New adviser, new editors, new room, she thought. This was the year senior managing editor-in-chief Avery Faulkner got to lead the organization with her friends as editors, and there were so many changes she’d have to navigate, but they were going to create the same great yearbook the students deserve.

“It was definitely a rocky start because we didn’t know what we were getting into,” Faulkner said. “I think we have been able to accomplish some great things.

Bearcat Media students faced challenges with unease and uncertainty this year with these changes.

“I definitely had my frustrations early on in the year because it was such a big jump,” yearbook photography editor and senior news production student Ian Black said. “It’s a mixture of student-run and teacher-led this year. It feel like we’re more on top of it.”

Along with the organizational shift, Wood incorporated the journalism and commercial photography classes into media production.

“I decided to join journalism this year to help grow as a writer,” sophomore journalism student Kate Morris said. “It’s cool to know that it’s not just a teacher looking at the article.”

Overtime, the staff learned how to work together for production, and Wood said she’s happy with how the year has gone.

“It’s such a hard class, but they’ve been incredible,” Wood said. “I’m proud of the work they’ve done, and I know if they can navigate this, they’ll be able to handle other tough challenges they face.”