I used to have a recurring yearbook nightmare – that when I died, every word in the 35 yearbooks I advised that was not completely accurate would turn red and would expose how much students made up. To avoid that potential embarrassment, I tried to create a culture with my staff that championed the essential importance of having journalistic integrity …
Yearbook staffs work tirelessly to promote yearbooks as something as natural to the American high school experience as the events they record. But for those of multicultural backgrounds, yearbooks may be unfamiliar. Three schools from different communities had one important factor in common: a large demographic whose first language was not English. El Dorado, Santa Maria and Lexington high schools …
It’s a spooky time of year: the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder, and the first big deadline for yearbook staffs has either just passed or is looming. Yearbook is a rewarding endeavor, but sometimes mistakes or oversights can cast a dark shadow on the entire project. These are some of the scariest yearbook mistakes to watch …
Long, lazy days at the pool. Sidewalks so hot you could cook an egg on them. The summer sun blazing down upon your shoulders. BBQs at your best friend’s house. Camping out at the lake. Hot days and starry nights. All things that could describe the dog days of summer. It’s a phrase that can mean many things to many …
As I head into my 23rd year in education – my fifth as middle school yearbook teacher, I feel more confident than ever in my abilities. Of course, being a somewhat obsessive reflective educator, that road of reflection brings me back to those items I feel need improvement. That reflective little devil on my shoulder (Or is it an angel?) …
The book gets done and distributed and it’s instantly time to start thinking about next year. That was fast. It’s time to get the creative juices flowing and start gathering inspiration and contemplate what the story of 2020 at your school will be. Part One – Story Quest What story do you want to tell in 2020? This is where …
Over the last several years, I became known by the title of Ask Mike. This is mainly due to the questions I get when traveling around the country or through my podcast called Ask Mike. Now it’s time to answer some of those questions. D’Angilo in Kansas writes: Hey Mike, when we look at our spreads, we have maybe seven …
Four years ago, the yearbook program at Williamsville North High School in Williamsville, New York, was fine. They weren’t creating award-winning or journalistic yearbooks, but their yearbook club was creating image-based books that the community liked well enough. “It was a big picture book,” said yearbook adviser Erin DeVantier. This is fairly standard in their part of the country; most …
Are your readers actually reading your yearbook? In many cases, the answer is “no,” and with good reason.
Most yearbooks are not written to be read. Yearbook copy tends to be a collection of non-compelling facts put together too lazily and too hastily, without regard for the reader. While that is a harsh indictment, it is often true and it is nothing new.
Hey, you worked hard on the yearbook — wouldn’t it be nice if people read it? Instead of dull and lifeless facts, stories should be a collection of interesting people caught in defining moments — moments that reveal character and personality.
Trying to come up with an interesting idea for a yearbook feature story? Sometimes it can be difficult coming up with a unique angle, but the fact that you’re trying means you’re on the right track! “A yearbook shouldn’t be full of topics,” according to Brady Smekens, former adviser of the Deka yearbook staff at Huntington North High School, Huntington, Indiana. “Rather, it should tell the story of students. In the process, the topics get covered.” The list of story ideas on this page will help editors start brainstorming for coverage unique to their school and the current year.