This Wednesday, Oct. 31, is the final day to submit senior photos for the yearbook, and many seniors have not turned in photos for the yearbook.

Despite daily reminders in the morning announcements, as well as the deadline being only days away, over 300 seniors have yet to turn in their senior photos. Ms. Brandi Benson, who is the current publications advisor for Lincoln Southwest, is nervous due the lack of pictures submitted.

“We have over 500 seniors, and 145 pictures have been submitted,” Benson said. “Some of those are duplicates, which means we have even less. So I hope seniors remember to submit them by the deadline.”

If a senior photo is not submitted for a student, then the yearbook staff will use the student’s current ID photo (if available). As of now, just over one third of all seniors have submitted a senior photo.

“I think it’s because people in today’s society are really self conscious,” junior Kole Scheneman said. “So I think it’s resulted in the low numbers of senior pictures being turned in.”

The addition of senior photos in the Southwest yearbook creates a way for seniors to express themselves in creative and unique ways, choosing the look and style of their yearbook photo, instead of using the basic ID photo taken at the beginning of the year.

“It’s their choice if they want to,” senior Ashley Briere said. “It’s not much that anyone else can do. It’s in their hands if they want to turn it in or not.”

Students can verify that their photo submissions have been submitted successfully by going to the journalism page, found by hovering on the Student Life tab on the Southwest homepage. From there, students can select the post titled ‘Senior photos received’ on the right side of the page, bringing them to a list of all currently enrolled senior whose pictures have been turned in successfully.

A reminder of the senior photo specifications can be found below:

1. Photos should be four-color digital images, submitted electronically.
2. Photos should be high resolution (225 dpi), saved in JPEG format.
3. Photos should be cropped and resized to vertical, wallet-size photo (approximately 2” X 3” tall). Please leave 1/8 of an inch between the top of the head and the top of the picture
4. The background should not be distracting, and should contrast with student’s clothing color (medium–toned, neutral-color backgrounds preferred).
5. The student’s head and face should stand out from background, and have sufficient contrast.
6. The student’s pose should be a basic head-and-shoulder shot, preferably full front or slightly to the side. Avoid extreme angles and hands in photo.
7. Clothing should be school appropriate (avoid wording on clothing).
8. No props or hats are allowed and no items (i.e. tree trunk, fence, etc.) should appear in front of the student.

All questions about senior photos should be directed to the publications advisor at [email protected]. Students can also visit the C110 room at Lincoln Southwest before or after school with questions.