Over the last six decades, the Poway High School Iliad staff has created hundreds of issues, changing with the ebb and flow of social norms, updated technology, and student opinions.

The advisers of the Journalism class have changed over the years, but the current adviser, TeriAnne Libby, has overseen The Iliad for 31 years. According to Libby, this makes her the “longest surviving adviser” of The Iliad.

The technology differences over the decades are a prominent difference in the publications of The Iliad. “When I first started advising, there were no digital cameras. The issues were all black and white, and when we turned in pages, they were pieced together with wax. Editors had to place the columns on flats,”  Libby said.

The issues of The Iliad have seen many different styles. The oldest ones, dating back to 1961 were magazine-style. They eventually developed into a newspaper look in the 1970s. The current issues are tabloid size, but in the twenty-tens, the Iliad staff created issues on broadsheet- the largest newspaper format. 

At first sight, the most noticeable differences since 1961 are the layout and style. Upon closer inspection, the articles face the same level of changes, on a potentially larger scale.

In the November 1963 issue, the plan for Homecoming is written about in full detail. The day starts with a barbeque, JV and Varsity games, a crowning ceremony, and a one-dollar Homecoming dance in the gym to end the night. 

An article featuring the Poway High School Ski Team was featured in 1979, and in a 1980 issue, many articles cover a potential military draft that loomed over peers’ heads. An especially unique article covered the Scuba Diving classes in 1982. 

Though these topics seem foreign to the present-day high schooler, there were many topics that are just as relevant as the ones our staff covers today.

A short photo and blurb in 1997 covered the pressing issue of limited parking on campus. In 2003, and in other years, they covered Associated Student Body elections. Even controversial topics, like underclassmen in the senior quad, were seen in a 1967 issue. 

“Staff in previous decades were more interested in writing about really controversial opinions. In the last 10 years, students tend to shy away from covering the most controversial topics,” Libby said.

The progress of the Iliad over the decades has given insight into Poway High’s history. When mixing updated technology with changing opinions, The Iliad has been able to grow and develop into the issue published today.