we have colored pictures. Well, durable yearbook paper and colored ink are both very pricey. They use the money from the yearbook to pay for it all.

There will probably be many people who buy the yearbook this year based on last year, but printing the many yearbooks is expensive too. The leftover money is used for the journalism program like repairing and buying cameras, computers, and printing the newspaper too.

The newspaper used to be printed in color in past years, but this year it will be printed in black and white due to budget cuts, like we mentioned earlier. “I think it’s important to print the newspaper in time, because not only does it show our credibility as a newspaper but it’s important to get the news to public readers,” said editor-in-chief Dinan Elsyad of “The Bruin Times”.

Yearbook prices last year started at around $35 and ended at $45 by the end of the year. This year it will start at around $35 and the final price will be $40 by the end of the year. This is because the contract with Herff Jones, the company who prints the newspapers, was re-negotiated to lower the prices of the yearbook.

New this year, kids with free or less expensive lunches will get a coupon for the yearbook.

“The yearbook is for everybody, not just the rich kids,” Justin Toney said, who is in charge of the middle school broadcasting channel, “The Bruin Cave”, middle school newspaper, “The Bruin Times”, and the middle school yearbook.

Yearbooks are available for purchase online at YearbookOrderCenter.com under the school code 13596 until May 7, 2016.