Yearbook etiquette: What to do - and not do - when leaving your mark

By Bayan Misaghi
George Washington High School

A yearbook is a memory book, a volume of history, a compilation of the year in pictures and articles. But it’s also something that students tend to muddle up annually.

A yearbook is one of the most important keepsakes to hold onto throughout life in order to reminisce about high school. Yet, when the time comes to add a personal touch to friends’ books — a note of congratulations or well wishes for future endeavors - most students’ entries are more than likely substandard.

So as not to be a perpetrator of such inferior memory-recording, here are seven do’s and don’ts in honor of the Class of ‘07.

DO know the owner: It isn’t necessary to be the greatest of friends, but don’t sign if you barely know the person.

DON’T be generic: Merely writing “Have a nice summer” or “Good luck” is not thoughtful — it’s wasting precious space. Always write with a purpose other than to practice an autograph.

DO recall memorable events: Those unforgettable times spent together, whether school-related or not, should be written down. If the memory is a major highlight of friendship or even just one of amusement, it deserves a reference when signing.

DON’T down peers: There is no need to write about hard feelings or negative opinions of others in a note that will be read several decades in the future (not to mention the chances that the person in question may see the unsavory words). Speak of others when writing of unforgettable happenings, but always make sure to keep it in a positive or playful connotation.

DO tell the truth: This may be the last time you’re together with this person, so let it out. Writing about your admiration for someone or recalling deeds that they have committed that stuck with you may seem uninteresting currently, but they will be appreciated when read far in the future.

DON’T chat: Nothing is a bigger turn-off than jotting a message filled with instant message jargon, misspellings and abbreviations. Chatting is an activity for the present - a yearbook is timeless.

DO elaborate: Though they may seem unnecessary and uninteresting now, in the future, the details added will help recollect and describe life in high school.

DON’T try too hard to be witty: Humor is always appreciated, but nothing is more obvious than writing solely to get a chuckle from the reader...and failing. If more than a few minutes are spent attempting to formulate the perfect joke or comment, it will not get the desired response.

DO keep it clean: No one wants to be remembered as the one who doused his or her speech with obscenities, so keep the cursing to a minimum.

DON’T fake your signature: People want to remember who signed each respective comment, not have celebrities’ names or fake monikers clam ownership of the remarks.

DO leave a last name: Chances are there is more than one David or Jennifer in the school. Always make sure to be appropriately identified for future readings.

DON’T mess up: Scribbling out mistakes is not how you want to be remembered. Practice penmanship beforehand and write the salutations on a separate sheet of paper first in order to get your thoughts sorted out and mistakes corrected.

DO stand out: Even if it means writing in a spiral or in color, diversity is always appreciated. Then again, there is a fine line between uniqueness and absurdity — do not write in all the colors of the rainbow or in such a way that the message is impossible to read.

DON’T leave your phone number: Enough said.