Yearbook - The Voyageur

Purchasing Yearbooks

Prices for the 2025 yearbook are as follows:

$68 from 7/24/24 to 9/23/24
$75 from 9/24/24 to 1/18/25
$85 from 1/19/25 to 3/3/25
$100 after 3/3/25, (IF we have any extra copies, we will sell them on campus until they sell out. Email the Business Manager tammy.kottke@minnetonkaschools.org for direction. We do sell out of our stock some years.)

Book Sales Procedures

Books will be sold throughout the school year through online ordering. Book pricing information is
available online, or through the business manager.

We consider the book "sold" when we receive your full payment. The balance must be paid in full before the student is able to pick up his or her book.

Yearbooks will be available for purchase during the summer before the school year starts.

Books will be available to purchase until early March (see the website for the specific day), or until yearbooks sell out. We do order a limited number of yearbooks and cannot reorder them once they are sold out.

Books will be available for pickup starting the Wednesday before Memorial Day until the end of the school year. Books not picked up by the fall may be resold if there are families remaining on the waiting list.. Yearbook is not responsible for books not picked up.

Families who do not purchase a yearbook before the ordering window closes can choose to be added to the waiting list. Any remaining books will be sold at or after the distribution event. No books will be released prior to distribution. The books will be sold based on the order of the waitlist; however, seniors will get priority.

Pre-ordered books are considered final sales. Books cannot be returned. Exchanges can be made for defective books: only at the time of distribution. Once a student has written
in his or her book, we can no longer make an exchange or issue a refund.

Baby Ads are optional and may be purchased for seniors. The information is located under Portrait & Baby Ad Procedures. Once the deadline passes, we will be unable to make changes to those pages. One baby photo per ad, please.

Editorial Procedures

Yearbook is a student led, planned, run, and produced book. There are legal and ethical requirements mandated by the Minnesota Education system because the book is a product of a class. The class is considered .5 of an English elective course and .5 of a photography course. As such, there are education requirements that the Voyageur yearbook practices.

The yearbook staff and the Voyageur yearbook are protected by the First Amendment and other protections and limitation as afforded by the Constitution and the various court
decisions implementing those principles. By not interfering with the publication content, school officials are therefore not responsible for the content.

The yearbook is considered journalistic writing. As such, its task is to inform its readers in an accurate and fair manner. This includes the areas of academics, student groups, athletics, and the school community. The target audience for the book is the student body of 3,400+ students.

The same ethical principles apply to yearbook journalism as to any other kind of media:

● Reporters should cover all sides of a story fairly and fully
● Reporters should identify themselves as representing the yearbook
● Reporters should verify source information with someone else or some other resource
● Reporters should avoid lurking on social media sites and should never use information gained from social media as their only resource. No information should be taken from a social media site without notification to the author of the site.

(from the Journalism Education Association’s Scholastic Press Rights Committee)

As a staff, yearbook encourages written constructive criticism, delivered directly to the adviser. Personally-directed harassment toward any staff member will not be tolerated, any will be reported immediately.

The content coverage period lasts from the summer before the current school year starts to March when the book is complete. Because of the time it takes to print the book and
prepare it for distribution, it is not possible to include events occurring past this date.

Additionally, the book is published throughout the school year. There are five deadlines throughout the year. When possible, the class will include a spring supplement, highlighting some of the spring sports and activities.

Group photos for clubs and organizations are taken by school-officiated photographers.

All faculty and staff are notified prior to the date of group photo day. Staff and students will be provided with the schedule of the group photo day prior to the event . Any groups not photographed after that day are not the responsibility of the yearbook staff.

Team photos for athletics are the responsibility of each individual team. The yearbook staff will reach out to individual teams for their current team photo, and scoring record of the year. If we do not receive this before the deadline, we will be unable to publish it in the book.

Because yearbook is a student publication, our goal is always to have all photos in the yearbook taken by current, yearbook staff members. However, we welcome student and
parent submissions. Please email high resolution photos to minnetonkayearbook@gmail.com . Include contact information and a description of the photo (who, what, where, when, and why). We cannot guarantee that the photos will be used in the book.

Because the yearbook is a student publication, complete satisfaction is not guaranteed to the purchaser. Refunds will not be given for minor errors such as poor portrait quality, misspelled names, etc..

Obituary Procedures

Should a current student or staff member pass away during the school year, yearbook staff will treat the death in a tasteful, respectful manner.

If the individual took a portrait photo for that year, it will appear as it would under normal circumstances, with the appropriate section's portraits.

Pages covering sports, academics, or activities that have already been published may also feature the individual.

If the pages have not yet been published, their school photo and name will appear in the index.

Portrait & Baby Ad Procedures

Family Name Change Request

If your student needs a different first name in the yearbook portrait section than what is in Skyward, please fill out this form by November 1. After November 1, we will be unable to make changes to names in the yearbook. NOTE: This is not for nicknames, but for name changes.

Underclassmen Portraits

All students and staff personnel must have their portrait taken by the official school photographers to be included in the current volume of the yearbook. Photo submissions will not be accepted for grades 9-11.

Senior Photos - Class of 2025

In order to be included in the 2025 Minnetonka High School yearbook, all seniors must click the following button to submit their senior photo (BY November 1):

Photos may not contain any props whatsoever. Photos should be individual, vertical headshots. Please see the senior photo info sheet for additional information. The yearbook staff has the right to not include any photos that do not meet these requirements.

Submit Senior Photo Here

Please Note: All Baby Ad and Senior Photo submissions must be submitted digitally.

Important notes on senior photos:

Senior photos will be published in color, but black and white or sepia photos may also be used.

Try to submit a head and shoulder shot; faces in full body shots get really small! Clothing/props/attire must follow the school dress code. (See the MHS Student Handbook.) Submit a photo with a vertical layout. Any horizontal submissions will be cropped to fit. Photos will be submitted electronically, so make sure the photo is saved as a .jpeg or .png file at least 300ppi if wallet-sized.

The yearbook staff is not responsible for senior portraits submitted after the deadline. When possible, yearbook staff will include a school portrait for any senior who does not submit a portrait.

Senior Baby Ads

Baby ads can be purchased from https://yearbookforever.com/ starting July 24 until November 1, for $25.

Note - Student lists are accurate as of October 1: the date when final student lists are pulled for publication purposes. The name included with the student’s portrait will be from Skyward, unless the Name Change Request Form is filled out by November 1^st (changes are not able to be made after this date). Students' legal last names will be used.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still order personalization for my child(ren)'s yearbook?
Personalization will not be available for purchase after March 3rd.

I missed the senior deadline. Is there any way I can still have my student featured in the yearbook?
Once the senior portrait deadline has passed, the portrait pages and baby ads are sent in to the publishers, so we are no longer able to add in photos or make any changes.

When will books be distributed?
Yearbooks will be distributed the week before Memorial Day. Senior distribution will be after school on Tuesday. All other grades can pick up their books from 7:30-2:30 Wednesday and Thursday in the Commons. Students who are not able to pick up their book at distribution day can pick it up in 2405 from 7:30-2:30, daily before summer break. A photo ID is needed for all students to pick up a yearbook.

My student won't be at school on distribution day. Can he or she pick up the yearbook early?Books will not be distributed prior to distribution day. Students who are not able to pick up their book at distribution day can pick it up in 2405 from 7:30-2:30, daily. A photo ID is needed for all students to pick up a yearbook. Yearbook is not responsible for books not picked up after distribution day. Books not picked up by the fall may be resold if there are families remaining on the waiting list.

Can I pick up my book during the summer?
No, yearbooks are not able to be distributed during the summer.

I know I paid for a book, but when my student went to pick it up, it wasn't there! What happened?
Call 877-723-6344. Any additional questions can be addressed with the yearbook business manager.

My student is in a sport and the group picture for that sport isn't included. Why not?
All group photos for sports are submitted by the teams themselves. Yearbook does not take these photos or have instant access to them. If your son/daughter is in a sport, we would encourage you to submit photos, including the group photo!

Who do I make my check out to?
Checks can be made out to MHS Yearbook.

Where do I turn in my order form and money?
Paper copy orders can be collected from, and returned to, the business manager.

I ordered a book and received a receipt. Do I need to hang on to this?
Please keep a copy of your order confirmation. Use the receipt if there is an issue with yearbook pick up.

Do you donate books to students?
Please contact your student’s counselor. Through Family Friends, Minnetonka is able to donate a select number of yearbooks per year. (Minnetonka families can also opt to donate a book, during the ordering process!)

May I still buy yearbooks from past years?
Perhaps. Contact our business manager, Tammy Kottke at tammy.kottke@minnetonkaschools.org.

Who do I contact if I have additional questions?

Join the Yearbook Staff

Yearbook includes two semester courses and after-school time as needed at MHS.

Applicants go through an application process just prior to spring registration for admission to the year-long class. In June, returning staff members begin the planning and production of the yearbook at a summer yearbook camp. Throughout the first three quarters, students create the yearbook (design layouts, take pictures, interview students, write captions). Fourth quarter, students create the spring supplement and begin planning for the next year. This is a great opportunity for students to learn real world responsibilities and take pride in the results. Underclassmen are encouraged to apply!

Contact the adviser, Alyssa Baumer, at alyssa.baumer@minnetonkaschools.org for an application. Students must apply and be interviewed to be considered for the year-long class.