Los Gatos Weekly-Times

LGHS student wants board to back layout technology

The yearbook staff still uses graph paper

By John Pancharian

Los Gatos High School junior Jill Weinberg appeared before the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District board on April 14 to make a case for modern-day layout techniques for the school's yearbook.

Because Weinberg spoke in the communications portion of the agenda and was not a scheduled speaker, the board thanked her for her comments and accepted the information packet she had prepared.

Weinberg specifically wanted board members to give her a commitment that they would permit Jostens Publishing Company, which publishes Los Gatos' yearbook, to provide the school with two computers, a printer, the necessary software and training to allow the yearbook class to become computerized for the price of $750 annually for three years, an offer she said the publisher had made.

Pat Weinberg, Jill's mother, told the Weekly-Times that Jostens will cease to publish the LGHS yearbook within three years unless it goes to computer layout.

Jill later told the Weekly-Times that she first approached yearbook adviser Kathy Maunder last October about switching the yearbook class from the graph-paper layout it currently uses and going to computerized layout. She said Maunder told her she ought to research the topic and prepare a grant proposal for the January 1998 meeting of the Home and School Club.

"But two days before the Home and School Club meeting, she cut me off," Jill said. She added that Maunder expressed a commitment to teaching paper layout and an unwillingness to ever use computers.

Maunder was unable to comment on this story as she was at home recovering from surgery.

Jill said she then went to LGHS Principal Ted Simonson but did not believe she received a commitment to take action, so she went to the board.

An information packet Weinberg presented to the board lists her reasons for wishing to change to computer yearbook layout, and included comments she said she received from college yearbook and publishing staff members expressing surprise that LGHS was still using graph paper to lay out the yearbook.

Simonson told the Weekly-Times he believes it's a good idea to have a computerized yearbook, but he needs both the computers and the staff to do so.

"We're just kind of hung up between economics and personnel," he said. "If I can locate the teacher to teach the class who has the skills, I'll do it."

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