As of this school year, the University of California has officially granted the Advanced Yearbook courses in the Roseville Joint Union High School District “a-g” fulfillment for the college preparatory elective, or “g,” requirement.

According to Advanced Yearbook advisor Dana Dooley, RJUHSD’s consideration for this change is appropriate in that the program now receives recognition for its rigorous and academic course load.

“This is my second year advising yearbook and I recognize all of the hard work the students are doing,” Dooley said. “They are photographing, doing investigative reporting, demonstrating many writing skills, and doing design work so it clearly is worth counting as that academic elective and fulfilling that requirement.”

Advanced Yearbook editor-in-chief Rachel Downie is excited for the recruitment potential that this option will increase.

“I really do hope that we get more kids in the class because it’s a great class,” Downie said. “I do hope that they join, especially now that they can get valuable credit for it.”

Dooley also has high hopes for the development of the program that recognition would hopefully bring.

“It reflects that our class is validated and recognized for the skills that it embeds,” Dooley said. “It will allow us the opportunity to grow our family in ways that will allow students to see that we do a lot, and it is meaningful work and that it is being recognized as so.”

Although the UC “a-g” Approved Course List recognizes this course as an option to fulfill the college preparatory elective, “g”, requirement, Dooley hopes for the course to receive Visual and Performing Arts, or “f”, recognition.

RHS Counselor, Graciela Fernandez, describes the process of attaining official “a-g” recognition for the VAPA requirement and anticipates this recognition for the 2017-18 Advanced Yearbook course.

“The UC system determines if the class gets ‘a-g’ VAPA approval,” Fernandez said. “Submissions made this year that are approved for ‘a-g’ are recognized the following school year, thus, if Advanced Yearbook gets approved this year, it would go into effect for next school year.”