With NDA closing the doors for the foreseeable future, teachers and students are adjusting to the new online platform. One of the moving pieces is the yearbook team. 

“The yearbook is a place where we can celebrate all of our stories, academics, clubs, sports and events.  I want students to see why ‘NDA is the place to be.’ That is the theme for the yearbook this year,” explained Mrs. Sadie LaJoe, the yearbook adviser and an English teacher at Notre Dame Academy. 

LaJoe has about 19 years of working with yearbooks. She has worked as a yearbook adviser at two other schools, a Jostens Yearbook Sales Rep for over 90 area schools and a Marketing Specialist at the GB Diocese Catholic Foundation before returning to teaching at NDA.

“I wanted to be the yearbook adviser at NDA because I’m passionate about historically documenting our NDA story.  The new publications classes offer students the opportunity to be storytellers and learn valuable real-life skills like problem-solving skills and learning how to communicate via email and work together,” said LaJoe. 

The yearbook team works inside and outside the classroom to create pages using a Jostens online creation site called Yearbookavenue. This gives the students the opportunity to work on any page at any time.

“Any NDA students and parents can also download our Replayit app and send photos directly to our site.  As always, we are looking for people to help us out. We need your photos and quotes,” stated LaJoe. 

Because of the current uncertainty of sports and activities, coming up with new pages and new ideas is a big focus for the yearbook team. LaJoe encourages any parent or student that has “ideas about what you would like to see in the Spring section of the yearbook please send ideas our way.”

The senior memory pages are another big part of the yearbook. The deadline for submission and payment is April 30. 

“If students did not purchase a yearbook at book pickup last August or online, they may still do so,” said LaJoe.  “Books are $75 through the end of April, but get them before they are gone.” 

While we are not physically at school, the yearbook can connect and remind us how we are a part of a large community. 

“NDA is the place to be faithful, kind and involved.  It is the place to be a senior and the place to be you.  NDA really is the place to be! That’s the story I want my staff to capture in our yearbook,” said LaJoe.

To communicate with the adviser, email her at [email protected].