The categories are set…time to nominate your peers for the

Class of 2021 Senior Superlatives

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14A1IuPYOs0rSyv456-KfiVLL2fNCYMK8CSuID6VockM/edit

Deadline for nominations is March 10,

Polls will open for final voting on March 22

2021 Westside Yearbook

Lighting

Photos with great lighting will always show you off the best. If you be outside, better, if indoor avoid standing under an overhead light, or standing in front of a window. Watch out for shadows on your face. Never stand in front of a window, put the light in front of you, not behind.

Position of Camera

Try and have the camera as close as you can to the subject.  Use your feet to get a close up, not the zoom tool. The closer to your face the better.  If 1 or 2 people in a picture, hold the phone in portrait position (vertical), if 3 or more turn the phone horizontal. Selfies are usually not the best option. Sometimes they are, if the selfie is capturing you and a friend, or you and your pet, then maybe. Photos tell better stories when the subject is free to interact and not pose.

Bathroom selfies are a no.  Selfies shot into a mirror are a no. The phone/camera should not be visable in the picture.

Backgrounds matter

Pay attention to what all shows in your photo.  We wouldn’t be able to use images that show people who are not identified, house numbers, license plates, things like that. Remember, you are the subject of the picture, not the dining room table or your bed.

If you are submitting a photo of your “home classroom”, think about all the details that will make the picture interesting.  Like the computer sitting on a stack of books, show the books. Think about coffee cups, pencils, pull something up on your screen, TEAMS or something that is actually school.

Not just background, but foregrounds matter too.  Pay attention to what you are wearing. Is it school appropriate?

Be crisp, Be real

Your phone will take great photos. Hold it steady, and pay attention to the light.  Fuzzy, yellow pictures don’t work very well for the yearbook.  If the photo is an action shot, check out the feet & hands…if they are in focus, you got it.

Avoid edits and filters that change the reality of the photo.  The soft focus glamour shots are too specific.  Look like you look, that’s the best image.

Frame the shot

Use the position tool and center your shot. Cutting off the top of your head, or chopping your legs at the ankles will mean your head and feet won’t be in the picture.

Whoever is taking the picture should be as close as possible to you.

Sending your photos

Minor edits to your photo are fine, but as mentioned before, avoid filters and changing the integrity of the image.  We are looking for “real” pictures. Using tools like Photoshop or lightroom, Snapseed, or even your photo editor on your phone is fine, just don’t distort the original too much.

When you send your photo, send it ACTUAL SIZE.  Please send photos in Jpeg  format. Please don’t send RAW photos.  In the email, include:  Names of subject(s), grade(s), correct spelling of name(s), and the name of the photographer.  By sending your photo, you are giving us permission to publish your photo in the 2021 Westside Yearbook.

Send photos to:  [email protected]  Please include the theme of the photo in the message bar.  If you have questions, please email or TEAMS message Ms. Roberts.

Now that students have returned to face to face instruction, and the campus is open daily, Ms. Roberts is back and able to distribute the final books still to be picked up.  There are also a limited number of books for sale, so if you missed the chance to pre order, and you want a the only published history of Westside’s 20th year which ended in a pandemic, contact Ms. Roberts to purchase this special book.

To pick up your book:

Face to face students can come by A216 before or after school, any day.

Virtual students:  Contact Ms. Roberts at [email protected]  let her know when you are coming in, and she will leave your book at the Welcome Desk outside of the main office.

To purchase a book:  If you are face to face, come by A216 before or after school, virtual let Ms. Roberts know when you are coming in and she will leave a book for you at the Welcome Desk outside of the main office.  Books are $85. Cash only in a sealed evelope with the student’s name on the front.  For safety, no change or envelopes will be provided.

We are building a 2021 Yearbook to commemorate this moment in the history of Westside, and of your education career. Ten years from now, when the pandemic is a distant memory , the 2021 Canidae will be there to document the year of Westside’s “Weird Year”.

Where do you fit in?

Throughout the year we will be crowdsourcing pictures from the Westside student body to help us tell those unique stories of virtual learning, and events presented in different and exciting ways.  While we are sending out requests for specific images, we are also open to your point of view and ideas.  Tell us what is going on in your world.  As the year progresses into 2021, we will be posting requests HERE!  And we will be updating frequently.

Currently we are looking for the following:

***New*** Can we use your New Year’s Resolution for a page in the yearbook? Send it in, with a picture of yourself.  Can be a duo or group. Deadline: January 22nd. 

***NEW*** We are looking for images of WHS students in their holiday attire. Ugly christmas sweaters, cute holiday themed onesies, trees, lights, penguins, antlers…help us show you in your holiday finest. Deadline: January 20th.

What is your Virtual School Fashion looks?  What’s you go to school attire this year?  Are you dressing up on top, with PJ’s on the bottom? Are you styling your hair & or letting it be? Or are you keeping it WHS & wearing your uniform & khakis everyday.  Send a good picture of you at your “classroom” station (someone else can take the pic)                 Deadline: January 20th

Are you working?  Where? What are your hrs?  Send us a picture of you at work. Make sure you include something that identifies your workplace in the background. Extended deadline: January 15th

Are you “virtual schooling” with a group of WHS students? If so, send us a picture of the entire group with all the details you can include. Extended deadline: January 15th

Are you part of a group that has been together for a number of years?  Do you have photos from the beginning? It would be awesome if y’all were invloved in a team or activity.  If you send a “how it started pic”, we can set up a time for you to come to campus for a “how its going” pic.  Extended deadline: January 15th

***This list will be updated frequently.***

How do I send in my pictures & information?

Email images & information to:

[email protected]

Tips for taking and submitting your best photos for publication are located here.

Mr. Scott Van Beck was named the first Principal and he soon went to task to staff the school with the best or best teachers and coaches for a community who had waited and worked for the opportunity to welcome their new school.  Soon to join the staff was Lamar High School IB English Teacher, Ann Mahan. Mrs. Mahan was tasked with creating the Westside Yearbook.  The importance of this anticipated book cannot be overstated.  To become the historical record of Westside’s inaugural year, Mrs. Mahan and her staff  worked throughout the year and in the spring they published volume I of the Westside Canidae.

Every year sense, the Canidae staff has created a referable book, which tells the story of the year.  The goal each year is to publish a book that will stand the test of time. As Westside celebrates the 20th year, the Canidae staff will be out to photograph and record all things Westside.

Why “Canidae”?  Canidae is the latin word for wolf.