There are few publications that we carry with us as we progress through life, packing our lives into boxes to higher education, shoebox apartments, and our very first homes. These must be items of sentimental value, ones that we will pride ourselves in showing the people we love, capsules of time captured in a single book: a yearbook. Specifically, at North Atlanta, these yearbooks are coined “Invictus”. Each year, one hard-working and capable staffer is selected to become the editor-in-chief of this publication, this year, that powerhouse is named Riley Martin. 

Martin has been a staffer for the past three years and finds joy in the creative side of the mac lab room. After being appointed the prestigious position of editor, she took on her first task of choosing a theme for this year’s book. “I was thinking about how so many of my friends come from different elementary schools and yet we will all go to different colleges.” She said, “North Atlanta High School is where all of the students intersect, where all of our paths meet. With that being said, the theme for this year’s book is ‘In All Directions’!” 

On and off the record, Invictus has proven that they are capable of breaking all previous goals, some of which came as a surprise, even to Martin. Senior advertisements, the means for financing the book, were sold at a record-breaking capacity, with 206 sold before the December due date. In addition to that, more senior portraits were taken than ever before, and every deadline was successfully met on time by the staffers. “This is the farthest ahead we have ever been in yearbook history and I am so proud of the staff and myself for the hard work that has made that happen,” Martin said. 

While no triumph should go unnoticed, no celebration comes without a tribulation. In Martin’s case, the balancing act of the International Baccalaureate program, paired with extracurriculars is what challenges her. The ongoing battle of time management not only puts deadlines in a bind but also threatens Martin’s mental health. When asked about this test-of-time, Martin expressed the importance of focusing completely and totally on the task at hand, especially when it concerns the dubs. “As an IB student myself, balancing everything is really important,” said junior staffer Natasha Havey. “Luckily we have great leadership to guide us in the right direction-no pun intended!”

As the year progresses and winter turns to spring, Invictus staffers like Martin will finally get to see their hard work pay off. With a dazzling editor-in-chief, as well as a stupendous staff, there is one advisor observing the crowd in order to create the best possible product: Jack Stenger. “Riley has been a masterful editor and has all but written the book about how it should be done right,” Stenger said. “She’s been on top of everything and has managed the staff in a way that is both inspirational and motivational. We can’t wait for her vision to be realized.” 

As Martin would say, North Atlanta is the intersection of our lives in all directions, so, cherish these times, and, buy a yearbook.