Huang, LaRovere and Xiang to Lead PEAN

PEAN, Exeter’s yearbook, announced its annual board turnover and appointed three new Editors-in-Chief  (EIC) last Thursday. Seniors and this past year’s EICs Ariel Kim, Trishna Mohite and Lily Sexton passed the torch on to current uppers Catherine Huang, Emily LaRovere and Evan Xiang. Sexton spoke of the benefits of having a board with diverse strengths, saying that each of the new EICs is artistic, personable and technical, respectively.

In order to apply for EIC, students were required to have been on the senior board last year. Prospective candidates filled out an application, crafted mock pages on their own for E/a weekend and the arts and were interviewed by the current board.

Sexton said that LaRovere, Huang and Xiang have all been dedicated and hardworking board members. This past year, PEAN received an unusually low number of applicants for senior board. As a result of this shortage of members, the newly selected editors were forced to step up their workload. LaRovere single-handedly tackled the senior pages, a demanding job intended for two, and arguably the most difficult task asked of the board. Huang and Xiang were co-editors for the advertisements and layout section. According to Sexton, these sections usually require four editors to be completed each year. “Each girl assumed their position on the board strongly, and without their dedication to PEAN, the yearbook would not be what it has become. Their work over this past year has been invaluable,” Sexton said.

“We hope to bring more organization and communication to the club. Only then can the club run smoothly and can we really enjoy our work.”

As Editors-in-Chief, LaRovere, Huang and Xiang will be responsible for picking themes and design templates and reviewing spreads. The trio will be required to look over every page of the yearbook before writing it off as print-ready. Sexton expressed further confidence in the girls’ work. “Making a 350-400 page publication is not easy, but we would not have picked these three girls for the job if we did not think they were capable [of completing the task],” she said.

LaRovere, who was introduced to the club her prep year, has loved being a part of it. She said that she looks forwards to working with the other EICs and developing cohesive ideas for the next yearbook. She added that the fulfillment of the finished product compensates for the hard work required, saying “[PEAN] is a lot of work, but very rewarding. We picked a very strong board and are very excited to work as a team.”

Fellow EIC, Huang described the progress she hopes to make with her newly appointed colleagues. “We hope to bring more organization and communication to the club,” she said. “Only then can the club run smoothly and can we really enjoy our work.”

LaRovere agreed. She said that the club has struggled in the past with time management. She emphasised their new aim to begin pieces sooner in the hopes of cultivating a smoother process.

Huang affirmed this goal. “We fell behind for a while last year, so I hope to make sure we stay on or ahead of schedule throughout this year,” she said.

Huang said that by staying transparent, she, LaRovere and Xiang “hope to show all the editors and associates just how much they are contributing to our work and how much we appreciate them for it.”

Xiang expressed hope in emphasizing a sense of unity and teamwork in PEAN this year. “I don’t think I’m looking to change things up drastically,” she said, “but I want to change the things that did not work last year and the previous years so that the experience is more fun and enjoyable for everyone.”

Xiang explained that she and her fellow EICs come to the new board with a pre-developed sense of the importance of unity. “Catherine, Emily and I definitely kept teamwork in mind when choosing the rest of the Senior Board so I’m confident that we already have a strong united base,” she said, adding that they are conscious of some snags they hit last year and are ready to avoid them. “I also think that all three of us realized the problems that occurred last year early on so I believe that we are more aware and cautious of how to proceed this year,” she said.

LaRovere agreed and expressed the confidence that she has in her diversely skilled, yet cohesive board. She said, “[The EICs] each bring their own style and different ways of thinking. I think that by getting along great and being able to combine and share our ideas, we will continue the great reputation of our annual yearbook.”