Santa Maria High School’s multicultural yearbook featured in magazine

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Santa Maria High School is getting some national recognition for its multicultural yearbook.

The school said it previously only released its yearbooks in English, but sales were lagging compared to other local schools.

After that, the yearbook class decided to integrate Spanish, whether it was through a quote, word, or headline.

The idea started when a student was asked a question about the yearbook and answered in Spanish. She was asked if she could translate it to English, but asked if it could be left in Spanish.

The school says incorporating both languages has benefits for students and their families.

"This allows family members who are non-English speaking to also appreciate their student's school year," said Advisor Tina van den Heever.

The yearbook was recently featured in a national magazine by Walsworth Publishing, which is one of the major yearbook printers in the U.S.

The school says there are 33 students on the yearbook staff this year, compared to 15 last year.