By Ajmaanie Andre 

Students at Miami Lakes Educational Center have a lot to say as they wait in anticipation for the Alpha & Omega yearbook to come out.

This year’s yearbook, formally titled as CLOSE-[UP],  is much more than just a yearbook. Magnifying its purpose throughout the previous years, CLOSE-[UP] was designed to shine a light on every student at MLEC — as the name implies.

After all the anticipation, it’s finally here. This year, the theme was heavily focused on the originality and individualism of all Jaguars. Many go their whole high school career feeling left out, but this year there were many different people and events that we captured within the yearbook to be able to properly commemorate the journey of this school year from start to finish.

For all of the Miami Lakes Educational Center Jaguars who purchased a yearbook, the wait is finally over. The anticipated books arrived and brought with them a tangible sense of excitement. Staffers of the Alpha & Omega team have worked diligently the year-round and they are more excited than ever today — the day of distribution. 

“I’m extremely excited to finally see the publication in person and I’m confident in how amazing it’s going to be,” states Carla Rubio, Assistant Editor of the CLOSE-[UP] yearbook.

Because of this year’s theme, the CLOSE-[UP] had effectively organized pictures of events, staff, and students in a way that highlights all aspects of MLEC up close. There are many parts of the yearbook that students and staff members alike are excited to look at.

“I buy them because I like to relive the memories and remind myself of things that happened that year. Some things I’m especially excited for are the harvest fest pictures and Spirit Week. I remember seeing all the journalism kids going around all the time to take those pictures of so many students and even staff. I may even be in one!”  states Marilyn Fonseca a student of the class of 2022.

Considering today’s climate cutting short on high school seniors and the entire school year in general, the yearbook is sure to earn a special place in the hearts of many students — especially for the graduating class of 2020.

“I feel like more than ever during these unprecedented times having a yearbook is important. At least for the seniors, half of our final year was wiped away and the photos in the yearbook is really all we have left. It really is a time capsule that holds so much more value now than ever,” states Yasmine Mezawi, Editor in Chief of Alpha & Omega and  a proud alumna of MLEC class of 2020. 

In addition to the usual class and school events, CLOSE-[UP] also encapsulates monumental and historical events alike that have affected the world around us in the passing year. 

With the hectic year that was the 2019-2020 school year, the Alpha & Omega staffers were able to capture all of that. From the tragic death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant to the Coronavirus, the yearbook was able to capture it all. By just having this book on a shelf somewhere students will always be able to come back and look at all the pictures and remember both the good and the bad.

“The yearbook is essential to capture the memories and moments of the school as a whole but most importantly the graduates. Now that many of these events were cut short, the yearbook is just all the more important to those who would like to remember this genuinely historic year. I’m just really anticipating the arrival of the yearbook that I spent all year dedicating my time to,” Rubio explains.

Although we can count on graduating seniors to make up a good number of purchases, there are many who also plan to consistently buy their yearbook every year! 

“I think if you can plan to buy one thing or more every year and can afford to do so, the yearbook should be a top priority. Memories are important, especially for this year since it was cut short; if you ask me what was the most memorable thing of this year, I wouldn’t know what to tell you because everything happened so fast, and then all of a sudden, the year was over. With the yearbook I’ll always have that physical reminder of the good times I had,” states Fonseca.

For the graduating class of 2020, CLOSE-[UP] represents a tangible culmination of their final year as a high school student and their Jaguar pride that Covid-19 was not able to take from them. Even though we publish a book every year, for each graduating class there will only be one to solidify their last year here.

“Seeing the yearbook finally coming out and officially finishing it, it brings me so much joy. It’s a huge accomplishment to see a book full of memories and our hard work that we’ve worked endlessly on being put out. It’s like our “child”; I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the physical copy of it and seeing everyone’s reaction to it,” states Mezawi.