Adviser & Staff | Spring 2012 | Issue 67

Spring into action fourteen for 2014 special report 21st century skills and common core

Issue 67 | spring 2013

Inspiration staffs triumph over adversity

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Issue 67 | SPRING 2013

10 Fourteen for 2014 Cover Story: Spring is the time to start fresh, regroup and imagine all of the possibilities for your 2014 yearbook. Jostens Adviser & Staff asked veteran yearbook advisers to share their best tips for getting a head start on next year’s book.

Welcome to Jostens Adviser & Staff magazine — the

2 Staffs triumph over adversity Despite catastrophic weather that wreaked havoc on communities and schools in 2012, yearbook advisers and staffs faced the challenges before them with grit and stamina. Overcoming adversity, they persevered to produce their 2013 book.

largest-circulation magazine in the world devoted entirely to creating and marketing yearbooks. Your subscription is provided compliments of your local Jostens representative.

8 Excellence is the expectation Cindy Todd, JEA National Yearbook Adviser of the Year, sets the bar high for her students and encourages them to mentor and inspire one another to do their best work as well.

24 Gallery

Special thanks to the yearbook adviser and staff at Edina High School [MN] for their assistance with the Jostens photoshoot at their school this spring. Pictured on the cover: Emma Chen, Tara Mohtadi, Kim Raskin, Maria Rummel and Effie Albitz. Not pictured: Jeremy Liebman.

Editor in Chief: Linda Berry Managing Editor: Mary Saracino Art Director: Chris Koshiol Production Artist: Kit Neville

Contributors: Martha Akers Barbara Croson-Bateman Bonnie Blackman Candace Perkins Bowen Tina Cleavelin Sarah Cole John Cutsinger Linda Drake Rabbi Yehuda Fogel Tom Gayda Stacy Grice Ryan Hansen Debra Klevens Jessica Leifheit Gary Lindsay

©2013 by Jostens, Inc. [13-0243] Item #3167. All rights reserved. Limited non-commercial reproduction of this publication for educational and classroom use is allowed with appropriate credit to Jostens. Jostens, the Jostens logo, ReplayIt, Personal Yearbook Pages, Image Share, Jostens Ad Services, Jostens Direct Solutions, Jostens Yearbook Avenue, Jostens YearTech, Jostens YearTech Online, Page Surfer, Time Capsule and Yearbook It! are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Jostens, Inc.

Gary Lundgren Mark Newton Casey Nichols Sarah Nichols Terry Quinn Sara Sausker Mark Scheldorn Margaret Sorrows Shannon Sybirski Cindy Todd Kristine Tooker Margie Watters Ray Westbrook Shannon Williams Cindy Todd Send correspondence, change of address, subscription requests and article manuscripts to asmagazine@jostens.com or mail them to:

The entries poured in and judges had their work cut out for them in determining winners from thousands of outstanding student-submitted photographs and designs. Check out our gallery of 2012 winners.

Page 24: Jostens Photo Contest Page 28: Jostens YearTech Online Design Contest Page 30: Jostens/Adobe Design Contest

32 One-minute workshops The Creative Accounts Managers, Jostens traveling yearbook gurus, share rapid-fire information on the latest in yearbooking in one-minute workshops, rounding out this issue.

special Report

21st Century Skills, Common Core and the Yearbook Class

Two of the biggest topics in education today are Common Core State Standards and 21st Century Skills. The enclosed Adviser & Staff special report insert explains the initiatives and how the yearbook class fits into the big-picture goals.

Adviser & Staff magazine ATTN: Linda Berry Jostens, Inc. 3601 Minnesota Drive, Suite 400 Minneapolis, MN 55435

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photo by Barbara Croson-Bateman

The right staff Major Storms Challenge Yearbook Staffs to Overcome Adversity Catastrophic weather wreaked havoc on communities and schools in the south and the northeast in 2012, impacting the lives of students and teachers. In the aftermath of these severe storms, some school buildings were destroyed and some yearbook rooms were strewn with debris. Still, yearbook advisers and staffs faced these challenges with grit and stamina.

Overcoming adversity, they persevered to produce their 2013 book.

Here are some of their triumphant stories.

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“Publishing a yearbook is not optional.”

Murphy High School | Mobile, AL This view from outside the Murphy High School yearbook room shows some of the exterior damage to the school building.

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n Christmas Day 2012, the unthinkable happened in Mobile, AL. At around 5 p.m., sirens blared and a deafening roar careened down highways and byways as a tornado whipped through the city.

For the students, teachers and staff at Murphy High School, the storm was an unexpected and unwelcomed visitor.

The following morning, the high school’s yearbook adviser, Barbara Croson-Bateman, shored up her courage and went to the school to assess and document the damage.

Although she’d talked with her yearbook’s senior editor, Keyonna Wilder, the night of the storm, she dissuaded Wilder from accompanying her to campus.

“I knew that students weren’t allowed on campus so if pictures were going to be in the yearbook, I had to take them,” she said.

She set her sights on salvaging any equipment that possibly survived the devastation so that her yearbook staff could continue to work on the book.

She was stunned when she arrived at what used to be Murphy High School.

All of the school’s 20 buildings had sustained some damage. The auditorium, band room, batting facility, cafeteria and portable classrooms had either been destroyed or deemed unsafe for students and faculty.

To date, the damage to the school’s campus is estimated at $11 million.

“I cried at the devastation of our historic buildings,” she said. “I was lucky to not see the school with students there. It was hard enough by myself.”

The yearbook room had suffered some damage.

Several windows had been blown out. The yearbook program’s camera safe had been moved away from the wall and was sitting under the shattered windows. The tornado had lifted the air conditioning unit on the roof, causing a steady drip of water to inundate her desk.

Amazingly, none of the yearbook program’s archives had been damaged.

With so much of the school campus and its buildings in shambles, some yearbook advisers and staffs might have thrown up their hands, cursed fate, and opted to scratch the yearbook altogether.

When her yearbook representative asked if they needed to cancel the yearbook, she simply said, “No.” She knew what she and her staff had to do.

“This was one of the biggest stories our school was ever going to have,” she said. “After teaching at Murphy for eight years, I have learned, ‘It’s all about the history.’

This was the biggest story ever, and we knew we were going to tell it.”

This year marks Murphy High School’s 87th anniversary. And, for better or worse, the tornado and its aftermath were now part of the school’s epic story.

“We realize that the yearbook is not just the stories of the kids at our school. It is the historical record of our school,” she said. “We have copies of every year that our book was published and copies of the yearbooks from the school we were built to replace. The bookshelves in our room contained 100 years of Mobile history.

Publishing a yearbook is not optional.”

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This photo of blownout windows in the Murphy High School yearbook room is the dominant photo in the yearbook’s tornado damage spread. photos by Barbara Croson-Bateman

Murphy High School | continued “We are Southern, we like to tell a good story, and there isn’t going to be a bigger one than this.”

Barbara Croson-Bateman

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At the high school on the day after the storm, the school’s principal, Dr. William Smith, asked CrosonBateman what she needed to make yearbook happen.

“I told him I had already gotten our camera equipment, records and laptop,” she said, “But, I needed the Mac (Big Bertha). The other computers would be good to have, but I had to have Big Bertha.”

Smith agreed to let her bring Big Bertha home with her until they had a better sense of what type of classroom options might be possible.

Once school began again in January, they assumed that classes would be held in the portable classrooms (more than 60 of them) and that it most likely wasn’t going to be possible for her staff to have Internet access.

“The principal and I decided that we needed to consider doing the book off campus,” she said. “For that to be possible, I needed to cut the staff to a carpool size of five. I kept three seniors and two juniors.”

Support came from the school’s superintendent too.

“Ms. Martha Peek said, ‘Whatever yearbook needs, do it.’ I think this was in part because every time she turned around, I was there with my camera, documenting everything, the destruction, the cleanup, the visit from the governor, the packing up.”

The first week in their new classroom, the yearbook staff didn’t have tables to work on.

“We only had the student side arm desks. The girls

set up Big Bertha on the floor and plopped beside her and started working without a complaint.”

David Akridge and George Mitchell from Computer Services helped get their computers out of storage. With three additional computers and Big Bertha, they were able to make headway.

They set up the computers on two old science tables and Croson-Bateman made room for Big Bertha on her teacher’s desk. They set up an editor’s station nearby.

“We had run a piece of pink paisley duct tape around the tables to designate the yearbook room”, she said.

“It was kind of fun to pick on my other students during the day and yell: ‘Get out of the yearbook room! It’s only for staff!’”

Murphy High School faculty came to the rescue as well.

“Jackie Davis, the Business Tech teacher, offered her computer lab,” Croson-Bateman said. “Other teachers offered us a place to work if we needed flat tables, and Sonya Sullivan, a history teacher, Murphy alumna, and my very good friend, brought me her portable safe so I could lock up the camera equipment that didn’t fit in my file cabinet.”

Thankfully, the school was able to run cables to the portable classrooms, so the yearbook staff had Internet access too.

When asked how she and her staff have been able to

Michaela Allen, Faith Kilpatrick, and Denise Pace enjoy a pizza party after finishing the yearbook’s tornado spread.

Murphy High School’s Madison Winetrout helps Denise Pace work on her senior ad as Keyonna Wilder watches.

maintain such a positive, inspiring attitude in the face of such adversity, Croson-Bateman said, “We are Southern, we like to tell a good story, and there isn’t going to be a bigger one than this.”

Her seniors are motivated to put out the best book ever.

To enhance staff morale, she made them jambalaya one day “to give us a little time to rest and talk about how we were putting the new spreads together.”

Their yearbook representative arranged for T-shirts and pins to cheer them on.

After they completed work on the tornado spreads, they had a pizza party.

The yearbook theme they’d selected well before the tornado struck turned out to be eerily appropriate.

“Our theme this year was ‘Something to Remember.’

Well, it couldn’t be more relevant. We are covering the story. There is no way not to.”

While the staff did have some discussions about how much tornado coverage they should include and how the storm should be covered, they eventually decided to focus on the way the event has impacted the history of their school. Coverage included pre-tornado pictures, post-tornado coverage, and information on their new portable campus and the rebuilding efforts.

“This event impacted every student for half of the school year,” Croson-Bateman said. “It could not be overlooked, nor could it be downplayed.”

The yearbook staff used borrowed or donated “ragtag furniture” to set up their interim yearbook room.

The yearbook staff used pink paisley duct tape to cordon-off their work space.

Working on the yearbook’s beloved Big Bertha the Mac, Keyonna Wilder gets ready to tag photos for the image library.

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Point Pleasant Beach yearbook staff members—Danielle Allgor, Kristen Enoch, Brooke McCarthy, Rosie Wenrich, Liz Tell, Erica Pappas, Morgan Sartori, Mike Crescitelli, Carly Sullivan, Viola Doles and Rob Critelli— focus on producing their yearbook in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. photo by Kristine Tooke

Point Pleasant Beach High School | Point Pleasant, NJ

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photo by William Muhlsck, Lifetouch

A sign posted on a chain-link fence at Homecoming sums up the post-storm sentiment felt by Point Pleasant Beach High School’s students, teachers and staff.

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n late October 2012, Hurricane Sandy decimated the shoreline of New Jersey and New York, devastating the lives of area residents. That tropical storm was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, with winds up to 90 mph. Lives were lost. Beaches and property were damaged. Millions of people were without power.

Even the New York Stock Exchange was closed. Area schools were impacted too, affecting yearbook staffs and their programs.

“The first few weeks were rough. Our town was devastated and so were some of the surrounding towns that send students to our school,” said Kristine Tooker, yearbook adviser, Point Pleasant Beach High School, Point Pleasant, NJ. While the building at Point Pleasant Beach High School wasn’t damaged, the school was closed for two weeks so the students and faculty could deal with the havoc that the storm’s aftermath created in their lives and in their communities.

Point Pleasant Beach is an iconic city on the Jersey Shore. Its boardwalk was slammed. Many in town lost their homes and their businesses.

“The community pulled together. The school gymnasium served as a clothing distribution center.

The school’s football team and cheerleaders helped families remove debris. That fall the football team’s rise to the state semi-finals became a rallying cry for the town and boosted school pride.

While Tooker and her yearbook staff never felt the need to cancel their yearbook, they knew the storm would set them back, delaying their production schedule.

They did what they could to stay on top of things.

While school was still closed, they used ReplayIt to gather photos for storm coverage in their yearbook.

“We knew it would be slow going to get back to yearbook, because some students were displaced for a couple of months and didn’t have Internet access

where they were living.”

After all the stress and uncertainty, Tooker and her yearbook staff found the strength and perseverance to rebound.

“We just moved forward,” she said. “School became a safe, warm and good place to be. I think having the students together in yearbook class and being able to talk and share stories has been good therapy.”

In an example of how art can sometimes ironically imitate life, their 2013 yearbook theme is “Seniors Under the Sea”— a concept the staff selected long before the hurricane barreled down upon them.

“That definitely hit close to home,” Tooker said.

“We decided to keep it positive, though. We are not showing pictures of destruction, but of rebuilding and of our school community volunteering.”

In part, Tooker credits their resilience to their ability to compartmentalize their school lives, their work lives and their home lives.

“You sort of have to, so you’re able to get through the day,” she said. “I’m on our town council and I have the additional demands of rebuilding the town, as well as my own house, so my life has been even busier than normal. Pretty much 24/7. Thank goodness for my co-adviser, John Boland!”

Perhaps nothing sums up this school’s determination better than the hand-lettered sign that was posted on a chain-link fence at the school after the hurricane hit.

It proclaims: “We are thankful! We will rebuild!”

Now, months later, things are beginning to return to some semblance of normalcy. In March, the school’s boys’ and the girls’ basketball teams both won their first State Championship Group 1 title and advanced to the Tournament of Champions in New Jersey.

These accomplishments are proof that the power of belief and the support of the community can lead to inspiring comebacks.

photos by Bonnie Blackman

Hebrew Academy of Long Beach | Long Beach, NY

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hen Hurricane Sandy swept through Long Beach, NY, a rush of ocean water came crashing down upon the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, Long Beach, N.Y., destroying most of the school’s first floor.

The school, which is home to 760 students in grades 1–8, is situated right on the Long Beach boardwalk, one of the parts of New York that the hurricane hit hardest.

“The Long Beach boardwalk is our yard,” said Rabbi Yehuda Fogel, yearbook adviser. “Nearly the entire first floor of our school had to be replaced.”

The Beit Medrash, in the synagogue that is housed within the school, was completely flooded and all the walls and floors had to be removed and refurbished.

Hebrew Academy was uninhabitable for nearly two months.

Photos taken after the storm reveal a somber scene.

Debris from the boardwalk is piled high in a parking lot; the demarcation between what used to be the school yard and the beach is gone and the building stands on a bleak and barren landscape. The concrete wall that used to be in the school yard is no longer there.

After the storm struck, Fogel’s eighth grade students were relocated to Irving Place Minyan Synagogue, one of the places that kindly opened its doors to the faculty and students of Hebrew Academy.

After a few months, they were allowed to return to their own classrooms at Hebrew Academy, but they still had obstacles to overcome.

“When we moved back, we did not have access to much of the building for another few weeks, due to environmental issues.”

In spite of everything, Fogel and his yearbook staff remained committed to producing their yearbook.

“At first, we were at a standstill,” Fogel explained.

“But, we soon began to realize what an important tool our yearbook was as a central method of documenting and remembering our experiences over the past eight years and especially how we were able, as a community,

to persevere during this troubling time.”

Fogel is quick to give credit to his yearbook staff.

“They were truly incredible. They met at their homes during the period that we were not in school. There was a period in which we did not have power (some students for weeks), and they used the old-fashioned pen-andpaper method to plan and design the yearbook.”

Fogel acknowledged the help of parents as well.

“They opened their homes to students for yearbook meetings.”

When electricity was finally restored in the students’ homes, the yearbook staff was able to rely on technology to stay in touch.

“The committee used iChat to meet at night on a regular basis, since we were unable to meet during school time while we were at the secondary location.”

Their experience with Hurricane Sandy has impacted this year’s yearbook theme: “Connected Forever.”

“It depicts the resilience of our school community in sticking together and being there for one another during a time of need.” Fogel said. “There were many students who volunteered after the storm in the cleanup effort. We had students initiate campaigns to replace items, such as clothing and other vital necessities, and even hockey equipment for students that lost everything in the storm.”

Now that Hebrew Academy has reopened and the students are back in their own classrooms again, they are able to use their computers and printers to move forward with their yearbook production.

“The team has been self-motivated in consistently persevering through any challenge.” Fogel said.

This courageous class of eighth graders demonstrated uncommon resiliency in their response to this unprecedented, life-changing experience. Along the way, they learned valuable lessons about what it takes to grapple with and overcome adversity.

Debris from the Long Beach boardwalk piled high in a nearby parking lot.

The outdoor pool at Hebrew Academy of Long Beach after the storm hit.

“The team has been self-motivated in consistently persevering through any challenge.”

Rabbi Yehuda Fogel

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EMOTIONAL MOMENT. The moment that JEA official H.L. Hall walked into the room, a stunned Cindy Todd realized she wasn’t attending a faculty meeting, but rather a special gathering to honor her as the 2012 National Yearbook Adviser of the Year.

Hall and Kelly Furnas, JEA executive director, traveled to Austin to make the surprise presentation. Todd’s family and several representatives from Jostens were also at the event. [photos by David Oliver, El Paisano head photographer]

Cindy Todd named JEA 2012 National Yearbook Adviser of the Year The best yearbook advisers are passionate about journalism. Cindy Todd, El Paisano yearbook adviser at Westlake High School in Austin, TX, exemplifies that passion. And, year after year it shines through in her unwaivering commitment to journalism excellence.

On January 7, 2013, Cindy Todd was named the 2012 H. L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year by the Journalism Education Association in a surprise ceremony held at Westlake.

This yearbook powerhouse shares her yearbook expertise with a staff that produces a 600+ page yearbook. The theme of their 2011 El Paisano was “Inspired”— an apt word for the ways in which this somewhat quiet and shy adviser motivates others to give their very best.

Todd’s love for journalism began when she served as the editor of the school newspaper when she was in junior high school.

Production methods were decidedly low-tech back then. Todd

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recalls producing stories by “typing them on carbon paper and running them off on a mimeograph machine.”

She went on to become the editor of her high school and college newspapers, eventually earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism and becoming a teacher.

“Teaching journalism is all I ever really wanted to do,” Todd said.

After college, she was hired to teach English and journalism at Randall High School in Amarillo, TX. She was also slated to serve as the adviser of the school’s newspaper. Just before the school term started that year, the yearbook adviser decided to step down and Todd took on those duties too.

“I’m fortunate to teach in an environment where excellence is the expectation rather than the exception.”

That was 22 years ago.

She’s been the yearbook adviser at Westlake High School for the past 14 years. El Paisano has earned Pacemaker awards from the National Scholastic Press Association and Crown awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Juggling her considerable duties hasn’t kept Todd from giving back to the scholastic journalism community.

She has been active in JEA, serving on the Awards Committee and on the local committee that helped organize the recent convention in San Antonio. She has served as the past president of the Texas Association of Journalism Educators. And, in 2008, Todd was named the Texas High School Journalism Teacher of the Year.

In addition to her work at Westlake High School, Todd leads journalism workshops for students across the country. In the summer of 2012, she taught in 12 workshops in six states.

As part of her ongoing commitment to students, Todd helped JEA grow its student group. In fact, JChaps, the student group Todd started at Westlake, is one of the largest j chapters in the country.

At Westlake, she has 86 students in five classes, including Journalism Yearbook, Yearbook 1, Yearbook 2, Yearbook 3 and Independent Journalism. She finds working with students to be the most rewarding part of being a teacher and an adviser.

“I love watching them create something from nothing, literally,” she said.

She sets the bar high and her students deliver.

“My attitude is, anything worth doing is worth doing well,” she said. “I’m fortunate to teach in an environment where excellence is the expectation rather than the exception.”

She’s a role model who “walks her talk” and her students meet the challenge.

“By and large, my students strive to do their best no matter what they’re doing. I believe each year’s staff — especially the editorial staff — has always tried to keep raising the bar above what the staffs did before. It has been a matter of personal pride for them.”

Always the consummate teacher, Todd finds great satisfaction in her students’ accomplishments.

“I love seeing the pride they feel on distribution day when they crack the book open to the spreads they created, the photos they took and the stories they wrote.”

Todd creates a supportive yearbook classroom in which students

learn to teach and inspire one another.

“There is so much mentoring among my staffers. The rookies inherit the desire to produce the best book possible from the veterans.”

She sees yearbook as a place where her students can feel safe to take risks, form friendships, be part of something that is bigger than their own individual lives, and fine-tune useful, real-life skills.

“I love it when former students tell me (and they often do) that the skills they learned from working on yearbook are the ones they use most often in college and in their careers.”

Todd’s commitment to mentoring her students and others in the wider journalism community is rooted in her belief in the importance of giving back.

“So many people have helped me over the years. I truly believe if you’re blessed with an ability, you should share it. I can teach, so I do — or at least I try to.”

Being named the National Yearbook Adviser of the Year is a crowning achievement in a career of many stellar accomplishments.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would ever have my name mentioned in the same sentence as H.L. Hall. When I began teaching, he was already a legend in scholastic journalism. To be part of a group that is made up of the past honorees is a huge honor — I have great respect and admiration for each of them.”

While the recognition is a validation of Todd’s hard work and dedication to journalism excellence, it’s clear that her devotion to her students takes precedence.

“The best part about winning the award is the recognition it has brought to my program and the way it honors my students. They are proud of me, but I’m even more proud of them.”

Todd will be officially honored in April at the spring JEA/NSPA convention in San Francisco.

At that time, JEA will also recognize Michele Dunaway, from Francis Howell High School in Saint Charles, MO, and Tamra McCarthy, from James C. Enochs High School in Modesto, CA, as Distinguished Advisers. In addition, JEA will award Special Recognition honors to four advisers. They are Judy Cannaday from Palm Harbor University High School in Palm Harbor, FL; Margie DiCesare, from Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, AZ; Heather Nagel from Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville, TN; and Elizabeth Palmer from duPont Manual High School in Louisville, KY.

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14 Things  reader survey

summer workshop

Set sales goals

upgrade

clean

gather inspiration

select fonts 3X coverage

begin design

summer/ back-to-school coverage

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plan ads

for 2 14

Spring into action and start planning your 2014 yearbook. Here’s a list of 14 things you can do now to help plant the seeds for a fun and rewarding yearbook experience.

1. Recruit and Select brainstorm

your yearbook staff plan ladder

recruit staff

R

ecruiting a good yearbook team is essential. Look for students who are energetic, creative, enthusiastic, dependable, organized and responsible.

Treat this like any other job opening. Ask students to complete an application. Conduct a 15-minute, face-toface interview to see if they have the skills, motivation and attitude you’re looking for. Check their references.

Use a variety of ways to spread the word: • Post a recruitment notice on your yearbook’s Facebook page or on your school’s website.

• Tweet about it.

• Display recruitment posters around the school or distribute flyers.

• Broadcast information about the staff openings during the morning PA announcements.

• Place ads in the school newspaper or other local publications read by students.

• Ask teachers and staff members for recommendations.

• Post a video on YouTube or Facebook that highlights what it’s like to work on the yearbook.

• Send personal letters to students you’d like to recruit.

• Visit yearbook staffs at middle schools that feed into your high school.

• For more ideas, scan the QR code below with your smartphone to watch a video featuring award-winning yearbook adviser Sarah Nichols, Whitney High School [CA].

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2. Plan the Ladder Go traditional. Opt for chronological.

Or blend the two.

Traditional Approach.

Content is organized into student life, academics, sports, organizations, people, advertising and the index.

Chronological Approach.

Content is presented in the order in which it happens during the year. While coverage of student life, academics, sports and organizations is presented sequentially, it’s often organized into four major seasonal sections — summer, fall, winter and spring. Portraits and group shots are placed in a “people” section.

Blended Approach.

Plano Senior High School, Plano, TX

“The ladder is our roadmap or GPS. It tells us where we are going and when. It gives our book structure before we ever pick up a camera or a pen.

It helps us keep track of deadlines. If we forgot to send in a page we can quickly tell this by looking at the ladder. We highlight the pages we have sent in so those not sent pop out at us.”

Traditional versus chronological versus blended coverage

Multiple 1 Multiple 2 Multiple 1 |

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Multiple 2

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Terry’s Tips 1. Have the ladder done before school starts or within the first couple of weeks.

2. Laminate it so you can change it — and you will change it — know that and be cool with it.

Traditional coverage uses a checklist approach, NHS-check, Stuco-check, fashion-check, 3. Keep it up-to-date so that it becomes a living, breathing football-check. This makes things nice and tool for the book. neat — easy to organize.

Coverage becomes much stronger with a chronological approach. Those clubs and organizations that are very active get lots of coverage, whereas those that aren’t busy get little.

One year a club will be extremely active at this school and the next year nothing goes on. So, if we were doing a traditional book, we may allocate Sample Ladder space to a group that does next to nothing because we followed a previous year’s example.”

Title Page 1 The key strength of using a blended approach Due Nov 5 is that we wouldn’t miss a sport.”

Multiple 2

Blended spreads are built on topics with coverage coming from the traditional content areas. For example, the topic of travel could include stories on vacations (student life), field trips (academics), road games (sports) and competitive events (organizations).

Terry Quinn

Multiple 1

T

he yearbook ladder is your page-by-page working blueprint. It helps you organize the visual and verbal content in a logical way for readers. Use it to identify content, record deadlines, plan color pages and track the pages that have been submitted and proofed. Electronic versions are also available on Yearbook Avenue.

George

Opening 2 3 Due Nov 5 Ryan

Ryan

Student Life Divider 4 5 Due Nov 5 Scott Homecoming Due Nov 5

6 7

Brenda

Homecoming Due Nov 5 Sandi

8 9

Jim Technology Due Nov 5

Student Life Divider Due Nov 5 Scott

Sandi Fashion Due Nov 5

Opening Due Nov 5

Fashion Due Nov 5 Jim

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Technology Due Nov 5 Brenda

3. Brainstorm

a theme/concept

B

rainstorming is a great way for verbal and visual thinkers to work together. Teaming up to generate theme/concept ideas invites fresh, new approaches. It’s a collaborative and fun process.

An optimal group consists of four to eight people, so everyone can participate, focus on the challenge and build on the ideas being generated. Larger staffs can break into smaller groups and then share their ideas with the entire class.

brainstorming skills.

Thinking, listening and actively participating in a noncritical way are vital to a productive and fun brainstorming session. At this stage of the process, quantity is more important than quality.

The old saying, there’s no such thing as a bad idea, was tailor-made for brainstorming sessions.

Designate a facilitator.

A facilitator can manage the agenda and keep track of the ideas generated, review what’s been said and encourage the quieter group members to contribute.

Cull the list.

After the brainstorming session is over, it’s time to critically evaluate the ideas and narrow them down to the ones that make the most sense for your school. Which are the most practical? Which are too simple, or too complex? Pare the list to the few very good ideas — then choose the best one for your theme.

Martha Akers Loudoun Valley High School, Purcellville, VA

“Seldom does a strong theme/concept magically appear with a first thought or idea, so it’s important that the staff use the brainstorming process to add perspective and depth to an idea it may plan to use as a theme.

A staff that embraces the process will use brainstorming to create a list of possible themes or concepts, then use it again to see if their choice(s) work as well as they should.

For a start on the theme/concept, a staff may choose to brainstorm by listing ideas and thoughts specific and relevant to the school.

For instance, the list might include school

colors, mascot and school location to begin. They can then add to the list specific facts about the school during the current year, perceptions others have about the school, perceptions they have about the school and new and different aspects for the year. This is important because it gives a concrete way to begin the process.

The next step is to use the brainstorming process again to form a list of specific phrases, idioms or one-word ideas for the theme/concept.

But, the most important brainstorming comes at the end.

Staff should take the favorite idea and brainstorm how it applies to each part of the book: coverage, photography, design and writing. If each of these areas can be developed with content, form and function that support the theme/concept, then the staff has a usable idea; if not, they may want to begin again.

While we typically use the time-tested verbal brainstorming method, we’ve expanded our brainstorming process to include what we call “visual brainstorming.”

After, and sometimes during, the traditional theme/concept brainstorming quest, we use Pinterest and other websites to show our ideas.

Before, we used books, magazines, greeting cards and even paint chips as visuals, but currently we use them less and less.

The immediacy of projecting the images into the room on a large board has helped staff members see what we’re talking about.

Having a Pinterest account for the book also allows staff members to keep brainstorming by adding images that we can look at over time.

As with so many aspects of yearbook, some staff members enjoy brainstorming and some do not; however, even the naysayers will agree that the process helps more often than hurts.

Focused, task-oriented staff members often want to work, not “talk.”

But, they realize that in working through the brainstorming process, not only do they have a chance to share their ideas about a theme/ concept, coverage and design, but also they can ask questions to clarify what others are offering.

In short, the process can help avoid misunderstandings and miscommunication.

Martha’s Tips 1. Every idea has merit, so treat every staff member’s contributions, thoughts and feelings with respect.

2. Let everyone know what the topic is for that specific session beforehand. This allows them to prepare and to help keep the group on track during the session.

3. Narrow the focus and avoid trying to cover too much in one session. For instance, brainstorming for the theme/ concept in one session may be enough. You may want to wait and brainstorm how it fits your book and your vision for the year another time. That allows participants a chance to think about what’s been said and presented.

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4. Plan Advertising

recognition and business ad sales

A

n organized advertising campaign that includes business ads and recognition ads leads to financial health. Aim to exceed the previous year’s business ad sales and recognition ad sales by 15 to 20 percent.

Be sure to create a business ad sales kit that includes: • a copy of the yearbook • a fact sheet showing the yearbook’s circulation figures, distribution date and awards • an ad sample • a rate sheet • statistics on teen spending • an ad contract • a model release form • a student business card

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Margaret Sorrows

Margaret’s Tips

Bryant High School, Bryant, AR

1. Create a sales folder for each staff member. The ad manager does this and explains the process.

Everything is in that folder, so it answers all the staff members’ questions.

“Recognition ads and business ads are so important to the financial health of a yearbook because they keep the cost of the yearbook down.

We sell our yearbook for $45, much less than what it costs us to produce it. Without our ad revenue, we would have to charge much more.

Commercial ad sales are a summer requirement for my staff.

I require them to generate $250 in ad sales, which is due the first day of school.

Our community is very supportive of our yearbook. I want my students to represent the yearbook in a positive manner, which means acting professional in the community.

A business ad sales kit teaches them how to approach a professional adult and represent this program. It’s a learning experience.

We let staff members choose the businesses they want to contact. We also provide them with a list of the businesses that have been supportive of the yearbook in past years.

We then assign staff members up to 10 businesses to contact. We don’t want the business to be bombarded with too many requests, so with this method, the business gets only one sales call.

I also offer my staff incentives for selling ads, like a free yearbook, or helping pay for part of the costs of an out-of-state convention trip.”

2. Offer incentives and tie some of the ad sales to the student’s grade.

3. Have your business manager make a prospect list and then assign businesses to staff members.

5. Set Book Sales Goals

Have a marketing plan

Y

earbook is a business, so it’s important to pay attention to the bottom line to make sure that income covers — or exceeds — expenses.

Create a budget worksheet.

Use this to generate a realistic projection of the yearbook’s expenses and income so you can stay on track, financially.

Set realistic goals.

Start by reviewing last year’s expenses and allow for inflation and changes in this year’s book specifications. Aim to surpass last year’s yearbook sales by five to 10 percent.

Determine your costs.

Costs are based on the book’s specifications, which include the number of copies, the number of pages in the book, the number of processcolor pages and the type of cover and endsheets.

Special effects and special treatments can add additional costs. Remember to factor in the costs of things like cameras, batteries, memory cards, card readers, computers, software, sales and marketing materials, postage, office supplies and staff enrichment (incentives, rewards, field trips, workshops, conventions, etc.).

Project your income.

While you can’t know for certain how much income you’ll generate from yearbook sales, you can create a marketing campaign to support your income goals. It’s a good idea to prominently display your income goals in your yearbook room so that everyone can track them.

Plan your first book sales event.

Marketing a well-priced product is the best way to generate book sales. Although yearbooks should be available for purchase throughout the school year, four seasonal campaigns drive sales at key times. At the end of each campaign, the price rises to the next level. Your greatest opportunity comes early in the school year when students return to campus and the energy runs high. A fall yearbook sales campaign is the perfect way to launch the yearbook and sell it, for a limited time, at the lowest price of the year to encourage students to purchase it early.

Debra Klevens Parkway West High School, Ballwin, MO

“Without yearbook sales goals you have nothing to strive for. It’s important to set goals so that you have something to reach and beat!

In order to meet your goals, you have to have a marketing plan. Without a plan, that will be impossible. Planning your marketing strategy is essential.

One of our strategies is to run a buyer list in the parent newsletter. We use that to notify parents that they have or have not purchased a yearbook.

We also call the parents directly, letting them know they have not purchased a book yet.

We have ‘Telemarketing Tuesdays’ where the staff breaks from their deadline to call all non-purchasers.”

Sidewalk chalk messages to increase student awareness are part of the overall yearbook marketing plan at Grand Blanc High School [MI]. [photo by Jin Kwag]

Debra’s Tips 1. Devise a marketing plan over the summer.

2. Dedicate a student or a group of students to manage the book sales campaign.

3. Celebrate reaching mini-goals along the way.

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TOP: Yearbook adviser Nancy Thompson and her staff from Coronado High School [NV] reveal their inner rock star at Jostens San Diego National Workshop last summer.

The workshop includes yearbook pep rallies, personal learning tracks to meet staff needs and artist sessions.

For information about this year’s workshop, go to yrbkreg.com.

Attendees have their choice of two sessions: July 29–31 or August 1–3.

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6. Make Summer Workshop Plans

Jump-start your book

S

ummer yearbook workshops offer a great opportunity to build staff morale and ignite the excitement for next year’s book. For many advisers and staffs, workshops are minilaboratories where they generate inspiring new ideas and begin working on the next year’s theme/ concept and coverage ideas. Summer workshops are also a great way to network with other advisers and staffs.

Sarah Cole Orono High School, Long Lake, MN

“The top three benefits of attending a yearbook summer workshop are: getting inspiration from top-notch professionals; making progress on the theme, ladder and layouts before the busy school year begins; and concentrated time to focus on just yearbook, which rarely happens during the other nine months of the year.

I love having time to work in an informal environment with my students, away from school.

We learn more about one another and it’s hard to describe how enthusiastically we leave summer workshops.

You know kids are inspired when they are saying they are excited to get to work and it’s only July!

To cover the costs of attending yearbook workshops, we have sold window clings as a fundraiser. Other than that, we usually designate some of our overall budget to attend.

I have met some fabulous colleagues from around the country at summer workshops. It is nice to know there are others who care about their yearbook programs as much as I do.”

Sarah’s Tips 1. Come with ideas, but be prepared to go in a completely different direction after your work at the workshop!

2. Attend with a prioritized to-do list of what you’d like to accomplish while you’re there. This will help keep you focused and goal-oriented.

3. Ask the presenters if they are willing to share their files so you can share the wealth of information with your staff back home.

7. Plan a Readership Survey

to distribute with your 2013 yearbook

F

ind out what readers want. The most successful marketers succeed because they listen to their buyers. Distribute a readership survey with your 2013 yearbook to find out what appeals to your buyers. Use that information to deliver a 2014 yearbook that reflects what your readers want.

Casey Nichols Rocklin High School, Rocklin, CA

“The biggest mistake advisers and yearbook staffers can make is to assume they know what their audience thinks. We sit at our computers and assume. But, it’s also important to reach out and make that contact. To tell the audience, ‘We care about what you think.’ And, it’s important to help the audience think about yearbook long before it actually arrives.

We run a weekly survey housed on our school’s homepage of anywhere from 10 to 20 questions.

Some are whimsical, some are serious (64.9 percent of our students own smartphones). This helps create a constant awareness of yearbook and journalism, and gives us valuable and timely feedback (Did you attend the opening night of the final Twilight series?).

We also do in-class surveys several times a year to garner masses of short responses to feed multiple tools we use to try and include everyone’s voice in the book (this year was a very mixed bag of questions linked to the theme).”

Casey’s Tips 1. Find a predictable, public way of staying in the sight and mind of your readers.

2. Treat your audience with great respect.

3. Always, always thank them.

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8. Select Fonts

start with style and size

T

ype selection starts with the basics of style and size.

Typefaces come in different options: serif, sans serif, script or decorative. The fonts you select will depend on the typographic look you want to create with your yearbook design.

Ryan Hansen Idaho Falls High School, Idaho Falls, ID

“To me, typography is probably one of the most important design elements in a yearbook — along with compelling photography.

In some cases, topography is the art.

We work really hard to decide beforehand what type family we will use. It has to match the theme. We take what is going on in our school and talk about a literal theme and then talk about the visual theme.

The font sets the direction of the yearbook.

It is a visual cue to the reader that conveys our theme — whether they understand it or not.

Often I have heard kids say in the hall after yearbook distribution that they can’t put their finger on why they like the book. It is because

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the fonts match the design and photography.

It helps support the theme because each font has character and personality.

That sounds weird, but fonts do have personalities. We want our font’s personality to match the tone of the book.

We are, pretty much, a sans serif book. To me, sans serif fonts denote clean and simple design.

But it boils down to readability. We chose a font one year that was really hard to read. I regret it.

We loved it at the time, but after it was all said and done, people couldn’t read what it was saying. We were too far into the book to change our minds.

It had to stay.

I am also very strict when it comes to how many fonts we use.

I have consistently insisted on one font family.

We use consistent sizes and typefaces throughout the book. For example, headline fonts are 36 points or above, captions are nine point, etc.

And, we apply that to every page.

This gives the book unity.

Your readers will notice even if they don’t know why.”

Ryan’s Tips 1. Use only one font family, two at most. This is an absolute for us. It makes the book look unified and consistent.

2. Don’t use fonts and sizes that are hard to read. Your readers will lose interest and complain about the book.

3. Obey the fundamental principles of design when selecting fonts: contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity (C.R.A.P.).

When you use a font, have a purpose.

9. Clean

and organize your yearbook room

W

hile cleaning isn’t glamorous, it’s an important part of staying organized.

Equipment works better when it’s taken care of and cleaned. It’s easier to find what you’re looking for if you don’t have to plow through piles of papers or stacks of archival materials. If your work space is tidy and well-organized, your day-to-day work flow will be a whole lot smoother and fun.

Margie Watters Westmoore High School, Oklahoma City, OK

“Being clean and organized is a necessity in all aspects of life, but to say that our journalism room is always clean and organized would not be telling the truth.

There is a place for everything and everyone is reminded to keep their work area clear, but that doesn’t always happen. As we near deadlines, the room becomes a train wreck. Eventually, it all goes back like it should be.

Still, every day, we all need to be on top of classroom maintenance.

There’s a place for quote sheets, cameras are always stored, the candy bowl is always full, the Mommy drawer is stocked with needs (Band-Aids, lint roller, personal products, two to three clean

pairs of white socks, even a razor!).

Each staff member has a personal slot so that spare papers, returned quotes, etc., can be stored.

We also have two recycling bins for paper and for plastic bottles.

About once a month, we have a cleaning day with bottles of alcohol and Q-tips to clean those nasty keyboards.

We are blessed to have two rooms for publications, a classroom and a computer lab.

Each day begins on the classroom side with our discussion of what we need to do. I use an old trick I learned in which we display posters around the room to designate “Me Time,” “We Time,” “It Time” and “Mom Time.”

During “Me Time,” students take care of their personal things (potty, lip gloss, homework).

During “We Time,” we discuss staff needs, such as who is going to cover the game or who can grab a quote.

“It Time” involves actually working on the It (the yearbook).

“Mom Time” means you take care of your own stuff (as in your adviser is not your mom).

Those designated time slots have us stay organized.”

MARGIE’S Tips 1. Constantly remind staff members to keep their work areas clean.

2. Give each staff member a box, drawer or mail slot to store papers and working materials.

This is also a good place to leave notes and messages.

3. Designate “Me Time,” “We Time,” “It Time” and “Mom Time.”

10. Upgrade Computers

D

repair and replace cameras

uring the late summer, plan to spend a day in your yearbook room at school to make sure that your computers — hardware and software — are up-to-date and ready to go on the day school starts in the fall.

Make sure your room’s Internet/WiFi connection is working and fast.

Check your photography equipment, to make sure it’s in good working condition. Repair or replace cameras that are no longer working.

Buy new batteries or recharge existing ones.

Technology Update Checklist • Hardware/networking requested • Software ordered • Training sessions planned

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11. Plan Strategies

to cover students 3 times

S

et a goal of featuring every student at least three times in the yearbook.

This goal is very realistic for most staffs. At an extremely large school, staffs might find this more challenging and shift their focus to including every student at least twice.

While most students are featured one time in their school portrait, since portraits are often fairly small, be sure to include each student in the yearbook two (or more) additional times in a way that reveals their individual personalities. That means showing what they think, feel, say or do.

Shannon Sybirski Tesoro High School, Las Flores, CA

“Students want to purchase the book to see coverage of themselves and their friends.

It’s important to feature every student in the yearbook at least three times because doing so makes it more representative of the school.

We want to cover what the students are doing in classes, during extracurricular activities and when they’re outside of school.

The Titanium staff designs spreads with coverage in mind. Photo bars are frequently used to maximize the number of students pictured.

Modular design greatly expands the number of stories on the spread.

Tesoro High School [CA]

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In other words, the whole picture.

To accomplish this, we utilize photo bars and photo collages and we use quotes in addition to photos for more coverage.

We begin the week with our “Big Idea” planner to discuss the events that are happening during the week. If we cover an event twice (i.e., ComedySportz) we make sure that we cover the activity, but with different students.

We include feature pages that cover the behind-the-scenes activities of specific organizations on campus, such as the Tesoro News Network (TNN), student government and drama.

Our editorial staff communicates a lot to make sure that we are covering as many students as possible. We try to have at least two meetings per deadline.

We keep a coverage report/black list to ensure equal coverage among students and classes.

We do our best to get into classrooms or to attend outside activities to get the students covered. In other words, we pretty much stalk them.”

Shannon’s Tips 1. Create designs that have a lot of photo and quote opportunities.

2. Create a class-wide goal that each spread should cover every (or as many as possible) student involved in the event or club. For instance, our student government feature has every student who is involved covered at least once.

3. For sports, we make sure staff members get the roster before they start their page so they know exactly who they need to cover. We want to ensure that they are not just covering the “stars” of the team.

photo by Selen a Ha rpe r, Bryant High School [AR ]

photo by Bre

tt Pollina, Wa

rd Melville Hig

h School [NY

]

12. Plan Coverage

of summer and back-to-school

P

lan coverage to capture student-related summer activities and the events that happen in fall when students head back-to-school.

Jessica Leifheit Castle View High School, Castle Rock, CO

“The job of the yearbook is to document the entire school year in terms of academics, student life, clubs/organizations and athletics.

Coverage of summer activities and back-toschool events in the yearbook is essential because it allows for a greater number of students to be covered in the book.

It also makes the coverage of the year more complete and dynamic.

Summer represents an important time in the lives of students, and all aspects of this must be documented in the yearbook.

For summer coverage, it’s necessary to establish a student leadership editorial board before the end of the school year.

That time of the year is valuable for planning the next year as well as developing the leadership skills of returning students. The returning editorial board should be responsible for covering summer activities when school isn’t in session.

They’re also responsible for covering back-toschool activities.”

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M adiso n

M oreh ea

d, Br ya nt

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Jessica’s Tips 1. Establish a student leadership (editorial board) before school lets out for the summer.

These students should also participate in a summer workshop.

2. Plan ahead by interviewing students before they leave for the summer.

3. Meet with returning yearbook staff/editors during the summer several times to prep for the coming year and discuss coverage routines.

Implement these coverage routines and procedures with returning staffers in order to complete back-to-school coverage.

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Ac ad emy

[A R]

13.Gather Inspiration

from magazines and websites

T

oday’s highly image-driven world serves up a visual feast for designers. Magazines and websites are storehouses of fun, innovative and eye-catching design ideas. Glean design approaches from a variety of sources and then put your own fresh spin on them. Get inspired and create your own unique look.

Stacy Grice Thomas L. Sims Middle School, Pace, FL

“It’s good to be up-to-date on the current design trends so your yearbook appeals to the student body and is in line with what they are seeing in the world around them.

That said, we never take a magazine style and incorporate it into our yearbook 100 percent. We always tweak ideas or conform them to our style for the year. We combine different ideas that we are seeing.

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We have gotten a lot of sidebar ideas from US Weekly and Sports Illustrated. In terms of websites, onextrapixel.com and adweek.com are two places I check regularly for inspiration. Then I pin different design elements onto a pin board on Pinterest so I can look back next year.

One year we went to Barnes & Noble and stared at the magazine rack for a cover design idea. We found a typography treatment that fit with our concept on Watch! magazine. I would have never thought a watch magazine would inspire me.

It’s important to look for ideas that tell a story or can be manipulated to fit into your purpose and goal of a yearbook. For example, the new Dr Pepper ad campaign featuring “/1” promoting one-of-a-kind-personalities.

Stacy’s Tips 1. Always be looking for and be open to inspiration. I have based yearbook themes on a Liz Claiborne ad, a Michael Jackson song, and a random web search of suffixes I did for my Language Arts classes. I have found design inspirations online, in magazines and on billboards.

2. Use your phone to snap pictures of designs that draw you in and then post them to a share site like Pinterest.

Several of my students follow that board and if they create a similar board, I follow them.

It is a great way to collaborate outside of school.

3. We also have a physical inspiration board in the classroom where students can pin things they have cut out of magazines.

14. Begin Designing

sections of your 2014 yearbook

E

ven if a yearbook workshop isn’t part of your summer plans, it’s a good idea to start designing your 2014 yearbook after school gets out and before you head back to school in the fall.

Meet regularly with your staff to brainstorm and fine-tune your ideas for the 2014 theme. Then set the designing wheels in motion. Once September rolls around, you’ll be happy that you’re ahead of the curve.

Mark Scheldorn West Shore Junior/Senior High School, Melbourne, FL

“We do a chronological book, so we have to hit the ground running with coverage — even before the first day of school.

If the sections of the yearbook aren’t designed before the first day of school, our coverage teams are at a disadvantage in terms of knowing what the various spreads will require.

While we always stress that content should drive design, the general look should be set before any coverage begins, because any content-related layout adjustments should still fit visually with the rest of the book’s design.

To accomplish that, we generally meet for anywhere between three and five days during the

summer (yearbook camp included), but we start planning our book in early March.

We strive to have most of our design work completed before the end of the school year as our staff is stretched thin due to academic and athletic commitments throughout the summer.

We usually meet in the yearbook room and we spend some of the time adjusting our living space for the upcoming year. We do things like cleaning out physical and virtual files, revising workflow charts. The yearbook room also provides us with access to computers and software.

Being well prepared offers other advantages too.

Living in Florida, fall hurricanes are always a distinct possibility. When we miss days due to storm threats, our deadlines don’t change.

A case in point: During the 2004-05 school year, our schools were closed for a total of 10 days. Because we arrived at school with all of our designs completed, we were able to focus almost exclusively on coverage.

While students were out of school, they didn’t have to worry about what their coverage of the storms and aftermath would look like because they all had seen the designs.

Their only concerns were taking lots of photographs and reporting on the various stories.

Mark’s Tips 1. Start early, and by that I mean in March of the previous year.

2. Divide returning staff members into groups and open a design competition for the following year’s theme.

3. Take a field trip to Barnes & Noble or any other bookstore and scour the magazine rack for inspiration.

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Grand Prize w 24

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“ you CA N’T TOUCH T HIS” Elizabeth Yee, photographer Lisa Baker, adviser Horizon High School Scottsdale, AZ

2012 Jostens Photo Contest More than 8,000 entries were received in the 2012 Jostens Photo Contest with 89 photos honored as award winners. Thousands of talented student photographers from across the country submitted amazing photography.

Judges for the 2012 Jostens Photo Contest were:
 ike McLean M Freelance Photographer Dallas, TX Sung Park Photojournalism Instructor University of Oregon Eugene, OR KaTrina Wentzel Yearbook Adviser Mounds Park Academy St. Paul, MN In addition to the Grand Prize and First Place winners showcased on these pages, the other winners are displayed at jostensyearbooks.com and in the 2013 Gotcha Covered Look Book.

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First Place w

i

n

n

Academics and Community Service:

Junior High/Middle School:

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r

s

“Melancholy” Angel Rivera, photographer Angela Jeschke, adviser Wiregrass Ranch High School Wesley Chapel, FL

“Mirror, Mirror … Who’s the Fairest of Them All” Celeste Fowler, photographer Bruce Fowler, adviser Ola Middle School McDonough, GA

Graduation:

Athletes in Action:

“Graduation” ChaReese Robinson, photographer P.R. Frank, adviser David H. Ponitz Career Technology Center Dayton, OH

“Grin & Bear It” Carson Kautz, photographer Roger Woo, adviser Tokay High School Lodi, CA

Portrait:

Sports Sidelines and School Spirit:

“Man in the Mirror” Rebecca Borin, photographer Bethany Holt, adviser Minnetonka High School Minnetonka, MN

“Sweet Victory” David Cha, photographer; Amy Huntoon-Perkins, adviser Gilman School Baltimore, MD

Student LIfe/Activities:

Illustration:

“The Things I’ve Learned” Brianna Williams, photographer Kathleen Fleming, adviser Shaker Heights High School Shaker Heights, OH

“American” Sean Elezra, photographer Julie Goldstein, adviser Green Valley High School Henderson, NV

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2012 YearTech Online Design c o n t e s t Judges carefully studied more than a thousand entries in the 2012 Jostens YearTechÂŽ Online Yearbook Design Contest before recognizing 14 middle school and high school students for their creativity.

With an increasing number of staffs creating yearbook pages using Jostens YearTech Online, a contest was launched to recognize outstanding spreads created online. Approximately 1,230 entries competed in the contest’s fourth year.

The winning entries displayed an awareness of accepted design standards while effectively presenting visual and verbal content in a creative, reader-friendly way.

The contest was judged by two high school yearbook advisers and a professional graphic designer:

GRAND PRIZE

BLAISE BOLEMON Madison County High School Danielsville, GA Christine Haggard, adviser

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w i n n e r s John Dalke Jackcando | Design Bozeman, MT Liz Keeling Champlin Park High School Champlin, MN Shannon Sybirski Tesoro High School Las Flores, CA

In addition to the four winning designs displayed here, honorable mention designs can be viewed at jostensyearbooks.com and will be featured in the 2013 Gotcha Covered Look Book.

1ST PLACE

LYNDIE ANDERSON Green Valley High School Henderson, NV Julie Goldstein, adviser

2nd PLACE

ALLY CARLYLE ‘Iolani High School Honolulu, HI Michelle Knoetgen, adviser

3rd PLACE

AMY BELLINGER Lake Dallas High School Corinth, TX Caterina Craig, adviser

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2012 Jostens/Adobe Design c o n t e s t Judges carefully studied the hundreds of entries in the 2012 Yearbook Design Contest before recognizing 18 middle and high school students for their creativity.

The contest, in its eighth year, is jointly sponsored

by Jostens and Adobe. Each participant submitted a complete yearbook spread designed using Adobe InDesign software.

The winning entries displayed an awareness of accepted design standards while effectively presenting visual and verbal content in a creative, reader-friendly way.

The contest was judged by a team of three current high school yearbook advisers:

GRAND PRIZE

REBECCA TIEDMANN Glenbrook South High School Glenview, IL Brenda Field, adviser

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w i n n e r s Lisa Baker Horizon High School Scottsdale, AZ Yvonne Johnson Westwood High School Mesa, AZ Casey Nichols Rocklin High School Rocklin, CA

In addition to the four winning designs displayed here, honorable mention designs can be viewed at jostensyearbooks.com and will be featured in the 2013 Gotcha Covered Look Book.

1ST PLACE

GRACE OXLEY Bryant High School Bryant, AR Margaret Sorrows, adviser

2nd PLACE

DUNCAN SMART St. Mark’s School of Texas Dallas, TX Ray Westbrook, adviser

3rd PLACE

KRISTEN ENYART Shawnee Mission North High School Overland Park, KS Becky Tate, adviser

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One-minute workshops Jostens Creative Accounts Managers share the latest in yearbooking.

Tina

Cleavelin

John

Cutsinger

Shannon

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it created the Yearbook Journalist.

Tell me more …

Take a lesson from Facebook

The most provocative thing that I have said in my 35 years as a yearbook nerd is “a quote is good enough for inclusion in the book only when it is so intimate that it could only be said by one individual.”

Too often, staff members are satisfied with asking one question of one person and using that information in the book regardless of its real value to capturing the spirit of the memory.

However, when yearbook reporters frame their original questions as often as possible with “Tell me about…” and “Describe for me…,” sources are much more likely to tell real stories with details that they just won’t share when asked the basic 5Ws and H. And the best follow-up question is “Tell me more.”

For example: Good: Why do you feel you are an important member of your club?

Best: Tell me about a time when you felt you were of real value to your club. Describe a moment when you felt your contribution to your club was important.

Good: “I feel it is important for me to join others in our club who like to volunteer to make life better for others.”

Best: “When I saw the looks on the faces of those little kids and one gave me a great big hug when we gave them the toys we had collected at the holiday party, I realized that I had made a difference.”

Moral: Don’t settle for just a quote. Give your readers what they deserve: a real story!

Of all the lessons our yearbook staffs could learn from Facebook, the most important lesson is that our friends love stuff that’s centered around them.

For years our yearbook process has been pretty standard. A staff gets together and creates a ladder — one that looks eerily similar to ladders of the past 20 years. Next, the staff designs pages. Staff members are given weeks to spray out over the school to take photos of things and get quotes from people about those events. The staff members return and take the pieces they have and plug them into the design that’s planned. With this we have the “homecoming” spread or the “lunch” spread.

This is event-centered thinking where the activity rather than the people involved is given prominence.

Imagine what a yearbook would look like if your staff interviewed every single person in the school to uncover what they want in their yearbook and, more importantly, how they want to be remembered. Imagine that after interviewing everyone you found that 15 percent of the student body wanted to be remembered for their outside involvement with a church or charity. Why not create a section that is focused solely on telling the story of these students through that topic? Each time a photographer leaves to photograph, they’re going to photograph a student at an event and activity rather than an activity with students. This produces a personality-centered experience, which is much more meaningful to a reader and more enjoyable to cover as a staff.

It’s a proven fact: Improving coverage improves buy rates as well as interest in your yearbook. However, coverage involves much more than including more students in the book; the type of topics generates stronger ties to the book. When it comes to solid coverage of topics students want to read, yearbook journalists must become as curious as a cat.

Curiosity leads to inspiration. Inspiration leads to interesting coverage. We expect yearbook staffs to cover homecoming, dances, friends, clubs and sports. The unexpected topics and events create the “wow” effect students want to read.

Profiles on individuals with unique skills, hobbies and family traditions bring a personalized aspect to the book. Spreads or modules covering “a day in the life of a desk” (Kirkwood High School, MO), bucket lists (Bryant High School, AR) and “guess my ride” (Round Rock High School, TX) provide a surprise for the reader.

It goes without saying that curiosity may not be natural for most staff members.

Consider incorporating proven strategies to ensure success. At an event, give your staff an assignment to find at least one unique topic for consideration in the book.

Another strategy involves each staff member asking 20 individuals a question such as, “What makes you happiest in life?” or “What is the most important thing in your life?” Without a doubt, personalized topics will evolve from this strategy.

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spring 2013

Williams

Jostens Adviser University Join us in Minneapolis for a highly acclaimed professional development workshop exclusively for middle school and high school publication advisers.

WHEN: Friday, July 19 to Monday, July 22, 2013 WHERE: Radisson Blu Mall of America, Minneapolis

In its seventh year, Jostens Adviser University is geared to both beginning and experienced middle school and high school advisers.

And since the focus is on teaching and advising strategies and methodologies, advisers working with any yearbook company will find the curriculum relevant.

• W orkshop faculty features respected experts in scholastic journalism including textbook authors and recipients of the prestigious National Yearbook Adviser of the Year honor from the Journalism Education Association.

• New courses offer fresh choices for experienced advisers.

• A new upscale hotel will host the workshop. The Radisson Blu is connected by skyway to the Mall of America, the largest indoor entertainment and shopping mall in the United States. The heart of downtown Minneapolis is only 35 minutes away using the easy and inexpensive Metro Light Rail.

• W orkshop registration fee ($425 early-bird, $450 standard) covers all sessions, conference materials and six meals.

• Complete information available at jostens.com/jau.

Jostens Yearbook Learn design, photography, copywriting, marketing and the latest technology!

Have fun!

Make 2014’s yearbook the best ever!

WOrkshops Taking your staff to a yearbook workshop is a great way to jump-start your 2014 yearbook. You’ll hear about the latest trends from the experts, learn more about the yearbook creation process and come away with new ideas to make your yearbook better than ever!

Jostens hosts more than 50 yearbook staff workshops across the country each year, including national and regional events.

Find one near you at jostensyearbooks.com.