I suffered from deadline dread my first year as adviser of The Spinnaker at Laney High School. Despite those early days when pages were turned in the day of shipping for the mad dash to the plant, I have survived and learned from my mistakes. While I still have a lot to learn about yearbook publishing, I have come to understand that deadlines are a necessary evil.
Veteran advisers look back at their first year or two and wish someone had warned them about what can go wrong. Here are some of the more common issues that advisers face, and tips for avoiding or resolving them. We tried to come up with a list of the Top Ten Pitfalls to Avoid, but we can’t count, so here Mike Frazier’s article with help from advisers Renae Goldie, Amy Morgan and Danielle Bradley, and yearbook representative Karen Ray.
The new editor could visualize it: a pink and purple yearbook cover with a castle and the words, “Once Upon a Time….”
Money raised from ad sales at Shaler Area High School, Pittsburgh, Pa., has continued to increase over the years based on the idea that the more motivated salespeople you have, the more money you can raise.
Each year, advisers and staffs work to develop a theme to unify their yearbook and make it a reflection of the school and students during that particular year. This is one of the most daunting tasks of the entire production process. Themes do not magically appear. It takes thought and hard work. And theme development itself has a process.
Well-written job descriptions are like fences providing defined boundaries for what is inside and outside the enclosure. For students, job descriptions define their role on the yearbook staff and help them meet the expectations of their position. But the descriptions also aid advisers, who can use them to develop their staffs and ensure goals are accomplished.
How many students does it take to misplace the stapler in a classroom?
One. Now multiply that by the number of students on your yearbook staff, and keeping your classroom organized will not happen unless you have a plan.
1. Review last year’s expenses to know where money was spent. Expenses include more than the cost of the book. Determine whether there are less expensive ways of acquiring supplies. Are you spending money on motivational items, such as prizes and pizza? These items are important, but examine whether you can do as much or more with less.
The agenda at a summer yearbook workshop usually allows time for fun and games. Playing “beat the clock” with the cover designer, however, should not be one of them.
Successful staffs look at the conclusion of their summer workshop as a beginning, not an end.