FO R THE
LOV E
CHRISTINA MURRAY
DESERT MOUNTAIN HS SCOT TSDALE, A Z
A math teacher for 15 years, Murray has taught an array of courses, but it was just four years ago that her schedule first included yearbook alongside her Algebra II Honors and Calculus B/C classes. “I’m still working on it,” she said, “but I definitely understand more each year.”
PHOTO BY PABLO VARGAS
So many factors have eased the transition. Murray credits strong student leadership, lots of help from her rep and having both the former adviser and a knowledgeable bookkeeper on campus for helping her understand the intricacies of her new assignment.
PATRICK SICHER SOUTH DADE HS HOMESTEAD, FL
After a decade of teaching TV production classes, Sicher added other media courses, including yearbook, three years ago. Now the head of a one-man department, he spends his days helping students understand that everyone has a story to uncover.
“I always tell them, don’t just ask questions. The magic happens when they seek answers,” he explained. Both a sports and theater kid as a student, he realizes the importance of including people, being accurate and telling as many stories as possible. As an adviser, he helps his students understand the importance of yearbook and teaches them the skills they need to succeed. “In the process, they find their voices and they achieve things they had no idea were possible,” he said.
According to Sicher, yearbook is important “because it really is the complete story of the school year, no matter if you were in sports or marching band, no matter what classes you took — even including the people you didn’t interact with.” And he underscores that big-picture goal with a reminder for his students: A picture’s worth a thousand words, but a great caption expands it and makes it memorable! >
Plus, she says, having a retention strategy helps a lot. “The staffers can recruit people they can work with and those they know they can rely on.” “I like getting to know the kids,” she said. “I get to work with a broader spectrum of students and I know them in different ways,” she said. “We work through problems in yearbook, just like we do in math classes. Process and logic are important, but sometimes there’s more than one right way in yearbook.” >