The Adrian Lady Blackhawks volleyball team advances to the Class 2, District 12 Championship with a win in 3 sets. They play the Butler Bears at 6pm on Monday, October 27th in Lamar. With this win, Head Coach Kelsi Robards recorded her 300th victory. Congrats, Coach!
By Brooklynn Pugh, High School Journalism
Yearbooks are more than just collections of photos, they’re history books that capture moments that might otherwise be forgotten. According to the Walsworth Publishing Company website, “If we don’t include an event, a person, a class, then in 20 years, that event, person or class may as well not exist.” Yearbooks serve as important tools used by law enforcement, journalists, and historians for fact-checking and identification, proving how much yearbooks matter beyond school walls.
At Adrian High School, the Smoke Signals Yearbook is a year-long effort led by a team of student yearbook staff who work hard to include everything from elementary achievements to senior memories. Senior Co Editor MaKayla Anderson said, “Everything in the yearbook consists of each grade, elementary through high school, achievements by our clubs and sports, our staff and senior memories like the senior trip and graduation.” The goal is to create a book that represents the entire school community and saves these memories for years to come.
Of course, working together on such a big project isn’t always easy. According to Makayla, “There are times we disagree, but we can communicate pretty well with our adviser so if anything needs to get fixed, it gets done.” The yearbook adviser, Mrs. Michele Burris, agrees that while creative differences arise, the team’s shared goal is to make the yearbook the best it can be, and they work together to find compromises.
Thousands of pictures are taken during the school year, but only a small portion make it into the final book. “Way more than you think and too many to count,” says Mrs. Burris. Still, every choice matters because the yearbook serves as a lasting record of the school year and a way for students, staff, and families to look back and remember their school years.
The yearbook’s value only grows as time passes. As Mrs. Burris says, “The further students get from graduation, the better it becomes to revisit the ‘glory days’ through the pictures and information in their yearbooks.” MaKayla agreed, saying that without the yearbook, people might forget many of the important moments and experiences from their school years.
How Pink Out Came to Be
by Libby Nebocat, High School Journalism
On October 14th, the Adrian High School volleyball team held its 15th Annual Pink Out game. The game helps raise awareness and funds for cancer research and support. According to the Adrian News Leader, the event started in 2011 when former teachers, Jessie McWilliams and Erin Huckaby were coaches. The Pink Out game was personal to Coach Williams.
Since then, the event has been carried on by Coach Kelsi Robards. At the game this year, raffle tickets were sold, a donation dinner was held, and desserts were available for purchase. All the proceeds from this game went to the Children's Mercy Cancer Center. There were over 45 sponsors this year, who made items to be sold in the raffle.
During Pink Out, Adrian played Versailles High School and defeated them in three sets. The girls current volleyball record is 25-6-1. Adrian won the Warrensburg and Clinton tournaments, and they are starting districts this Thursday.
Day Two starts at 8:39am on 10/21.
This is a reminder that there is no school Friday October 24, 2025. Thank you
