School history and archives · For principals, alumni directors and archivists
A class composite photos display where every graduate can find their class
Photograph each framed composite, make it the story for its class year, and type in the graduates’ names. Visitors find their class in seconds, even the ones hanging too high to read or sitting in storage.
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What is a class composite photos display?
A class composite photos display shows each graduating class’s composite, the grid of senior portraits with names, in one browsable place, often near the hallway where the frames hang. HistoryShowcase gives each class year its own story with photos of the whole frame and close-up sections, and the names typed into that story are what visitors search.
Updated
- Made for
- Principals, alumni directors and archivists
- Where schools put it
- The composite hallway, Alumni office, Reunion invitations
- Layouts
- Photo gallery, Honors ledger
- Visitors can filter by
- Decade, Year
- Cost
- Free to use. No payment details required.
The hallway is full. The class is still there.
Composites are often the only place every graduate appears together. They hang in long rows of frames, the oldest ones high on the wall, with names printed too small to read from the floor. When the hallway fills up, older classes come down and go to a storage room, and alumni who come back can’t find themselves.
A class composite photos display leaves the frames where they are and gives each class a place on the touchscreen. Photograph or scan each composite, make it the story for that class year, and type the graduates’ names into the story so visitors can search for a classmate. Frames can come down without the class going missing.
How does a class composite photos display compare with framed hallway composites?
| What matters | Framed hallway composites | HistoryShowcase |
|---|---|---|
| Wall space | One frame per class, until the hallway fills | Every class year fits, including stored frames |
| Reading the names | Small print, often hung high | Close-up photos viewed at eye level |
| Finding a classmate | Scan the rows of frames | Search for a name typed into the story |
| Classes without a composite | Left blank | Use that year’s yearbook senior pages |
| Physical presence | Original framed photos on the wall | Frames stay up; the screen adds a copy |
What to show for each class
The full composite
One clear image of the whole frame, so visitors recognize it from the hallway.
Close-up sections
Large composites photographed row by row, so each face stays sharp when a visitor looks closely.
Every graduate’s name, typed
Copy the class list into the story so search can find a classmate by name.
Class officers and advisers
Name the officers, the class sponsor and the class motto if the composite or yearbook records them.
Reunion photos
Add group photos from reunion weekends to show the same class decades later.
Classes without a composite
Use senior portrait pages from that year’s yearbook so no class year is left blank.
How to organize your composites
Make one story per class year and group them by decade. The photo gallery layout suits composites; a ledger gives a quick list of every class.
Your siteClass Composites
- Composites by decadePhoto gallery
One story per class year, with the full composite and close-up sections.
- Every classHonors ledger
Rows of class years with the class motto or sponsor in the subtitle.
- Reunion photosPhoto gallery
Group photos from reunion weekends, titled with the class year.
Visitors can narrow it by
- Decade
- Year
How do you set up a class composite photos display?
Start with the Class Photos example
Add the Class Photos & Composites example pack to see a finished gallery before you load your own classes.
Photograph each frame in sections
Shoot straight on without glare, then take closer shots of each row so faces stay sharp.
Type the names once
Copy each class list from the composite or yearbook into its story so search can find every graduate, then publish.
Where should a class composite display go?
- The composite hallwayRight where the frames hang, so visitors can find the class they can’t read from the floor.
- Alumni officeWhere returning graduates usually ask to see their class first.
- Reunion invitationsInclude the web address so classmates can find themselves before the event.
Class composite display questions
Will search find a graduate in the composite photo?
Only if the name is in the text. Search reads the titles and text you enter, not the names printed on the photo, so type or paste each class list into its story.
Our composites are too big to scan. What do we do?
Photograph them. Take one photo of the whole frame and closer photos of each row or section. A story holds up to 100 photos, which leaves plenty of room for detail shots.
Can we include classes that have no composite?
Yes. Use the senior portrait pages from that year’s yearbook or a class photo, and note in the summary where the images came from.
Do we have to take the frames down?
No. The frames can stay exactly where they are. The touchscreen gives every class a place, including the ones already in storage.
