journalism class

Yearbook is that class for me at the end
of the day where I can take a deep breath and spend time
being creative alongside my students. We
have a very open environment where we share ideas and issues openly. However, building up this type of environment
does take some time and nurturing. Even
though students take a lead role in this class, it is important to set the stage for a structured class right from the
start. Here are my top 5 ways to kick
off the yearbook class!

#1) Teamwork

The idea of teamwork
cannot be a cliché in a yearbook class if things are going to run smoothly.
While I do typically assign students individual tasks to complete regarding
pages and photography, etc. if we are going to make the most out of everyone’s
talents and time, the staff must learn to lean on one another. By the same token, each staff member must
step up to the plate to be reliable. One
successful teamwork activity I have done is The Marshmallow Challenge. We simply did the challenge as instructed on
the website, and we did have some winners!
More important than winning (Because I gave them all candy anyway!),
though, I had students reflect on their process afterwards. It was crucial that
they talked through the process to determine what worked and what didn’t.

Yearbook Marshmallow Teamwork Challenge

#2) School Spirit

When I first was asked to be the yearbook sponsor, the staff was made up of only seniors and so were the pages of the book. It was my first goal to stress that the book we create is a book for everyone. The yearbook staff’s job is to tell the story of the entire student body, not just the story of a few. We wrote this motto: “Everybody’s Story. Everybody’s Book.” And I held them to it. To ensure we were covering more people, we made lists and checked them off. Staffers worked to attend events they would have never attended before, and we reached out to different friend groups. It took our staff a while to build up trust from the student body after having an exclusive book for so long, but we got there. One activity that I do every year to remind the student body that we care about them is my Yearbook Class Back to School Activity: The World’s Smallest Interview.

Yearbook Back to School Activity

#3) Organization

A little bit of order promotes fairness and reduces anxiety. We already have enough of that, so we don’t want to create more. There are so many moving parts to operating a successful yearbook staff. Without proper organization and a plan in place, things, and people, are forgotten.

To
ensure all ads are evenly distributed and sold and that all pages are assigned
evenly and are being maintained we keep tally in Excel.

Be
sure to keep a printed copy and an electronic copy up-to-date of the ladder! It
is tragic if something happens to the ladder!

I
also publish all due dates at the beginning of the year so staffers can take
ownership in managing their time getting pages complete.

#4) Mini lessons/Lectures

For my yearbook class, students actually get a fine arts credit for taking the class. I submit paperwork to the state each year, and they are approved for FA credit rather than elective credit. Therefore, I have worked the past few years to develop lessons that meet those requirements and improve the quality and content of the book, too. Even before students were getting the fine arts credit, we worked through lessons each day to improve our photograph, design, writing, and more. Recently, our school’s schedule changed to four block periods, and we thankfully have even more time in class! As a result, I wanted to do a little something extra each day with the staff to keep them on their toes. I love these 100 Days of Bell Ringer Yearbook Class Starter Activities for each day!

100 Days of Yearbook Bell Ringers

#5) Gifts and Goodies

Yearbook advisers and veteran staffers know that taking yearbook class is no cakewalk. It is a 9-5 (to give a little Dolly throwback there) commitment. It is a huge responsibility to be on yearbook staff, and I believe my students deserve to know that I value them! When I can, I like to give them some perks! Each year we design a staff shirt that suits their personality and alludes to the theme of our book. We always put our “catchy saying,” book name, and year on the front. On the back they love for the word STAFF to be written across the top! So, I happily oblige them. I even order myself a shirt, too, and we wear them throughout the year. You can usually order custom t-shirts for around $10 each at a local shirt shop!

Change It Up POCOHI Yearbook Staff Shirts

Another thing I like to do for the staff is periodically bring them treats. Sometimes I include a message. Other times I just have chocolate handy! Click the image below to get that cute FREE printable for your staff. For less than $10, you have shown your sweet side!