Before running off to summer to enjoy three months of free time and hopefully warm weather, students receive the much anticipated Sangraal. The Sangraal is created by student leaders at Benilde St. Margaret’s, and it is a book filled with memories form the whole school year that will last a lifetime.

Yearbook is an elective course that allows students to capture events that occur during the school year. The class is perfect for students who enjoy, fun, hands-on, independent work, while becoming close to a similar group of their peers. There are many different roles within the class that allow contribution to the book by encouraging students to do something they are passionate about and actually want to do.

“My favorite part about yearbook is creating a book that everyone looks at. They can keep it for a long time and sometimes forever. It is nice to see your work look so good in the end, and that the hard work you put in wasn’t for nothing,” Sangraal photo editor, Julia Stelljes said.

The Sangraal staff prides themselves on putting every ounce of hard work into making the book the best it can be. Despite the workload, most students who participate in the course fall in love with it and are excited to attend the class each day.

“I will continue yearbook for the rest of my high school career; I like it a lot, so why would I stop? You get to meet new people and hang out with all your friends, while making a super rad book,” Stelljes said. Students can apply to participate in the Sangraal starting sophomore year and continue to be a part of the fun through Senior year.

The Sangraal is filled with many photos that are usually taken by a student photographer, but the Sangraal takes it to a whole other level. In addition to student photographs, the staff has taken advantage of the world of social media. The editors created the hashtag #bsmyb, which students use as a means of submitting their photos to the yearbook staff, which then become eligible to use in the final book.

One of the most important parts of any yearbook is the cover. For the fourth year in a row, The Sangraal’s yearbook cover was recognized and featured in the Jostens Look Book. This Look Book is a “best of the best” collection of creative themes, amazing covers, cool designs and story telling, selected from exceptional yearbooks. The Sangraal was one of 476 yearbooks hand picked from around 3000, to be featured as an example in the 2015 Look Book.

There is a strong tradition of excellence when it comes to putting together the Sangraal. Although it is at times a difficult task, the end product is always an outstanding collection of memories from the school year that both the creators and readers enjoy. The colorful, funny, and informative book is a way for students to always remember great times at BSM, and it will always be a staple to the school and a source of joy to the Sangraal staff.