Category: Yearbook Lessons from an Adviser

Yearbook vs. Newspaper: What’s the Difference?

Yearbook vs. Newspaper:

What’s the Difference?

As a veteran yearbook adviser (this year will be my 15^th book, thank you very much!), I never imagined that I would advise a newspaper program. I always considered my counterparts in the newsroom to be, well, bored. I imagined them spending their planning periods poring over dull copy written by introverted students who lacked the creative spirit of my yearbook stars. How wrong I was.

Two years ago I assumed the role of newspaper adviser at my school. And while some days I can barely come up for air, I realized that I did not really have to change my cap. The fundamentals of journalism – accuracy, newsworthiness, deadlines, objectivity, and fairness are essential for all my students, regardless of which publication they work on. I have witnessed my yearbook students shifting their style to one that is more “newsy”, while my newspaper students explore feature pieces that have typically been the hallmark of yearbooks. I enjoy watching all my students experiment with color, design, and typography to create stunning pages that appeal to all kinds of readers. Yearbook students do more than design and newspaper students do more than write.

There is no question that overseeing both programs poses some challenges. Overlapping students, deadlines, and ideas often mean long hours and the occasional weekend work session. Nevertheless, it can be done. The key is to surround oneself with curious, creative school leaders who have stories to tell.

The process may be different, but the purpose is the same for both publications. All student journalists are engaging, inquisitive, and occasionally controversial. They are not afraid to ask questions and are able to see stories from different angles.

Am I busier than ever – well, yes. But I am growing as a journalism teacher by overseeing both publications. And while my first love was yearbook, I must admit that I have come to love advising the paper, as well. I encourage all yearbook advisers to take a fresh look at newspaper. There’s a lot to learn!

Annette Goldstein
Yearbook Advisor
Coral Springs High School

Summertime And the livin’ is YEARBOOK!

Summertime
And the livin’ is
YEARBOOK!

I am in my fourth decade of advising yearbook. That is not to say that I have completed every year in every decade, but, well, it has been a long run.

Summer is that blessed time when we do not have classes or yearbook deadlines. However, yearbook is still alive and well in the summertime.

You want it to be.

Since you cover the history of your school’s year, summer has to be part of it. Who doesn’t love summer? And a good way for advisers to keep staffers connected is to assign a summer ideas file. To stay on their game, staffers need to find good examples of layout/design, use of color, first person alt copies, headlines, and “got my attentions.” When August rolls around and classes begin, this is the perfect entrée into brainstorming and sharing ideas for the upcoming yearbook. Ideally, many have been to yearbook camp and garnered some fresh ideas, and what I did last year was to write down the best idea and the best story idea from each presentation and put it on a piece of paper and taped it to the yearbook door. It helps us all to remember. We also get to talk about how to make a presentation because, after all, the printed yearbook is the ultimate presentation. We get to talk about details and coverage and ethics and style because until second semester, students are learning these things as they go, especially first-year staffers.

Students will complain that you have “ruined them,” because they can never look at a magazine again without looking for its eyeline, correct captioning, verbal/visual connection, and dominant element. It is the best thing that you can do. Here is the “recipe” for a perfect summer:

Summer Ideas File

Over the summer, look through magazines or any other type of publication and find these ideas that could be applied in the 2014-2015 yearbook. These are all due back the first week of school.

10 Design Elements (ex: drop shadow, white borders, cool paint splatter, etc.)
10 Clever Headlines
5 Full Spread Layouts
5 Graphs or charts
3 People Profiles
1 Interview
1 Question and Answer
Enjoy summering!

Mary Inglis, adviser
Wellington Community High School
Mary.inglis *(at)* palmbeachschools.org

Mary Inglis advises Precedent at Wellington High School where life is always an adventure. She is a native of Palm Beach County where she lives with her husband John and three cats.