San Fernando Valley : High School Scrambles to Rewrite Yearbook

Somebody stole the year from San Fernando High School.

Due in just 12 days to the publisher, the computer discs storing text for the 1995-96 San Fernando High School yearbook were stolen last weekend, sending the young staff into a frenzy to recreate about half of the 300-page opus by deadline.

Burglars stole camera equipment and a Macintosh computer, but more devastating was the loss of about a dozen floppy discs that stored the entire text for the school’s yearbook, scheduled to be distributed in June. If they miss the deadline, the book might not be ready before school lets out for the summer.

This year’s edition commemorates the school’s centennial anniversary and includes stories by alumni about historical events.

Since the theft, students have been working during school hours and late into the night, and will devote their next two weekends to the project, said yearbook editor Roger Ponce, a sophomore.

The school is offering a reward for information leading to recovery of the discs.

“It’s so sad,” said assistant principal Barbara Garry. “For anybody who’s ever worked on a school yearbook or newspaper, and poured their heart into it, to lose it all so close to the deadline. . . . At this point, we don’t care about the Macintosh or other stuff, though we don’t have money to replace it. Just give us our discs, please.”