Lindsey Shirack is the new yearbook adviser for the 2017-18 school year. She joins the faculty after a seven-year stint at Gorzycki Middle School.

Shirack fills the shoes of departed Deanna Dellana, and those shoes are huge indeed. The Lone Star has been one of the top yearbooks in the country for the past few years. Shirack and her team will work hard to keep the string of awards coming.

“We’re going to have senior ads designed by the staff so they look more integrated with the book and we’re gonna try to use the app Aurasma to make the book more interactive.”

Shirack has more classes to teach and more topics to cover so the transition from middle school to high school is a little overwhelming, but she has her students to help her.

“There’s a much wider selection of topics to cover, luckily my editors and students have such a good pulse of what’s going on,” Shirack said.

Shirack knows that it’s a student-run class and gives her kids a lot of freedom.

“In middle school, she was big on letting the students call all the shots when it came to the publication,” current yearbook editor Madison Rice said, “she really emphasizes that the Yearbook is for the students, made by the students, and therefore should be lead by the students.”

Shirack listens to what the students want in their yearbook and wants to make sure it’s special for them.

“I like that Ms. Shirack has a great positive vibe that fills the room and she is always open to new ideas.” Morgan Sanders said.

Shirack can’t compare the two jobs because to her they are separate jobs.

“High schoolers as we know are a little bit more self-contained than middle schoolers, but you know it’s a bigger program and bigger goals, so it’s different work,” Shirack said.

Shirack was considered an obvious choice for new yearbook advisor since she’s so passionate about the work.

“One of the things I love about yearbook is that students have to self-motivate, they have to direct their own timelines,” Shirack said.

Shirack is proud of the product so far and hopes the students appreciate her classes hard work.

“She’s wicked smart; she’s got a lot of great ideas for marketing that she’s been communicating with us, which is one of the harder parts of running Yearbook. So I appreciate that she’s got a fancy marketing degree and stuff too,” Rice said.

Shirack encourages student creativity and lets the ideas flow to ensure the final product is the best it can be.

“Ms. Shirack teaches us differently by simply giving us the space to create and write what we want, rather than hovering over and making sure that we are getting things done,” Sanders said. “I like this version of teaching because it allows students to feel like they are in an open space to think and have responsibility for themselves.”