MC’s Bicentennial Yearbook Nears Completion, Tribesman Editors Discuss the Process
Staff finalize special edition ahead of spring distribution
Students will soon receive the bicentennial edition of Mississippi College’s yearbook, “The Tribesman,” as staff members finalize production ahead of distribution later this semester.
As MC celebrates its 200th year, Tribesman editor in chief Sarah Catherine Spires and her co-editor Lauren Boutwell are striving to make this edition special for both current and future students. “I referenced the centennial edition numerous times, so the chance that this edition could be something special for years to come is very exciting,” Boutwell said.
From student portraits to organization spreads, the Tribesman staff said their goal is to make a yearbook that is undeniably student-focused. “The yearbook heavily involves students and faculty to get quotes about their organizations or clubs or tribes,” Spires said. “We are constantly reaching out to other students on campus.”
Yearbook creation and distribution are managed by the MC Department of Communication, as the Tribesman has recently joined as an entity of Blue and Gold Media.
The editors said extensive work was required to produce a university-wide yearbook, and that the early stages of planning started earlier than some would expect. “We started on the yearbook in August, but we began in the summer before we even got back to school,” Spires said. Spires and Boutwell began their summer yearbook work by brainstorming themes, colors, and typography.
The Tribesman staff used several programs, such as E-Design from Herf Jones and Adobe Illustrator, to design the covers and spreads for the yearbook. Spires and Boutwell are working under five production deadlines to ensure the student body receives the yearbooks by the end of the spring semester.
The production of the yearbook is a major responsibility and one that traces back almost 120 years. MC has issued 109 yearbooks throughout its history, with the first being in 1907, entitled L’Allegro. It featured messages, poems, and photographs of students and faculty at the university. L’Allegro translates to “the cheerful man” in Italian. It is also the name of a poem published by John Milton in 1645.
“The yearbooks looked very different back then,” Madison Dean, the Tribesman faculty sponsor, said. “It would just have a photograph of the students and then a paragraph about who they were and what they were involved in.”
In 1925, the yearbook became known as “The Tribesman.” With this change came features that look more similar to current yearbooks, including descriptions, imagery, and stories about campus organizations, traditions, events, and eventually, clubs and tribes.
“I’ve been on the staff all four years I’ve been here, and it’s been one of the best experiences ever,” Spires said. “I’ve loved reading all four books and knowing that they will be around for many years to come.”
The 2025-26 edition of “The Tribesman” will be released later this spring, with copies available to students before the end of the semester.
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