You see us everyday. We are in your classrooms, taking photos from every angle. We are in your hallways, interviewing your best friend about the game that happened yesterday. We are at your events, cheering along while documenting as much as we can to tell your story as best as we can. No matter where you are, UHSpress is right beside you. Yet, what actually happens in room 4-212? What actually goes into the yearbook and online blog?

It happens everyday. At the start of fourth period, Mrs. Hanks’s room transforms from a normal classroom to a publication business as the UHSpress staff walks into the room. It’s normal to see students walking in and out of the classroom with a camera to get interviews or seeing students sliding around the room in the computer chairs. In the beginning of class, everyone sits in their assigned seats in the middle of the room while we have our meeting. The discussion includes the goals for that day and any important information or dates coming up.

“Meeting at the beginning of class is important because they make sure all of the staff is on the same page and understand our tasks for the day,” sophomore Coral Estes said.

After the meeting has concluded, staffers disperse all over the room to work on their assignments. The news staffers move to the back computers to have their own discussion on their progress with their articles for the blog.

“When Sam and I come back to the computers after meeting in front of the classroom every day, we typically go over what needs to be done and my progress,” junior Carson Francis said. “When we are starting over with new articles, we talk with each other about different ideas that we have.”

Yearbook staffers head to the computers along the wall to look through photography, write copy or to design their spread.

“I’m going to the computers and working on spread designs so I will be trying to rearrange pictures, captions and the copy I wrote so everything fits and looks clean on the page,” junior Joey Arquette said.

Editors work separately on laptops in various places in the room working on their projects for the yearbook; multitasking by working with the staffers on their spreads.

“I enjoy the part where I still have a control aspect on the book and I still get to design things but I don’t have to have the whole worry of having to hit the deadline,” senior business editor Kaitlyn Anderson said.

During the first ten minutes of class while everyone is figuring out what they are doing for the day, photography editor, junior Cierra Stark, is in the back of the classroom checking cameras out to staffers for events and photo days.

“I check in and out cameras for everybody in yearbook so they can practice photography whenever they like,” junior photography editor Cierra Stark said. “I grade photo days, scavenger hunts and spread photography.”

To get the inside story of what’s going on campus, staffers grab their camera from Cierra and press pass and go interview students. Staffers running around campus try to get as many interviews as possible while also getting their steps in.

“Personally I want to improve on getting more specific topics from people I am interviewing cause I feel like I don’t ask the right questions to get the right stories I need for my copy and the captions,” sophomore Kaitlyn Mould said.

As everyone starts working on what they need to for their spreads the managing editors make their rounds to their staffers to see their progress. The managing editors answer any questions and help staffers back on track if they start to lose focus on their work.

“My job as managing editor boils down to ensuring that we make deadline. I managed half of the staffers, and made sure that they were in a position to create their spreads to the best of their ability,” junior managing editor Jonathan Jackson said. “Talking to them is important because without communication, the whole project could go down in flames.”

It is not uncommon to walk into the journalism room during lunch and not see staffers trying to get their work done. Having the press class fourth period makes life easier because you can just continue working into lunch without stopping.

While some students leave school at 2:45 pm, it’s not unusual to see staffers hanging around campus longer to capture photos of a sports practice or a theater production. Staffers stay to get the inside story from start to finish from the pictures they take and talking to members in that group.

“My favorite part about taking pictures after school is getting to go to events that I normally might not go to,” sophomore Jordan McKendrick said.  “It allows me to become more familiar and comfortable with the different groups on campus.”

After a long day of taking pictures and talking to people, staffers leave to go home and regroup, getting ready for the next day.