Eastern Greene students searching for yearbooks

The Eastern Greene High School junior English honors class wants to preserve the history of its school.

To help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the school corporation, the students decided to put together a video documentary of the school's history.

"My fifth-period honors class is doing a Learn and Serve (grant) project, and it started out as a celebration of the 50 years of Eastern Greene," Gail Finn, the school's English Department chairperson, said.

"So what they've done is talked with one graduate from every graduating class, interviewed them and written short bios. They're also collecting pictures from the graduates."

The students also want to include activities and other things that happened during each graduating year.

"It will end up panning to where they are today," Finn said.

"They were talking to one of the graduates, I don't remember which one, and he doesn't have any pictures. But he said we could scan them from the yearbook."

When the students went to the library and yearbook sponsor they learned the school has a complete collection of yearbooks dating back to 1982.

"Before 1982 it's pretty sporadic, maybe six or seven," Finn said.

The students are asking the community for help locating yearbooks.

"People buy them and don't ever look at them or use them. The school is taking on the project to collect every year and have one here for the library," Finn said.

"It's part of their history and they can donate them to the high school."

Eastern Greene High School Principal Kevin Frank said it's been interesting meeting the former students.

"It has been neat for some of the alums to come in the building and they seem excited and the kids have done the interviews," Frank said.

"The kids have taken ownership in it. I'm really looking forward to that finished product."

Earlier this week students posted information on community bulletin boards at several different businesses in the eastern Greene County area, and "I told them they might want to see if one of their parents could take it to Crane and hang it on the message board at the credit union," Finn said.

Frank said the community can watch the video the night of the school's annual Showcase Night, which is May 16 from 4-7 p.m.

"Classes from all different areas display their work," Frank said of the Showcase Night. "The video will be available that night."

Frank added that the video celebration will take place at 6:30 p.m.

Finn said she was surprised the school didn't have the yearbooks.

"I thought it was really odd. I was shocked we didn't have them," Finn said.

Finn added that the students received their first donation Wednesday morning.

If you would like to donate your yearbook to the school, contact Finn at (812) 825-5621, ext. 2202, or email her at gfinn@egreene.k12.in.us .

Chris is the general manager/editor for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at 847-4487 or 1-800-947-4487 or by email at cpruett79@gmail.com .