EDITORIAL POLICY
By virtue of the fact that the yearbook is a student conceived, planned, and produced publication, as well as a product of an academic program, there are certain legal and ethical guidelines which Touchstone yearbook staff members practice. Journalistic in nature, the yearbook informs and entertains its audience in a broad, fair, and accurate manner on all subjects that affect readers in the areas of academic, group, sports, and student life. The student body of 2800 prospective readers constitutes the book’s target audience. Secondary audiences include school personnel, parents, community members, and scholastic journalism groups.
NAMES
Since the yearbook is a historical document, which can be used for legal identification in some cases, all students will be listed with their names that are on their registrations. If there is a legal name change prior to our final publishing date in March, the parents of the student need to contact Touchstone staff to confirm the change has occurred in the school’s registration documents.
COVERAGE
Content focuses on coverage which will meet the wants and needs of the majority of the target audience, the students and staff at Stony Point High School, so long as those wants and needs are not contradictory to the principles of scholastic journalism. The staff encourages constructive criticism of any part of the book, before and after publication. However, final authority for the content of the yearbook rests solely in the hands of the yearbook students under the guidance of their adviser. No material that is libelous, irresponsible, and/or an advocate of illegal activity will be published. No material that the editorial staff and/or adviser deem in poor taste will be printed. The content coverage period lasts from the summer before school begins until early March when the final deadline occurs and the yearbook is complete. Events occurring past this time will not be printed in the yearbook. While the yearbook staff strives to include all official school sports and organizations as equitably as possible, the editorial staff and the adviser make the ultimate decision for page allocation. Group photos and corresponding names are provided to Touchstone staff by each organization’s sponsor. Touchstone staff is not responsible for any omissions due to error or student absences.
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
All students and school personnel must have their photo taken each year by the official school photographer, Photo Texas, to be included in the yearbook. All underclassmen and staff have their photos taken during school hours in the first month of the school year. All seniors have their formal photo taken either during the summer at the Photo Texas Studio or on campus during designated days. Any senior who did not have their Photo Texas portrait taken by the December 21st deadline, will not have their portrait included in the yearbook. Each student’s official grade classification on the first day of school, or the first day the student enrolls at Stony Point High School, is used to determine portrait placement by grade level. A grade level change after the start of school may not be reflected in the yearbook portraits. By having portraits taken by the same photographer under the same conditions, the yearbook staff can be assured of uniform quality of all photographs, thereby serving the best interests of all students. The chosen tuxedo or drape for seniors is a long-standing area tradition. This is the uniform that has been decided upon for all seniors for the official senior portrait section of the yearbook. Seniors are encouraged to choose to wear whichever one is most comfortable to them. No student is required to have senior photos taken. All school personnel and students, no matter the grade level, are photographed for the yearbook by Photo Texas, free of charge.
SENSITIVE ISSUES
Should a student or school personnel pass away at any time during the current coverage period, the staff will treat the death in a professional manner. The yearbook will acknowledge the death by running a colored bar over the name next to the portrait and printing the years of birth and death. In the event that a school portrait is unavailable, family members will be contacted for an appropriate photograph that will appear in the index with the same treatment as a school portrait. During what would have been the student’s senior year, the family will be contacted about a memorial page in the senior ad pages at no charge.
SENIOR TRIBUTES
All advertising accepted by the staff must meet the same guidelines as editorial content. Senior tributes were made available to all 2020 graduates. Group tributes may be purchased by an official school group, provided all members are graduating seniors and the opportunity to participate was offered to all senior group members. Photos and text are accepted by the yearbook staff, who create tributes to match the look and design of the current yearbook. No pre-made or collage tributes are accepted. There is no prior approval for senior ads. Spelling errors will be corrected by staff and placement of photos will be chosen by staff. Suggestions on placement of photos will be taken into consideration, but staff makes final decisions. School inappropriate content will not be used (this includes but is not limited to: photos with weapons, innuendos, and references to foul language). Family members can purchase a tribute in three different sizes. Sizes were made available based on dividing the page into four blocks. Prices for ad blocks were: 1/8 page - $90 1/4 page - $150, 1/2 page - $200, full page - $300. No additional ads could be purchased after February 15, 2019.
CLIENT SATISFACTION
Because the yearbook is a student production, complete satisfaction is not guaranteed to the purchaser. Refunds will not be given for minor errors such as poor portrait quality, misspelled names, etc. Books returned for a refund must be free of damage or writing. Once returned, the book becomes the property of the staff and can be resold at the current price. Exchanges can be made for books with flaws if no writing appears in the book. If a book has been written in, no exchange can be made unless the advisor determines the flaw in the book is of major proportion, i.e. pages missing, pages upside down. All refunds and exchanges are made at the discretion of the advisor. It is the responsibility of the buyer to provide proof of purchase if the yearbook staff has no record of sale. Valid proof of purchase includes a valid receipt, or a canceled check made payable to SPHS Yearbook. All buyers must present a picture ID (school ID, driver’s license) when picking up their yearbook. In order for an individual other than the student to pick up a yearbook, written permission must be provided and personal contact must have been made with the advisor. Any student needing a yearbook to be shipped to a new address, will be responsible for paying for a traceable shipping method. Pre-ordered books that are not picked up within six months of the delivery date, will be forfeited and may be sold at the current price.
PRICING
Students who do not purchase a book prior to the January 31st deadline, through www.yearbookforever.com, will not be guaranteed to receive a book. The staff does not order extra yearbooks, but will sell books that are printed as overruns by the publishing company, should any exist. Therefore, a limited number of books will be sold upon delivery for $85 cash on a first-come-first-served basis.