I didn’t realize that my dad’s old yearbook collection would come to great use of mine when starting this class. Digging up my mom’s old yearbook from her graduating year of 1987 was mesmerizing to me. I never bought any of my yearbooks from high school, which I painfully regret now looking back at this fond memory. I was able to sit down with my mom and reminisce in what it was like for her in high school. Knowing that my family history started in Kingston and most of us still live there today is extremely intriguing. Having everyone gone to Kingston High School, it’s crazy to look back at what’s changed and seeing what’s been there for generations. My high school memories are years I am very fond of but being able to relive them through my mom was truly special to me.

When taking a closer look at the book itself, it’s about 12 inches in length to 9 1/2 inches in width and 1 inch in depth. It has a cream colored base with a maroon engraving of “Maroon 1987” and a distinguished maroon bordered rectangle on the front cover. As the book is 37 years old it has a worn look to it. It has developed a yellowish tint, specifically inside the maroon rectangle on the front and yellow-brownish spots along the middle and edges of the book. There are a very minor cracks and dents which is impressive for how old the book is. It was safely kept on a bookshelf in my dad’s house for 37 years. I’m impressed by the upkeep of the book, especially the pages in which the book is 320 pages long. They are thick felt pages that have a squeak when grabbing or turning the page. They are very glossy in which they reflect brightly when under strong light.

It’s crucial to remember that the yearbooks in this time were in black and white. In pages 1 through 15 of the yearbook, they give us some vibrant colors that are very expressive to the pictures that were used. Most are candid photos of students involved with the school whether that’s inside or outside the campus. The school portraits are everything that I’d envision an 80’s yearbook to be. Everyone in their senior portraits look like ghosts and had the most insane 80’s hairdo. My mom wasn’t fond of how her hair looked in the 80’s so she’s definitely embarrassed by this photo. My mom’s name is Robyn Finch and had short brown hair with curls that were given to everyone in my family but myself. She was wearing her black v-neck gown with a white strand of pearls around her neck for her senior portrait. Her head tilted slightly to the right as she looks past the camera with her piercing green eyes that were given to me.

One of the very first pages of the book is a picture of the Broadway side entrance of Kingston High School. The image was taken at night so the medium sized black lampposts with four sphere shaped lights in a diamond is shining the light upon the entrance. With a castle like figure, two vertically striped tan columns are withholding the triangular shaped roof with black embroidered letters that spell out “Kingston High School”. The doors that are at the end of two brick staircases is a rectangular shape with a semicircle on top grand entrance. The semicircle is divided into three sections with glass panels in between, just above the matte black doors that have eight square glass panels as well above the golden handles. Layers of brick are aligning the door and underneath both columns next to the black lampposts.

In discovering all the in and outs of my high school, it’s so fascinating to me that every person in my immediate family has history here. Being able to rediscover the activities including the sports teams and the music program is something that I’ll always carry with me. Not that I’m so certain I’ll be living in Kingston for the rest of my life, I know that I’ll always have a place to call home.