OPINION: Save the yearbook signatures for friends

By Mattias Apse,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

At the end of the year, before finals week, students clamor to receive their yearbooks. A few highlights come to mind: senior quotes, pictures of yourself or your friends to look back on, and signatures.

However, in the last few days, with tests or presentations taking up much of class time, there is hardly enough time to fill up every blank space with a note from a friend or well-acquainted classmate. However, it may be with good reason: how many people are you actually going to remember from high school?

Senior James Brunette plans on only getting yearbook signatures from select individuals. Among those are “classmates who I talk to regularly, close friends and teachers,” Brunette said.

Yearbook signatures should also be selective not only because it is difficult to remember everyone from your graduating class, but also due to the bland notes that result from signatures of weakly acquainted classmates—think “HAGS” or other insincere salutations.

The most cherished yearbook signatures are not hastily written obligations, but those that show a person got to know you. These types of signatures are most likely to come from, as Brunette describes, “classmates I’m chill with.”

Some students, such as senior Sanjana Bajwa, believe any yearbook signature is pointless, whether from a friend or stranger.

“Anyone I want to remember, I can just talk to them in real life,” Bajwa said.

Yet others embrace signatures from lesser-known classmates.

“I love reading signatures from people—anyone, not just friends—because it will help me remember high school for many years to come,” senior Carolanne McLennan said.

This nostalgic sentiment is a great reason to be less discriminating with yearbook signatures. It might be difficult to remember specific people, but a signature from random people may help with remembering the school year in general as a time capsule of sorts.

However, although a student may try to get signatures from as many people as possible, it is impractical to do so. At best, students can try and get signatures from a lot of people: maybe 50 to 100, depending on efficiency.

At worst, however, vying for as many signatures as possible could come off as attention-seeking and become counterproductive.

In any case, it is entirely up to student discretion of how many signatures to receive, but do not feel any pressure to hit a certain number. The value of signatures is in the eye of the beholder.