WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Yearbooks are a time to look back on memories and see how far you’ve come, but with the price to buy one, some seniors in West Springfield don’t have that luxury.

Western Mass News spoke with the head of the yearbook committee at West Springfield High School and heard how the public is stepping in to make sure no memory gets left behind.

Yearbooks like these are more than just a school picture. They’re memories that you carry with you for a good portion of your life. And some seniors here at West Springfield High School are not able to afford them. That’s why the community is stepping up to help out as they can.

“Yearbooks are really important, I think, to seniors’ memories of high school, not just today, but, in fact, more important in 5, 10, 15, 20 years,” said Engineering teacher Howard Bernard.

From signing the front page to finding pictures of you and your friends, receiving your yearbook is one of the most exciting parts of wrapping up the school year. But not everyone gets to go home with these memories, $80 for a yearbook is no small ask.

“Times seem to be tough this year. So there’s quite a number of seniors at our school who simply can’t put together the funds to buy a yearbook right now,” thirty of those seniors to be exact, so teachers like Mister Bernard, who graduated from the school himself, are spearheading an initiative to make those priceless memories more affordable, “if a student is in difficult circumstances, they see their school counselor, and their school counselor will sort of assess the situation and see if they really need what we call a scholarship yearbook. And if the student does, then the school counselor will give that student’s name to me, and I’ll put them on a list.”

The students on that list then receive donations, and while school colleagues have been of help, the majority of it comes from you. As much as it means to the students, it means just as much to those making it happen.

“When I see the parents and students and families in the community coming together, it really warms my heart. I still have all four of my high school yearbooks from 45 years ago, and the memories are invaluable. They only get better as time goes on,” Bernard said.

If you would like to donate, make a check or money order out to West Springfield High School. Then, just mail it, or drop it off in person during school hours.

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