President’s Collection

Even though the 2019 Lair was a 50th anniversary book, the Shawnee Mission Northwest staff wisely kept the focus on its students and didn’t overdo it with nostalgia.

Using the theme “It All Comes Back to You,” the Lair staff gave a nod to the school’s history, while also making sure their current students and teachers were the most important piece of the book’s story. As has become customary in Lair, the writing and photography is elite, never moreso than in a series of profiles, including one on a freshman piano prodigy.

As for the history, it mostly gets addressed very well in a special, 12-page “Look Back” section in the middle of the book. A “Sign of the Times” spread that shows how songs, technology and clothing have changed over the years is particularly fun.