Why do we yearbook? Is it for right now, two weeks from now or even twenty years from now? The yearbook is a time machine. Something you will look back on time and time again to relive what’s in those pages. A keepsake your ancestors might even dust off one day to see who you were then. We yearbook because we love our school and understand the power of telling the stories of our peers. The fact is, yearbook students take pride in our school community and know the importance of making everyone feel heard. Their stories matter and deserve to be told. This is what yearbook is all about. This is why we yearbook.

Mike Simons, MJE, is the Tesserae yearbook adviser at Corning-Painted Post High School in Corning, NY. Though he wasn’t a yearbooker in high school, he came into the role at CPP when his fellow teacher and YBK adviser went on maternity leave. He quickly (and accidentally) became the new adviser and hasn’t looked back since. In 2021, he was named the JEA H.L. Hall Yearbook Adviser of the Year. Since becoming the adviser for Tesserae, Simons has learned a lot. Yearbook taught him how important it is to find inspiration in everything, to tell stories that matter and to give back to your student community.

Watch Simons’ story below as he discusses how his time with Tesserae has changed his life and why he believes yearbook matters. This is his story. This is why he yearbooks.