BACK TO SCHOOL - Lifetouch Yearbooks

INSPIRE
Back to school
WHAT’S INSIDE
Theme extraordinaire
Learn how-to and see great examples of theme
Brainstorming magic
Use the PRED system to make planning work wonders
Time management tools
Create a job jar so no day is an off day
Staff management system
Find a way to go beyond the usual coverage
l i f e t o u c h
Fall 2008
y e a r b o o k
m a g a z i n e
Volume 2, issue 1
The Lifetouch
®
Memory Mission
The Lifetouch Memory
Mission program began in
2000 when a team of employee
volunteers traveled to war-torn
Kosovo, where they helped
rebuild a village and took
portraits of school children and
families.
Since then, Memory Mission
teams of volunteers have
traveled to locations home and
abroad for week-long work
trips and photography sessions.
Destinations have included
Appalachia and storm-ravaged
communities in Wisconsin
and along the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Recently, the team completed a
seventh school in Haiti.
Many children in Haiti
have never had their picture
taken and became enthralled
with the photography process.
When it was time to distribute
their portraits, the children did
not recognize their own faces
smiling through the window of
the portrait package.
For a moment, they stood
completely absorbed with their
image. They were in awe of
their own faces. These portraits
helped define who they are.
The portrait creates a new
relationship with themselves
and their loved ones. And
the Lifetouch volunteers are
reminded again of the power —
and magic — of portraits.
BACK TO
SCHOOL
Editor in chief
JUDY BABB is the Educational and Creative Guru for
Lifetouch Yearbooks. She brings to the table more than 30
years advising college and high-school publications. At every
level, Babb’s programs found success. Her students garnered
top awards in state and national competitions and their books
won Tops in Texas, Pacemaker and Crowns. Book and ad
sales soared. Babb was Texas Journalism Teacher of the Year
and JEA’s Distinguished Yearbook Adviser. She has CSPA’s
Gold Key and NSPA’s Pioneer Awards among others. She is
co-author of a journalism textbook and created The Program
Works, Lifetouch’s innovative yearbook curriculum.
Editorial board
H. L. HALL never expected anything less than the extraordinary, and he encouraged and demanded his staffs to stretch
their minds as they looked for new theme ideas and ways
to make theme copy stand out. H.L. is executive director of
the Tennessee High School Press Association after advising
yearbook and newspaper for 39 years. His last 26 years were
at Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Mo., where his staffs
won every state and national award. He is recipient of the
Dow Jones Newspaper Adviser of the Year Award, JEA’s
Yearbook Adviser of the Year Award, JEA’s Carl Towley Award,
CSPA’s Gold Key Award, JEA’s Teacher Inspiration Award and
NSPA’s Pioneer Award. He is the author of NSPA’s Yearbook
Guidebook and two textbooks.
DEB LEE makes each day a celebration of successes as her
staff focuses on all things yearbook. Lee is a 19-year adviser
at Hudson High School in Hudson, Wis., where she teaches
business and advises the yearbook. Lee has served as
president and vice president of the Chippewa Valley Student
Press Association and makes it her mission to learn about
creating a solid, interesting publication. Lee received CVSPA
Adviser of the Year Award and her staffs have won CSPA Gold
Merit Awards with Columbian Honors and NSPA All- American
Awards with Marks of Distinction.
TERRY NELSON’s staffs know that the same old, same old is
the easiest way to do a spread. They also know that approach
is not acceptable because they value new ideas in their
yearbook and seek unique angles for stories that need to be
covered yearly. At Muncie Central High School (Ind.), Nelson,
a 32-year veteran in journalism education, currently advises
the Munsonian newspaper and the Magician yearbook. Both
have been named NSPA All-Americans and Pacemakers and
CSPA’s Gold and Silver Crown recipients. Nelson was Dow
Jones National Journalism Teacher of the Year and a member
of the USA All-Teacher, First Team in 2000. She has won
CSPA’s Gold Key and NSPA’s Pioneer Award and served on
the boards of JEA, CSPAA and the Student Press Law Center.
John Haley Scott teaches visual media at Thomas
Downey High School (Modesto, Calif.) and graphic design
at Modesto Junior College. He advises the Shield yearbook
and Knights Herald newspaper and co-advises the interactive yearbook at Downey. He is a graduate of the Military
Photojournalism Program at Syracuse University and has
worked or taught in the photojournalism field for 32 years. His
students have won nine NSPA/NPPA Pictures of the Year, two
NSPA/Adobe Design of the Year awards, more than 30 CSPA
Gold Circle awards, the Gold Crown for both newspaper and
yearbook, the Pacemaker for yearbook and the Pacemaker for
interactive yearbook.
HOWARD SPANOGLE, copy editor for Communication: Journalism Education Today, began advising in North Carolina,
then moved to Glenbard East (Lombard, Ill.) and Highland
Park (Dallas, Texas). In addition to awards for him and his
students, his book credentials include Teenagers Themselves
Trilogy, three student-written books for a New York publisher.
He is an experienced judge, program coordinator and editor,
including Lifetouch journalism textbooks.
Bernadette Tucker is a master at using teamwork to get
the best out of the people in her program. Using the innovative PRED program, she teaches teams of people to stretch
their minds and their coverage concepts. She has advised
Pacemaker and Best of Show newsmagazines at two California schools. Now at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert
Park, Calif., she coaches both yearbook and newspaper.
THEME, COVERAGE, WAYS TO MAKE DEADLINES
By Judy Babb
There’s something wonderful about the start of a new year. Grade books are pristine. Students are dressed
in the latest fashions and are excited about having new supplies and discovering they have classes with
friends. Yearbook staff members have returned from summer workshops. They may have come back with
a cover design and with a theme — and be ready to go. Your adviser finesse, however, will help editors
evaluate whether the idea fits the year on the book spine.
McKinney High School’s (McKinney, Texas) Lori Oglesbee encourages staffs to use a theme that
matches their year and that is fully developed. She introduces three top yearbook staffs that developed
noteworthy themes in 2007 and explains how each achieved success. These examples of well-done themes let
you see that there is no such thing as cookie-cutter theme development.
H. L. Hall (Nashville, Tenn.) encourages good writing, specifically good theme writing. He shares how
his staffs developed themes reflecting specific events that happened. But it was how each staff developed the
theme that gave the ideas distinctive personalities. Hall shows that no staff needs to get bogged down in the
that’s-the-way-we’ve-always-done-it syndrome.
As you start the year, getting organized and keeping everyone on task becomes an issue. The editors may
have plenty to do as they plan the book, but those new staffers, the ones who are deer in the headlights, do not
have enough knowledge to work on their own. Terry Nelson (Muncie Central High School, Muncie, Ind.)
details ways to keep the staff completing supplementary projects throughout the year. Check out her Job Jar,
and see how it can help your staff.
Rancho Cotate adviser Bernadette Tucker (Rancho Cotate High School, Rohnert Park, Calif.,) explains
the PRED system and how it works for many staffs. The idea of Photographer, Reporter, Editor and Designer
working as a team to make important decisions about the spread — from story angle to headline writing, from
photography to sidebar and more — keeps staffs organized and doing their best work. Tucker believes in the
PRED system, but she realizes that all staffs are not big enough to have four people assigned to every spread.
See how she makes it work for smaller staffs.
Now that the idea of teamwork is in place, we turn our focus to coverage. Nelson suggests a way to think
of the year in terms of what happens when. She showcases schools that creatively look at subjects covered
in their yearbooks, whether the books suggest approaches never thought of before or whether they provide a
unique way to look at the every-year coverage. LT
c
o
n
Fit the facts: Theme development
needs to be a reality check
Lori Oglesbee
4
Package the year: Use a theme
that matches trends and events
H. L. Hall
12
job jar: There’s no such thing
as a day off in yearbook
Terry Nelson
20
t
e
n
t
s
teamwork: Prethink assignments
with the PRED approach
Bernadette Tucker
22
from first to last: Keeping time
by the year
Terry Nelson
25
Inspire magazine is a production of Lifetouch National School Studios Inc.
11000 Viking Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
yearbooks.lifetouch.com
© 2008 Lifetouch National School Studios Inc. All rights reserved.
Fall 2008
Inspire 3
FIT THE FACTS
theme development needs to be a reality check
Theme development
requires clever thought.
Brainstorm to uncover
phrases that suggest the
same idea as the theme, and
use those to name sidebars.
Where does theme go?
Cover
Endsheets
Title page/Final page
Opening/Closing
By Lori OGlesbee
Ask the students at your school if they know what last year’s yearbook
theme was. If three out of four cannot tell you, it was not a theme that had
meaning to them.
It is a hard, cold reality to face, but it is a reality yearbook staffs should
check. My staff asked this question three years ago and was shocked to find
that the few who could remember had no idea why we had chosen our theme.
We needed to find out where we went wrong.
The year and its events must drive the theme. The theme should not
determine what and how something is covered. For example, if you pick “The
Best Year Ever” as a theme, the facts have to fit the theme. That theme would
never work if the school received failing scores on the state test, the senior
class president resigned after attending a party busted by the police and the
plumbing at the school created horrible odors in the halls.
Maybe at that point, the theme should be “Deal with it.” But editors who
have been to a summer workshop and planned thematic layouts tend to be
reluctant to change. Instead, staffs will try to force the idea that “even with all
these problems we somehow managed to have the best year ever.” Test your
theme with photographs. Can you think of 10 solid unposed photographs
that illustrate your theme? Each has to reflect activities that naturally occurr
during the year.
For years, section-name spin-offs were considered theme development.
It just does not do it for me. I believe that all we did was confuse the reader.
Seriously, ask anybody at your school if they can remember what the sports
section of the yearbook was called last year. I do not think anyone has ever
said anything more than “Where’s the sports section?” If the reader is looking
for sports, then it ought to be called sports. So if you really want to use some
sort of spin-off, at least list the label heading of the section as part of the title
design.
Theme development requires clever thought. Brainstorm to uncover
phrases that suggest the same idea as the theme, and use those to name
sidebars. Brainstorm to discover words that summarize the theme, and use
those in theme copy. Make long lists for both. If no one can add to the list
easily, it may be another whack on the head that reveals that this is not the
best theme.
My least favorite themes incorporate movie titles and spotlights. OK, so
if you did one, you are not my least favorite, but really, it is so overdone. Is
Hollywood camped out at your door filming one movie after another at your
school? If so, you deserve a movie theme. But if you are going to make every
headline for each spread the name of some movie, there is really no point in
trying to be clever. It is so obvious. Go for deep and clever rather than trite
and overdone.
Dividers
Sidebars
Brainstorm to discover words that
amplify the theme, and use those in
theme copy.
4 Lifetouch
Fall 2008
Fit the Facts
Then there are the puzzle pieces. All I have to say about that is, ask 25
teenagers the last time they did a jigsaw puzzle without a senior citizen in the
room. OK, I have and I’m even working on one now, but I am not a teenager
or a senior citizen either. My point is clear: Few young people love doing
them. So why are we still doing jigsaw puzzle pieces in 2008?
A good rule of thumb: If the theme suggestion is “cute” or “obvious,”
keep trying.
When you nail the theme, there is no better feeling than when it is a natural
fit. In 2003, we had a theme so popular that the school board president read
the opening copy at graduation and
the basketball team has the phrase on
its T-shirts this year.
We had opened another high
school in our district. They had the
same name as ours (so brilliant), but
with North added. Suddenly people
assumed we were South. Wrong. We
kept saying it is not McKinney South. It is the original. The Original. And it
stuck. Even one of our run-through signs at a football game this year included
this phrase — five years later.
But when we used the theme (t)here, we couldn’t find one person,
including on staff, who understood it. As far as they were concerned, we
probably should not even have had a theme. We thought it was clever — it is
simply “there” until you are “here.” Forget it. Too deep.
Somewhere between the obvious and the not so obvious lies the perfect
theme.
And that brings about another solution I hear: Dump the theme. However,
that simplistic suggestion is not a solution. Themes give books personality
and provide creative coverage opportunities.
Somehow, the theme should be evident on every page of the book. That
goal is easy to achieve on theme pages, but the key to a meaningful theme is
developing sidebars (secondary coverage) that reinforce the theme. Nothing
is forced, simply enhanced.
It is difficult to tell a staff that a theme is not working because the theme
decision is so personal. But think about the challenge this way. A calculus
teacher can tell a student an answer is wrong, and the student won’t say, “We
don’t care. That’s what we like.” Nope, because that student probably wants
an A in calculus. But in the yearbook world, staff members think they know
how to do a theme because they have seen one.
Successful staffs keep brainstorming for a better angle. The three
yearbooks featured on the following pages showcase cleverly developed
2007 themes. All three have their own personalities. All three have developed
themes beyond the obvious but avoided the obscure. None used a movie title
or a puzzle piece, and all three books were well-received by their readers.
So what is the solution? Work on themes with an open mind. Brainstorm
for unlimited possibilities. Pick them apart. If the theme survives, then go for
it. If not, start over. You may even want to look at the three examples again.
Examine why they work.
Then, a year after you treat the school community to a stellar theme, you
should have the courage to ask, “Can
you tell me what last year’s yearbook
theme was?” Sustain your courage as
you listen attentively to the responses of
diverse readers. LT
Somewhere between the obvious
and the not so obvious lies the
perfect theme.
Lori Oglesbee, yearbook adviser at
McKinney (Texas) High School, has
advised high-school publications in three states for 25 years. JEA
named her a distinguished adviser in the 2004 National Yearbook
Adviser of the Year competition and she was named the Texas
Journalism Teacher of the Year in 2005. ILPC awarded her its Edith
Fox King Award for contributions to scholastic journalism in Texas. She
wrote the yearbook curriculum for the Texas Association of Journalism
Educators. Currently, she is the curriculum and development chair
for JEA and is the past chair of the Southern Interscholastic Press
Association. In 1998 she received SIPI’s Distinguished Service
Award. Her yearbook and newspaper staffs have won Gold Crowns,
Pacemakers, Best of Show, All Southern, Gold Star and numerous
other state, regional and national awards. Her students have also
won five UIL state championships in journalism events. During the
summer she specializes in design trends and feature writing while
teaching workshops from coast to coast.
Encourage your
students to find a
strong theme by
showcasing examples
of theme development
as illustrated on
pages 6-11.
Fit the Facts
Fall 2008
Inspire 5
BEST PRACTICES
FOR THEME DEVELOPMENT
Shawnee Mission North High School
Overland Park, Kansas
Indian 2007
Adviser: Becky Tate
Editor: Sammi Schussele
Theme: said & done
The theme, by its phrase, immediately conveys a few
hints about theme development: quotes, lowercase
letters and the use of the ampersand. It introduces
elements of design that are used throughout the
book. For example, this staff chose to use lowercase
letters and carry that typography throughout
the book. Also, the ampersand makes a visual
association each time it appears.
Cover
School colors are always popular with students.
The phrase is written in a font that will be used for
all theme phrases. The outline treatment for the
letters gives a variation without changing the font.
The phrase cleverly starts on the front and wraps
around across the pages instead of the spine. Most
staffs would have started the phrase on the back and
wrapped across the spine to the front. Instead, this
Kansas staff begins at the start and finishes at the
back.
Endsheets
The theme phrase appears again in the theme font.
Section titles are featured in an outline font. Sections
are not named with spin-off phrases. Instead of the
duotone on the cover, a strip of color photos is used
across the bottom. A screened spirit photo, similar to
the one on the cover, and an all-color photo strip are
used on the back endsheet.
By Lori oglesbee
6 Lifetouch
Fall 2008
Best Practices for Theme Development
Closing
Opening
Title page/Final page
Strong photography dominates the design and
reinforces the idea of what was “said & done”
throughout the year. The theme phrase is also the
last word of the theme copy of the final page. The
pages incorporate design basics: impact photos
and similar elements that relate the first and the
last page. Photos, which have vivid colors and
sharp focus, capture great moments.
Dividers
Headlines for the dividers are in the theme font. The photo
strip is placed either at the top or at the bottom. The copy
includes a specific story of words said and actions done in
one moment. The result shows that focusing on one person
rather than trying to involve too many people can produce
a great story.
Opening/Closing
The opening and closing spreads use parallel structure. The
opening list is general and focuses on “said.” The closing is
specific and focuses on “done.” The photo strip introduced
on the endsheet moves to the top, bottom and down the
side. Outstanding unposed photography makes the pages
memorable. Cutout objects are introduced.
Best Practices for Theme Development
Fall 2008
Inspire 7
BEST PRACTICES
FOR THEME DEVELOPMENT
Pleasant Grove High School
Texarkana, Texas
The 2007 Hawk
Adviser: Charla Harris
Editors: Marissa Harding,
Meredith Melton
Theme: you me US
The all-caps US signals that it is the most important word/part of
this theme. Three words are used — that means that readers can
expect groups of three. And this staff does not disappoint.
Cover
The design of the theme phrase sets up a tripod design element
that will be used throughout the book. A second element is the
combination of lowercase and uppercase words. A set of thin lines
highlights theme words and will appear again. Contemporary
colors with a planned color palette make the book look like 2007.
Building on the cover, the staff has a set of colors to use, a type
treatment, a set of lines and a concept with you/me/US to tie the
book together.
Endsheets
A large photo with selective coloring illustrates the idea of you/
me/US. The black-and-white background makes the people in
color pop. The theme copy begins on the front endsheet and
divides itself into the three divisions: you, me and US. The back
endsheet mirrors the design and features all people in black and
white, helping readers understand that US is the most important
part of attending PGHS.
By Lori oglesbee
8 Lifetouch
Fall 2008
Best Practices for Theme Development
Title page
Three photos are used, and the
dominant photo is super for
the theme. A spotlight is on the
group for “US.” Lines repeat for
the essential information as well
as for the caption design.
Opening/Closing
Copy cleverly labels each section as you, me or US. A
color from the cover is used as the spot color. The design
also features clusters of three photos and thin lines. All
elements of the theme introduced on the cover carry over
to these pages to make a strong statement.
Dividers
Copy treatment from the opening copy
repeats with a you section, a me section
and an US section. Caption design
repeats from the opening section.
Lines are used to start the copy and to
separate the secondary head. Repetition
of these elements establishes the
personality of the book.
Specialty section
The first section of the book
highlights different people with
personality profiles identified
as either you/me/US. The
approach involves more people
in the book and provides a way
to cover non-traditional topics.
The headlines make use of
lowercase and uppercase words.
Best Practices for Theme Development
Fall 2008
Inspire 9
BEST PRACTICES
FOR THEME DEVELOPMENT
Del Campo High School
Fair Oaks, California
2007 Decamhian
Adviser: Jim Jordan
Editor: Rebecca Shragge
Theme: Visual use of questions and arrowheads
The copy in the book poses many questions and then
sets out to answer them.
Cover
Contemporary colors, outlined in white introduce
a design concept for the book and set the color
palette. Because the only concept hint is the >
(arrowhead) before the name of the book, the cover
leaves readers with a few questions.
Endsheets
Then boom — questions begin right away.
Except now the staff is asking readers a myriad of
questions from “when did it happen?” to “where
were you?” Colors from the cover are repeated
and become the color for the sections. The table
of contents continues the use of the arrowheads.
The back endsheet answers the question for a
specific individual at a specific time. The product is
a tight package.
By Lori oglesbee
10 Lifetouch
Fall 2008
Best Practices for Theme Development
Title page/Final page
Stunning photography sits
atop the pattern, and colors
from the cover appear. The
key is using a great photo. It
would never work with a weak,
washed out photo.
Dividers
The headline and secondary headlines, both
in theme fonts, are questions. The copy then
answers the headline question with long
quotes from students. The planned approach
allows students in the school to answer the
questions rather than the yearbook staff answering all the questions for the school. The
section color is woven into the photo and is
used in the headline and subhead text.
Opening/Closing
The first spread of the opening and the last spread of the
closing feature two-page photos. A caption is printed
on the photo, highlighted with an arrowhead. The other
spreads in the opening and closing include photos
overlaid with the theme color pattern. The arrowhead
also includes the cover pattern. The opening theme
story poses questions with the question words in the
corresponding section color. The closing tells readers that
answers to the questions are many and that the answers
are up to the individual.
Best Practices for Theme Development
Fall 2008
Inspire 11
PACKAGE THE YEAR
WITH A THEME THAT MATCHES TRENDS AND EVENTS
By H. L. Hall
The closing theme copy featured to
the right appeared in the 1986 Pioneer at
Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Mo.
To make the book a culmination for seniors,
s
a
d
n
it was a tradition to
ed, a
h
s
i
include the current
n
is fi
r
a
e
theme and the previous
, 3.
The y n see
2
,
1
three themes of the
as
a
book in the closing
one c ’t as easy to $43 a
n
s
e
s
a
copy. The 1986 theme
o
It w ickets r
was “It’s Not as Easy as
t
t
a
Prom
r
e
1, 2, 3.” The previous
dinn
,
r
d
i
e
a
three themes were “A
d
p
inclu air.
.
h
k
c
Common Ground,”
r
i
ma
Wh
aff
s
t
l
i
a
t
t
“The Word Was
f
m
a
r
le
the fo ss of ’86 diplomas
Out” and “What’s
d
la
e
c
v
i
e
Next?”
e
h
T
s rec
r
e
b
Each
year,
a
Mem y Park.
n
o
t
staff
members
n
me
Quee iors had
brainstormed
n
.
e
d
s
n
d
to create the
e
u
Th
Gro t Next an
n
o
theme, which
Comm sked Wha
had to be
a
in
a
l
p
based
on
They around.
s
t wa
i
d
,
t
e
something
that was happening
k
u
loo
Is O
d
r
at
Kirkwood
High.
o
.
2, 3
,
The W
1
The
staff
chose
“A Common
s
sy a
e
a
e
e
s
s
Ground”
to
reflect
the
district’s
o
t
n’t a
s
a
w
decision
to
create
the
Commons
Area
for
Life
y
p
o
students
to
hang
out.
Theme
copy
included
ng c
specific information about the cost and the
closi
6
8
9
1
e
construction of the area, and quotes from
Th
students and parents who were involved
with the creation.
In addition, the staff
found other “common”
experiences.
They
included
“common
sense” as eight students
became National Merit
Finalists,
“common
goals” as fans, sitting
in pouring rain, cheered
the undefeated football
team on to a top ranking
in the area, “common
acts” as the Girls’ Pep
Club sponsored a blood
drive and “common
names” as two sports
players gained national
recognition.
12 Lifetouch
Fall 2008
After creating “A Common Ground,”
the next year’s staff realized “The Word
Was Out.” It “was out” because the
principal had to announce the time over
the intercom every hour for the first
two months of school
because the main clock
had broken. The “word
was also out” that the
school day began 10
minutes earlier than in
previous years, and the
“word was out” that
89 transfer students
from St. Louis Public
Schools were attending
KHS for the first time
under the St. Louis
City/County Voluntary
Desegregation Plan.
By the next year,
there were so many
changes taking place at
Kirkwood that students
were asking “What
Next?”
The staff wrote the copy in that book
as a parody on Prince’s song “Let’s Go
Crazy.” In his written lyrics, Prince used
numbers for the words “for” and “to.”
He also used “u” for the word “you” and
“r” for the word “are,” and he spelled
“through” as “thru.” He also did not use
punctuation.
The opening copy is in the pull-out box
on page 13.
The staff continued
to talk about other
new
improvements,
including a training
room, a new gym floor,
a new typing room on
the first floor, a new
writing center, a Magnet
Journalism program, a
new Swing Choir and
a new Debate Team.
There were literally
so many changes at
KHS that students were
asking, “What Next?”
The “What Next?”
question
actually
Package the Year
suggests how to develop themes effectively.
their voice in determining the theme. And the result is more satisfying
Dear
Careful planning. Thorough reporting. Working
for everyone.
ly bel
and brainstorming. And, most of all, the
One year at KHS, the staff created a new theme
ov
We r
gathe ed
flexibility to improve and enhance the idea.
in the fall because unexpected changes
red h
2 get
What sounds terrific in the spring may sound
had happened during the
ere
th
flat by fall. To excel, yearbook editors and
summer. That is
electr ru this thi today
ng ca
ic wo
others on the staff must not limit themselves.
why the staff chose
lled h
rds h
they m
i
i
g
They may discover that what’s next is
“In
For A Little
g
h
e
h sch
But I an 4 year school
o
o
a new theme as imagination leads to a
Shock”
as a theme.
l
’m he
s and
r
better approach — or at least a refined
Students
were in
t
e
there
hat’s
’s som 2 tell u
a mig
approach.
for a little shock when
e
hty lo
a pla
Four consecutive themes do not
they picked up their
ce wh thing new
ng tim
e
…as
e
u can
re on
materialize overnight. In fact, students
schedules at registration,
en
ly
a
must start working on theme packages
but there were no classes
day o lways find seniors a ior lot
nd fa
r nigh
a spa
in the spring of the previous year. On
on
them.
culty
t
ce
so w
a staff with 28 students they should
They
were in for a
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he
an pa
rk
office n u call
work in seven teams of four each
little shock when they
up th
spring to create a theme package
discovered the price of lunch
at pr
u kno
incip
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for the next year.
had
increased dramatically.
al in
one
Mr. M
The early start permits them to
They
were in for a little
the m
c
ain
use journalism skills to produce
shock when they learned the
instea Callie on
th
d of a
a book with a stellar theme. The
school bookstore would not be
sking e intercom
cost
process is simple, but the staff
open for them to purchase paper
him h
ow m
ask h
must be industrious.
and other supplies.
uch p
im wh
a
Before beginning work,
They were in for a little shock
rking
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r cou
sticke
‘cuz
students talk to teachers,
when
they learned the reseeding
nselo
rs
in thi
r
coaches, administrators and
of
the
playing fields meant that
ss
is
requi chool the
district personnel about
first quarter physical education
re
re are
anything they are aware
classes would take place indoors.
some
in thi ments
s sch
n
of that would be new for
They
were in for a little shock to see
ew gr
ool y
and i
a
d
the coming year. Themes
a
new
sidewalk led straight to a brick
o
u
u’l
ation
fa
must somehow relate to
wall. Construction workers had poured
ask w ll these ch l need 22
c
hat n
ange
each individual school
the sidewalk with plans to put a new
ext
s brin redits
and l
g you
ook a
— not be a generic
door on the building, but they discovered
round
down
phrase that easily fits
the wall contained a supporting beam so
.
any school. That does The
they could not install the door.
1985
not mean another
Even though the Pioneer staffs often
open
ing c
school could not use
used
a phrase for a theme, that certainly is
opy
“A Common Ground,” but
not necessary. The key to any successful
for another school the staff would derive
theme is copy that shows why the
another meaning that fits the events and decisions
theme fits the school. The way
happening there.
it is used is more important than
In fact, a school in Indiana used the same theme but
the theme itself.
approached it in a totally different manner. The meaning?
It takes time to develop a theme
The emphasis on the individual school is essential for every
that fits the individual school. Any
theme.
school could have used the themes
After creating a theme package (cover, endsheets, title
from the yearbooks mentioned
page, opening, dividers and closing), each team presents
above. The key is to avoid generalities
their proposals to the entire staff. The staff then selects
in theme copy. Stick to specifics.
the three themes it thinks would work best. Additional
As long as the staff shows how the
refinement happens when editors take the three top
theme package relates to the school, they
themes to summer workshops and further develop them
will have a winner for readers. The goal
as they participate in courses.
is not to editorialize in copy. Avoid trying
Sometimes the staff returns hyped about one of
to prove to the world that the school is the
those three themes. Other times they generate a new
best ever or the worst ever. Let facts speak
theme at a summer workshop. And occasionally the
for themselves. When theme copy does that,
staff determines that they need to come up with a totally new
readers will receive the history they deserve. LT
theme after school starts.
Each fall the new staff evaluates the theme choices that still remain
as viable options. The plan gives new staff members a chance to add
Package the Year
Fall 2008
Inspire 13
CHECK OUT
THESE THEMES . . .
Rancho Cotate High School
Rohnert Park, California
2008 Icon
Adviser: Bernadette Tucker
Editor: Melissa Lepiane
Theme: Home+Away
Connecting Home and Away with the plus sign
was inspired by Rancho’s biggest story of the year,
the construction of a new stadium. The building
project meant that all home games would be away.
Throughout the book, the staff tells stories of how
students felt at home even when they were away. The
theme story wraps up with a reversal of the theme
phrase, becoming A Way Home.
Cover
The cover is microsuede, chosen because it is soft
and comforting. A spot varnish highlights the two
lines that connect to make the plus sign. The four
boxes on the cover establish the section colors and
the conceptual use of four — four quotes, four boxes
and the use of four-letter words for each section. For
example, sports uses PAIN+GAIN.
Endsheets
The endsheets have an open and clean design like
the rest of the book. The two intersecting lines are
repeated from the cover, but this time, the four boxes
are rectangular. The rectangle shapes provide a peek
into the dominant photo the reader will see on each
of the dividers. The words read “Home + Away.”
The closing endsheet repeats the rectangles, but
each is filled with a section color. This time the words
home and away have been switched and “AWAY”
becomes two words. The plus sign is removed, and
the words now read “A Way Home,” signifying the
journey that the students made this year, finding
a home for themselves, as well as signifying that
Cougar Stadium has been completed, and the
yearbook is finished as well.
For more yearbook coverage ideas, visit yearbooks.
lifetouch.com, click on the Idea Center tab and click
on Sample Pages.
14 Lifetouch
Fall 2008
Rancho Cotate High School
Title page/Final page
The title page’s rectangular photos show the events at the
beginning of the year most affected by the construction. Rancho
had its first homecoming day street parade rather than the
traditional parade around the football field. The staff focused on a
senior football player who never got to play on the new field and
the head construction foreman whose son was a senior football
player as well. They continued the graphics — lines and boxes that
were established on the cover and endsheets.
Opening/Closing
While the impetus
for the theme is the
new football stadium,
personal stories show
how students made a
home for themselves.
The stories range from a
person who considered
himself at home behind
the wheel of his car to
to a freshman girl who
had to change families
multiple times because
she was a foster child.
The closing tells the
story of a girl who had
to choose a home
between her divorced
parents and of a boy
who moved from China
who battles language
barriers and makes a
home in a completely
different culture.
Dividers
The dividers are a pinwheel of the original four-box idea. In the student life section, the section’s blue color is pulled
out and enlarged, and the photo that the reader gets a glimpse of on the front endsheet is now shown in its entirety.
As the sections change, the colors change. The clubs and academics section (brown), reveals the photo from the
endsheet. The pattern continues for the last two sections, sports (red) and reference (green).
To continue with the idea of opposing words, each section accents two words. Student life — “WORK+PLAY,” Clubs
and Academics — “GIVE+TAKE,” Sports — “PAIN+GAIN,” Reference —“SEEK+FIND.”
Rancho Cotate High School
Fall 2008
Inspire 15
CHECK OUT
THESE THEMES . . .
Hudson High School
Hudson, Wisconsin
The 2008 True Blue Annual
Advisers: Debbie Lee, Stephen Kennedy
Editorial board: Brandon Meyer, Sarah
Branson, Emily Rose, Michelle Ruppert
Theme: Epoch
The staff chose the theme because it captures the
way students’ experiences in high school forge
their developing personalities. Epoch strikes a
philosophical concept, and the staff explores its
definition — a period of time considered in terms of
noteworthy events, developments and persons — and
hits upon the three-part concept of Spirit-Mind-Body.
Cover
After producing a 2007 book that the staff calls
incredibly diverse, they went back to a clean, almost
minimalist design featuring large photos, short copy
and repeating graphical elements. The overall feel of
the book springs from the cover mockup. Editors use
only two fonts for the entire book (with the exception
of the ads): Times New Roman and Century Gothic.
The two classic fonts offer typographical continuity,
further unifying the book.
Front endsheet
The staff used the front endsheet to introduce the
meaning of the theme. It continues the use of white
space and parentheses. In addition, dots and circles
become more evident as part of the theme design.
By using the dictionary definition, the staff makes
it easy for readers to realize that the book intends
to cover their epoch and to emphasize the people
in their school as they create the epoch. The back
endsheet is blank.
Spirit, Mind, Body
The staff emphasizes the three-part concept
to represent the way people are changed and
influenced. Once the staff had the structure in
place, the traditional sections were placed in the
theme structure. Student life and sports went into
Spirit. Academics and organizations went into Mind.
People, ads and index went into Body. This concept
was introduced on a spread that also served as a
contents listing.
For more yearbook coverage ideas, visit yearbooks.
lifetouch.com, click on the Idea Center tab and click
on Sample Pages.
16 Lifetouch
Fall 2008
Hudson High School
Title page
The purple, blue and gold
circles hint about what’s to
come. Each circle represents
the color for the book
divisions: Spirit, Mind and
Body. The design further
emphasizes the use of the
circle or dot as part of the
design. The parenthesis
continues as well.
Special feature
A much beloved hall monitor is featured in the
book as an epic. Sandwiched between the Spirit
and Body divisions, the reader gets to know Bill and
follow his daily wanderings and contacts with the
students of Hudson High School.
Opening/Closing
A single parenthesis opens and closes the book. Copy proclaims
that students are the generation of Internet, iPods, texting, YouTube and reality TV. The closing says that it is the students’ spirit
that connects them and their minds that keep them true. They
are a body born into an epoch that distinguishes them and that
they influence as well.
Dividers
Three dividers — Spirit,
Mind, Body — carry the
theme forward in copy that
evokes epoch. Traditional
dividers (student life, sports,
academics and organizations,
people and ads and index)
appear within the major
divisions, and each section
divider acts as a table of
contents.
Hudson High School
Fall 2008
Inspire 17
CHECK OUT
THESE THEMES . . .
Independence High School
Charlotte, North Carolina
2008 Spirit
Adviser: Mary Norris
Editor: Davonte McKenith
Theme
The revelation and the inspiration of the theme,
beyond definition, represent the staff’s desire to
provide a theme that relates directly to the students.
The staff wanted to make sure students could
connect with the book in other ways than simply
a school memory. Editors wanted to show that
students are unique, one of a kind. The reality of the
connection between the theme and the students
is easily noticeable. From the personalities, styles,
traditions and the students’ ways of living, the theme
speaks for itself: Our school is a learning community
that is simply beyond definition.
Cover
The Spirit strives for simplicity, which had been a
point of complaint in other years. The four-color
litho-matte design marries various and random words
in its background with the theme logo and statement
in emphasis. The separation of the word “definition”
into syllables introduces the concept of the theme
and establishes the “dictionary” look. The words
displayed in the background emphasize the “beyond
definition” title. They come from a list of “commonly
misspelled words.” However, seeing that they are
spelled correctly on the book itself infers that the
school is one that is high in academic excellence and,
more literally, “beyond definition” in scholarship.
Endsheets
The endsheets have an open and clean design like
the rest of the book. They include a 2-by-2 square
shape with two different grayscales. In the lower
left, there is an “I” to represent the school, and the
theme slogan is included. The school name is broken
into syllables and defined as the school year. The
school colors and the colors from the cover maintain
a unifying look.
Title Page
The title page uses the same 2-by-2
square formation used on the endsheets,
and the theme is displayed in syllable
format. Lines used on the endsheets
are also carried over to the title page. It
includes a photographic view of a locker
and hallway (academics), a prom candid
(student life), a sports candid (sports) and
a group of students outside the building
(people). Although not all sections of
the book are featured on the title page,
the staff decided to highlight prominent
examples to gain and keep student
interest.
For more yearbook coverage ideas, visit yearbooks.
lifetouch.com, click on the Idea Center tab and click
on Sample Pages.
18 Lifetouch
Fall 2008
Independence High School
Opening/Closing
The first spread of the book includes the contents and
an opening letter from the editor. Following the table
of contents is the opening letter, which tells the story
behind the theme. The goal of the letter is to make
sure the theme is simply defined before the students
start to explore the book. The staff agreed that for the
book to be successful, something had to be stated:
“The theme was merely to be one the students could
connect to and endure; one that the students could
honestly and actually relate to.”
Sections/Dividers
Dividers include
photos that emphasize
the section itself. The
staff placed photos
into a conjoining gridlike pattern to show
different aspects of
the section as though
they were portraying
different ways of
saying a word from
the dictionary. The
same pattern is used
on all divider pages,
and the title of each
section is repeated
in different shades
of colors in different
locations within a
defined area. The
design emphasizes
the theme by inferring
that some words
might have numerous
definitions. In sports,
the staff added a page
of sports candids with
high energy words
divided by syllable.
Section design
These two sports spreads — covering a varsity sport and two undergrad sports —
leave neither feeling that their coverage was slighted. Dynamic layout utilizes strong
dominant photos. The continued emphasis on parts of speech and strong visual-verbal
lines connect the spreads beautifully.
Independence High School
Fall 2008
Inspire 19
JOB JAR
there’s no such thing as a DAY OFF in yearbook
BY TERRY NELSON
You know those days, when
the girls are sitting around
braiding the boy staffer’s hair;
when someone else is doing his
homework because her spreads
are finished; the people editor
is checking school lunch menus
online; the youngest members of
the staff are sitting like deer in
headlights — not quite sure what
they are supposed to be doing
today in yearbook class.
One suggestion to nudge
these non-productive, uncreative
staff members is to create a Job
Jar that contains all sorts of
tasks that will ultimately benefit
the staff and the publication. In
addition, the Job Jar will teach
the staff members that there is
always something to do every
day if they are part of a superior
yearbook staff.
THE FIRST STEP:
Locate a big jar with a wide mouth. Your
lunchroom is a great place to start. A first assignment
may be to have a student decorate the jar with art
and headlines from your publications. Fill it with
suggestions such as the ones that follow. Adapt the
ideas to your needs. Add additional ideas. As staff
members enter the room, instruct them to close their
eyes and reach deep for a task related to yearbook.
1 PUBLICATION LIBRARY
Collect past yearbooks into an organized locked
cabinet or location. Collect and keep school
newspapers from the past two or three years.
Students can use these to learn the background of
an event or organization. Emphasize the importance
of research before writing interview questions.
Devise a checkout system so the papers or
yearbooks do not get lost.
STUDENT
LIST
2
Ask the guidance office for an alphabetized list of
all students, and their grade levels and classrooms.
The list can serve several purposes. First, students
can check the official spelling of each student’s
name and grade level. The list can also be marked
for every photograph or quotation used so staff
members can see at a glance which students have
not been photographed or quoted. Yearbook staffers
can also seek out a freshman or other class member
to quote or photograph to provide variety on each
spread.
3 FACULTY LIST
Ask the main office for
a list of all teachers,
staff members and
administrators, with
their appropriate
titles,
including
the classes they
teach. The list
can be used as an
accuracy checklist.
People editors will
need it in the future
when finishing the
Faculty section. The list
will also help reporters
find appropriate teachers,
by subjects they teach,
to interview for the
Academics section.
4
SPORTS
CONTACTS
Recognizing that many
coaches are not fulltime teachers, compile
a list of all coaches —
varsity, junior varsity,
freshman head coaches
and assistant coaches
— with their contact
information. Include
first and last names,
Kelsey Bosman picks
an assignment from
the Job Jar.
Photo illustration by
Tony Pasquale
Hudson High School,
Hudson, Wisconsin
titles, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and
times when it is best to call. The research
will be an invaluable tool for sports reporters
and editors, especially when checking details
preceding deadlines.
5 CAPTION FORM
Create a three-sentence caption sheet.
As staffers use the form, the system will
ensure story-telling captions use accurate
information that includes a direct quote.
Also, let the individual know he or she will
be in the yearbook — information that should
increase yearbook sales for the year.
6 PROCESS FORMS
Create and update forms:
• Camera Check-out Sheet
• Photo Assignment Sheet
• Yearbook Pass
• Out-of-class and Sign OUT/IN Sheet
• Spread Progress Sheet
Adviser: The forms should reflect the fonts
and the look for the yearbook.
7 THANK-YOU NOTES
Design small thank-you notes for the staff.
Use these to thank advertisers, parents,
teachers and staff. A little recognition can
make a huge difference.
8
REPORTER
FOLLOW-UP
Create a Story follow-up report so an
interviewee can check off the reporter’s
strengths and weaknesses. The system will
encourage continued improvement for staff
members and let the subjects know that
the yearbook takes the publication process
seriously.
9
AP
PRODS
Summarize 10 of the top Associated
Press Style Rules that are most used and
abused by staff members. Consider these
possibilities: Dates, Capitalization, Titles,
Second Reference of Names, Numbers, Use
of Commas before conjunctions, Punctuation
of Quotations, Use of “said,” etc.
10 QUIZ FILES
Create AP quizzes to reinforce the rules.
11 FONT KNOWLEDGE
Create examples of fonts, sizes and styles used
in each section of the yearbook. Laminate the
sheets, and place one next to each computer.
Make them more fun by using phrases that
reflect the book’s theme.
Job Jar
12 BIRTHDAY CALENDAR
Type a phone list, e-mail contact list and
birthday list of all staff members. Arrange
a plan to celebrate staff members’ birthdays
— either by assigning them to another staffer
or by asking staffers to provide food on their
own birthdays. Add Half Birthday dates for
staff members who have birthdays during
school vacations or during the summer.
DINNER
TIME
13
Organize deadline dinners with parents.
If there are 12 mandatory deadlines for the
year and 24 staff members, each parent could
either bring the meal or the desserts, drinks
and paper goods. Send a thank-you card (the
ones you designed) to each parent following
the dinner provided. Call the parents to remind
them at the beginning of their deadline dinner
week.
ROOM
SANITATION
14
Clean the room. Use a Clorox spray or
wipes to sanitize phones, tables, chairs,
refrigerators, microwaves, windows and
additional equipment.
Adviser: Buy a super large bottle of hand
sanitizer to refill smaller bottles. Encourage
use of these to keep the staff healthy
throughout the year.
DESIGN
DREAMS
15
Make a “Design Idea Book” by ripping pages
out of current magazines. Collect good ideas
for coverage, headlines, caption treatment,
potential photographs, graphics and designs.
REPEAT MANY TIMES.
Adviser: Buy plastic pages to place in a threering binder. Use post-it notes on the pages to
point out important parts.
• Ask your principal or department chair if
you can use $100 from the yearbook fund to
buy current magazines.
• Ask each student to bring a magazine from
home. Make this extra credit since some
students’ parents may not subscribe to a
variety of publications.
16 COLLEGE COLLECTION
Google universities and colleges and request a
brochure from each. These provide cool ideas
for free. Keep a list of colleges that have been
contacted so the staff can add new brochures
to the mix. REPEAT MANY TIMES.
Fall 2008
EXCHANGE
EFFORT
17
Compile a list of yearbooks for your exchange
program. Try to collect a dozen or so books
each year so staff members can see what is
being done throughout the nation. Look on
the National Scholastic Press Association
and Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Web sites to find national winners. View
Lifetouch Best of Volumes winners at
yearbooks.lifetouch.com. Find books that
stimulate ideas for coverage, design, theme,
photography and yearbook ladders. Use
post-it notes to call attention to noteworthy
spreads.
Adviser: Ask your Lifetouch representative
for suggestions of Lifetouch books you could
exchange with.
18 MAILBOX CENTER
Devise a mailbox system for the staff.
Consider several possibilities: staff member
envelopes hanging on a large bulletin board,
maybe by departments; a mailbox section
built out of plywood; a mailbox area built
out of shoeboxes glued together. Be creative.
Provide a place for every staff member to
receive announcements and messages to
increase communication among staff.
Adviser: Occasionally insert treats or
surprises that encourage a daily check of
each mailbox.
19
ADMINISTRATIVE
UPDATES
Arrange a monthly 20-minute meeting with
the principal to find out current story ideas
and to keep open communications. Also,
reproduce a list of school board meetings
and arrange for a staff member to cover
each one. The information helps establish
the publication as a careful, accurate history
book of the year.
20 surveys
Create surveys and polls. Administer them and
break them down so they can be developed as
infographics.
Adviser: Collect questions for multiple topics
and put them together in one survey. Teachers
will appreciate if you can limit the number of
surveys that interrupt their classes during the
year.
21 Ask each staff member to create an idea
for the job jar. LT
Inspire 21
Group work
A P RE D g ro u p
shares ideas and
laughter as they
create a new way of
thinking about all
the subjects in the
yearbook. The staff
refuses to accept a
bland old rewrite of
last year’s book.
TEAMWORK
PRETHINKING YOUR ASSIGNMENT WITH PRED
BY BERNADETTE TUCKER
It’s time to do … The football spread. The Spanish Club spread. The
concert choir spread. The math department spread.
The photographers go take photos of one game, one meeting, one
class period, one rehearsal. Then the writers submit copy about why Judy
and John enjoy the team, the club, the organization or the class. That’s it.
That’s the end of the planning process.
Sadly, the generic result is that it doesn’t matter what year you place
on the outside of the book. In fact, you could simply replace names in
the stories, exchange last year’s game/club/activity/class photos with this
year’s, change 2008 to 2009 on the cover — and you’re set.
No matter what, we are sure to observe a few rules:
• Every page must have a fully completed PRED sheet.
• No one may take photos, interview, write stories or touch a computer to work on the layout until the PRED sheet has been completed and approved.
• All key players are included from the beginning.
• No one can ever plan a page on his/her own even if that person is capable of doing all the jobs. In such cases, the editor-in-chief or another editor contributes ideas and feedback.
22 Lifetouch
Generic products may be bargains for house supplies, but the yearbook
has to be more than a copy. It should reflect the changes each year brings.
I don’t want to look on my shelf and not be able to tell which yearbook is
which because they look like a taller, fatter set of Nancy Drew mysteries
from childhood.
The way to move beyond the decidedly “unmysterious” same old thing
is through a communication process that values content over form. That’s
where the PRED process comes in. PRED — named and first promoted
by Bradley Wilson of North Carolina State University — is related to
other story-planning processes you may have heard of before, such as
WED or Maestro.
The acronym points to essential participants — a Photographer, a
Reporter, an Editor and a Designer — in the development of publications.
The crucial part is that they are all on board from the beginning. No
one can be left out because that creates communication and conceptual
problems.
In some situations you might not have four specialists. In my case,
it’s rare to have four because I have a small class with a variety of
hybrid staff members. Generally, the editor and designer are the same
person. Sometimes that person is also the photographer. We have to make
adjustments every year, based on talents and enrollment, as most staffs do.
RULE 1­— COMPLETE A PRED SHEET FOR EVERY PAGE
Staring at the computer for hours, possibly days, awaiting enlightenment
to create the perfect design is out. So is the headline marriage of unrelated
photos and story slant, such as cheerleaders at a basketball playoff game
Fall 2008
Teamwork
PLANNING THE
WORK
A Rancho Cotate
Icon staff member
works with his peers
to plan a spread on
baseball. Though
a small staff, the
adviser and editors
find ways the group
can use PRED-type
brainstorming to
help them create a
concept.
and copy about how the team practiced at a dance studio while
the mini-gym was being renovated during the first eight weeks
of school.
There’s no need for either. Once the PRED sheet is
completed, the designer knows the page layout, including what
the actual headline text is and what sidebar to create. He/she has
already established a plan with the photographer and the writer.
The dominant image will directly illustrate the copy because its
shape, size and content were planned to coincide.
RULE 2 — EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SETS STANDARDS
The editor-in-chief rules the kingdom. He/she has a captive
audience until clear direction of the pages is established.
If the staff decides that the sports pages will use an all caps
primary headline containing only an adjective and a gerund,
the leaders can make sure each headline follows that standard.
(And head off the tendency to use “ALWAYS RUNNING” on
the cross country page, thereby eliminating the redundant as
well as the mistaken use of the adverb
in the predetermined location for an
adjective.)
The EIC should also make sure
that the photographer knows
to go to Key Club’s
Christmas
program
at
the
senior
citizen center on Saturday. Or, if there’s no way any photographer
on staff can go, then the PRED team can change the angle of
the story. Instead, it could focus on the organization’s afterschool tutoring program, for which photos can be taken over a
two-week period. Coverage of the senior citizen outreach could
become a quote collection. That way, the diligent writer does
not have to come up with more copy after he/she submits a story
for which photos are nonexistent.
Careful PRED planning and checking ensures that predesigned layouts are flipped logically, section sidebars are
consistent or appropriately sequential, and story angles are not
too similar.
RULE 3 — SYSTEM REWARDS EFFORT
The PRED process ensures that the often-overlooked
photographer is always included as a first-class contributor.
Involvement in planning permits photographers to focus on
a particular aspect of a game, like the trainers, or the bench,
or the defensive team for a planned angle, rather than simply
“shooting everything.” One photographer’s interpretation of
“everything” might be only the offensive players in the end
zone, when the editors needed a shot of the assistant coach
talking to the frosh varsity kicker.
Of course, the photographer should not take only the photos
for the PRED-planned angle. No, like any good journalist, he/she
should always capitalize on the unexpected story as it unfolds.
It would be ridiculous not to capture the parents, students and
band members exiting the gym when the fire alarm goes off
simply because it was not the story originally anticipated.
Also notice that the “R” in PRED stands for Reporter, not
writer. At the computer, writers are not to create flowery prose
devoid of facts. Instead, they should be as dogged as good
photographers — get off their duffs and uncover all five W’s
and the H by interviewing multiple sources and by gathering
five times the information they will need to complete the story.
RULE 4 — INVOLVEMENT GUARANTEES NEW IDEAS
In my experience, the best pages are created by a small
group of students who enjoy the brainstorming and
planning roles in production. They come up with better
angles when they bounce ideas off one another. Also,
one person may not be familiar with a particular club
or class, but a diverse PRED team — and even
better, a diverse staff representing key interests
on campus — will come up with a long list of
topics that is more pertinent to what is really
happening on campus this school year.
It is no wonder that sales and enthusiasm
dip when staffs cannot muster up enough
creativity to find the real stories of the
year. Why plunk down $60 (more or less)
for the same book four times? I mean, I
was a voracious reader as a kid, but even I
stopped paying attention to Nancy Drew after
the fourth or fifth one because I knew exactly
what was going to happen.
Let’s put a little bit of mystery and surprise
back into the book for the students. All you
need to do is plan for it. LT
Teamwork
Fall 2008
Inspire 23
PRED Planner
TEAM
Photographer________________
Reporter/Writer______________
DPS topic______________________________________________ Book Pages______________ Primary headline_______________________________________________________________
_ ____________________________________________________________________
Editor _____________________
Secondary headline_____________________________________________________________
_ ____________________________________________________________________
Design_____________________
Designer_ __________________
Sidebars____________________
1st draft story_ ______________
Final draft_ _________________
Photos_____________________
Captions____________________
1st submission______________
Final _____________________
FEATURE STORY
Length_____________________
Specific angle_ ______________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
Photo/Graphic Plan
Dominant photo(s)________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Secondary photo(s)_______________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Secondary graphic/sidebar coverage_ ________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
__________________________
Content
qAction/Reaction
qStorytelling
qReference (group/mug)
qIllustration (staged)
qScrapbook (posed)
qShape: vertical
horizontal
square
cut-out background
silhouette
other
qMugs:face only
heads & shoulders
profile
extreme pose
qCrop: extreme close-up
medium
wide
SIDEBAR COVERAGE
qRatings
qFast facts
qBio box
qTimeline
qList
qMap
qChecklist
qChart
qGlossary
qDiagram
qQuiz
qTable
qQ&A
qStep-by-step guide
qMug/Quote collection
qQuote Collection
qOpinion poll
from
first
to last
keeping time by the year
By Terry Nelson
Like a Presidential candidate, you stand for change
and a new tomorrow — at least in regards to your 2009
yearbook’s coverage decisions. For you, though, the
votes are already in: It’s time to break away from the
stuffy old content in every yearbook since 1948 to the
already-old coverage captured in the 2008 volume.
Quite honestly, the content covered — or the way it
was covered — 60 years ago cannot possibly fit student
readers in 2009. Sure, yearbooks still have homecoming
and the prom, academics, clubs and sports. But aren’t
you a little tired of putting homecoming in the first
signature on pages 14 and 15 or pretending that your
fresh ladder plan calls for sports before clubs this year
instead of after?
More yearbook staffs and leaders are touting
“chronological order” as the “in” content plan.
Although this time order plan has come in and out of
favor for decades, it has recently resurfaced. It is time
to take a second look at an alternate coverage plan to
the traditional section presentation.
Chronological order is a great plan of organization
for two reasons:
• Practically speaking, it provides an easy way for the
staff to plan and to publish the book in signatures (16
consecutive pages). As a result, the yearbook staff can
print the pages as they happen and can see if they are
being consistent with their design and typography.
• Journalistic thinking, it is a compelling argument for
staffs to experiment with a chronological (time-order)
presentation of content: To find the weekly content, the
yearbook staff must function like a newspaper staff.
THE CHRONOLOGICAL APPROACH
The Haubert from Shawnee Mission East (Prairie Village, Kan.), advised by C. Dow Tate, features a timesensitive approach and brings to life what’s new and special at the school.
From First to Last
Fall 2008
LIFE WITHOUT A CRYSTAL BALL
It never made much sense to plan a year’s coverage
on a ladder the summer before the content even
happened. However, staffs have relied on this strategy
year after year. That is what our advisers told us, and
that is what our summer workshop instructors assigned
us. No wonder editors and their advisers went back to
their books from the year before to see what kind of
Inspire 25
Pigeon Forge — Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
The Tiger’s Eye staff ties its coverage of health and fitness
to a national study that says Tennessee is fifth in the
country in obesity and fourth in childhood obesity. The
school has added a new fitness program that is designed
to guarantee students 90 minutes of exercise each week.
Teachers have responded with teaching dance during class
and using scarves and music for movement.
stories and coverage to plan for. And help us if
something unexpected happened in the middle
of the year — the event or decision either
became a sidebar or was preempted by other
planned coverage. Worst of all, it was forgotten
and left out.
Our staff really got stuck in a rut. We covered
events, not people. We concentrated on sports
seasons, not single moments of a game. We
wrote about academic departments, not the day
the mice escaped from the zoology lab or the
time the school’s electricity went out during an
important computer-generated exam.
And hopefully we did not win a state
championship because then we would have to
raise money for a four-page tip-in to cover the
big event.
In fact, we told the stories of the year in
cookie-cutter fashion. Each yearbook looked
and read significantly the same year after year,
except for the cover, spot color and the order
of the sections: Student Life, People, Clubs
& Organizations, Sports, Advertisements and
Index. Or was that Student Life, Sports, Clubs
& Organizations — you get the drift.
BASICS FOR A PRAGMATIC PLAN
This year plan coverage as a real magazine
would. Divide the total number of pages into
the essentials:
1. How many pages does the staff need for
student and faculty mug shots? To estimate
the pages, initially base the number of
portraits on last year’s student numbers. In
the fall, obtain a print out of the enrollment
for each class level and the actual number of
faculty, administrators and staff. Then refine
your ladder.
2. For sports, list all varsity sports, separated
into spreads for girls’ teams and boys’ teams.
Add a few spreads to cover junior varsity
and freshmen sports if they are not covered
on the varsity spreads. In addition, plan for
spreads or sidebars on out-of-school sports
to reflect students’ total athletic interests. If
sports takes too many pages, try combining
girls’ and boys’ cross country teams on one
spread and girls’ and boys’ swimming and
26 Lifetouch
Pine Forest High School — Fayetteville, N. C.
Pine Forest is to be commended for its consistent design
and applauded for its strong headlines. Graduation boasts
“Tassel time” while the summer vacation story, “Sweet
summertime,” proves that summer vacation stories do
not have to be merely posed photos.
Fall 2008
From First to Last
Rancho Cotate — Rohnert Park, Calif.
The Icon staff takes a look at the world of work and finds a
student who has an unusual and rather gory job. The staff
handles the rabbit processing coverage effectively in its
spread on Dirty Jobs.
diving teams on another. What your school
and students value most will guide decisions
about which sports to combine and which
to keep separate. If, like many, your school
values basketball and football teams more
than others, incorporate extra coverage in
the student life section that will guarantee
extended treatment of tournament times,
pep sessions or those crazy fans.
3. Now make a list of every academic
department in the school. Include services
that help students and other departments:
guidance, media center, driver education,
remedial or help classes.
4. Make a list of all clubs and cocurricular
organizations. Often clubs are companion
activities to academic areas: Spanish Club,
Quill and Scroll, speech team, DECA.
Depending upon the number of activities
and membership size, the staff may choose
to feature the clubs on the same spreads as
their related academic departments.
5. Count the number of pages devoted to
advertisements. Compile a list of the sizes
of ads and how many of each you used in the
2008 book. Your staff ought to be able to at
least meet — if not exceed — the number of
ads sold for last year’s book.
6. Count the number of pages devoted to Index.
Check the point size and the column width.
The index is simply a directory. It needs to
be easy to read, but the type size should not
be more than 8 or 9 points. If there is too
much white space at the end of each name
entry, use more columns on the spread to
tighten the space.
James C. Enochs — Modesto, Calif
The Enochs staff made a statement with its theme REAL. Speaking to the rest of
the district, the staff was telling others that even though Enochs started as a ninth
and tenth grade school, their experiences were just as real. This spread in their GET
REAL section approaches the very real topic of abuse.
7. Plan for an introductory spread called
“Opening” —usually three to seven pages,
depending on the size of the yearbook —
spreads to introduce each section or season,
called “Dividers,” and a spread to conclude
the story of the year, called “Closing.”
Generally scholastic journalism reviewers
consider the percentages of pages for each
section to evaluate balanced coverage in the
From First to Last
Fall 2008
Inspire 27
Hercules High School — Hercules, Calif.
Energy boosters are a common way for teenagers to get
through the day. The Olympus yearbook staff shares the way
students feel with and without them and provides a clever
sidebar on the variety of drinks.
book: 7 percent for theme-related pages, 10-12
percent for academics, 10-12 percent for clubs,
roughly 25 percent of your total pages minus
advertising pages for student life and another
30 percent for people — and again for sports.
Wa-la! You’ve got a book!
But wait a minute! This is simply like last
year’s book and the year before and the year
before that ...
All of these subjects are worthy of coverage
in the yearbook, but does it have to be an entire
spread for each subject?
Nope.
WEEK-BY-WEEK COVERAGE
If the goal is to publish a chronological
or time-order yearbook, place student life
events under the month in which they occur.
Place sports during the week they become
involved in sectionals. Assign a month to
each club when they conduct a major project,
event or celebration. Devise a plan either
for incorporating mug shots throughout the
yearbook or for placing them near the index as
a sort of reference extension — away from the
creative content.
Several yearbooks have experimented with
week-by-week coverage. Under this model, the
staff could decide on Friday what the upcoming
week holds: a blood drive sponsored by student
council, an important Latin exam, cross
country’s City Invitational; an up-close and
personal account of a student who volunteers
at the hospital’s blood bank. The staff should
plan to display one week’s events on one or two
spreads.
As with a newspaper, the stories require
photographs, copy and design for a spread due
at the end of the week. Next Friday: time to
plan for Week 2 coverage.
To make the process work smoothly, it is
important to organize for efficiency by planning
carefully.
• PRED teams: By assigning “PRED teams”
or planning teams of one photographer, one
reporter, one editor and one designer, deadlines
can be alternated so that Week 2 coverage is
completed by Team 1; Week 2 by Team 2; Week
3 by Team 3 and so on, depending upon the size
of the staff. When the last team is finishing its
spread, Team 1 is already working on a new
spread with new subjects.
28 Lifetouch
Prescott High School — Prescott, Ariz
The Hassayamper staff shows the other side of the person you see in the hallways.
To quote from the story, “If you play football, then you’re a jock. If you skateboard,
then you’re a skater. Or if you enjoy chess competitions, then you’re a nerd. But what
others see in the hallways is often only a shadow of the person you really are.”
Fall 2008
From First to Last
Palm Beach Gardens High School — Palm Beach
Gardens, Fla.
Palm Beach Gardens has fun with its 40th anniversary theme
“Over the Hill” although the book proves repeatedly that
there is a lot of life left in the school. Homecoming packs
quite a wallop with 18 pages dedicated to coverage,
including spreads on each class and its float.
If considering week-by-week coverage,
staffs might plan for a mini-divider spread
introducing each month of the year with
perhaps a calendar graphic to show at a glance
the many events of the month. The information
would be easy to obtain through the school’s
activities and athletics offices. Important test
dates, deadlines, vacations and events would be
easy to plot out on such a graphic to highlight
additional coverage for all events of the year.
• Focus groups: One note of caution: Many
schools find that sports programs, especially,
may feel shorted if they are not placed together
with their team photos and scoreboards in one
section. Some chronological books redefine
their ladder to permit a separate sports section to
accommodate readers’ desires. Student editors
would be wise to pull together student/teacher
“focus groups” to find pros and cons of any sort
of radical shift in coverage. The groups do not
have to make the final decisions, but they can
point out pros and cons from their perspectives.
Communication is always a plus.
Independence High School — Charlotte, N. C.
The Spirit yearbook staff uses headlines that entice and invite readers to peruse
pages. The visual-verbal link between the headlines and the dominant photo is
strong. The staff addresses the less-than-stellar season without apologizing for it.
• Seasonal ladders: Another approach to a
chronological book could be seasonal. Perhaps
the “fall section” could be a collection of
student life, clubs, academics and sports
spreads arranged in approximately the order
they occurred during the school year. A “winter
divider spread” would introduce the events of
the winter season to intertwine spreads with
events, activities and athletics that primarily
occur during these months. A “spring divider”
would work for books that are distributed in the
late summer or fall. Perhaps a Directory section
with portraits, advertisements and ads could be
the fourth section in this seasonal chronological
book.
• Design modules: If a staff does not want to
publish a chronological book, fresh, meaningful
coverage can be included by planning for a
module or package model of design. Each
spread is separated into two, three or four
package areas (called “design modules”),
allowing for alternative copy, related sidebars
and timely current events of interest. Instead
of being separated by the traditional one-pica
internal margin, the modules are more than
likely separated by a horizontal or vertical
From First to Last
Fall 2008
Inspire 29
N.W. Whitfield — Tunnel Hill, Ga.
Cool spreads prevail in this 9 x 9 book with a theme of
Beyond the Square. Among them is the One-Act Play
spread. Using a reel of film as the dominant element, the
staff unfurls the film to unveil bits and pieces of the play.
grid of space like three picas. The extra space
visually sets off each package of coverage
contained on the same spread.
• Index priority: Chronological books can be
a challenge and a joy to produce — particularly
if your school has never published one —
at least in this century. Accurate indexing
becomes especially important when departing
from traditional sections as the drama club may
be featured in different areas: fall, winter or
spring, depending on its productions. Student
staffs may want to provide a traditional index
and an additional separate indexing of events,
clubs and academics.
Martin County — Stuart, Fla.
Floridians get to enjoy a lot of the great outdoors. The staff of the Martin County
book provides appealing visuals of the variety of activities students try. A sidebar
allows students to tell what extreme sport they like to do.
In the final analysis, creative, fresh coverage
and ladder arrangement could be the ticket to
wake up the staff to a new and enjoyable way to
look at the school year. Think people, not events.
Think new magazines, not last year’s yearbook.
Think news and local connections, not sitting
before a computer and forcing current quotes
into a worn-out angle for homecoming.
Think trying something new — whether
it is a chronological order for the 2009 book
or finally an honest, now-time storytelling
publication that strips away the “traditions” of
the school’s 1948 yearbook. Make the book an
accurate history of the ’08-09 school year, from
organization to copy to photos to design. You
have only one chance to achieve that goal.
The worst you could do is be different.
Or is that the best?
Whatever you have been doing with your
yearbook — CHANGE.
That’s my vote. LT
Colophon
Fonts used in the magazine are Futura for headlines, Avenir as the sans serif for sidebars and
captions and Times for subheads and body copy.
30 Lifetouch
Fall 2008
From First to Last