The New York Times reports that schools across the country are going to great lengths to ensure that every student is included in the yearbook. Apparently, the days when only the "most popular" students dominated the yearbook are gone. "

"Students who saw star athletes and bench warmers alike rewarded with thanks-for-playing trophies are now experiencing new efforts to protect their self-esteem: An editor has been charged with tracking how often all 1,400 students appear in the 325-page yearbook. The goal is for every student to appear twice, in candid photos or feature stories, regardless of whether he or she is the senior class president, the yearbook editor’s best friend or the student who comes late and leaves early."

"The changing yearbook is a result of a decades-old effort to foster a kinder, gentler culture through measures like smaller schools, character-building and peer counseling. “We want every student to be known and valued in a school.” Research has shown that students are less likely to drop out when they feel connected to their school."