DISCOVERIES VOL15 ISSUE 3 by Varsity Yearbook

YBK WHAT’S INSIDE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kimberly D. Hanzo

LAYOUT EDITOR Matt Leighton

COPY EDITOR Ann Akers

DESIGNERS

Aaron Klopp and Kerri Moskow

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

VOLUME 15 # 3

CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDEr

Herff Jones advisers will be recognized in Anaheim for honors in Adviser of the Year and Rising Star competitions.

REVENGE OF THE YERDS What is a “Yerd”? What do they do? How

Karen Mechem, former yearbook adviser, Lexington (MA) HS Mark Murray, Coordinator of Technology Systems, Arlington ISD and Executive Director, Assn. of Texas Photography Instructors Arlington, TX

do I become one? All of the secrets of this elusive creature’s life revealed now.

Linda Puntney, Herff Jones Special Consultant

HJ LOCATIONS

Charlotte, NORTH CAROLINA charlotte@herffjones.com Gettysburg, PENNSYLVANIA gettysburg@herffjones.com Kansas City, KANSAS kansascity@herffjones.com Logan, UTAH logan@herffjones.com Montgomery, ALABAMA montgomery@herffjones.com Winnipeg, CANADA winnipeg@herffjones.com Herff Jones Yearbook Discoveries Volume 15 Issue 3 was produced electronically using Adobe® InDesign CS5, Adobe Illustrator® CS5 and Adobe Photoshop® CS5. This magazine was created on a Mac Pro, 2.66 GHz with 6 GB of RAM and printed by Herff Jones, Inc., at its Charlotte, NC printing facility. The outside cover was printed on 65# Matte C2S stock using four-color process. The inside cover was printed on White Vibracolor Endsheet stock using four-color process. The magazine pages were printed on 100# matte stock using four-color process inks. The fonts used in Yearbook Discoveries Volume 15 Issue 3 were AHJ News Gothic and AHJ University Oldstyle. Herff Jones and the Herff Jones logo are registered trademarks of Herff Jones, Inc. Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc.

Load up your staff

Searching for a new crop of staffers? We’ve got you covered with ideas and tools to get the best recruits. Plus, how one adviser can “just see” future leaders. By Karen MechEm

DEPARTMENTS

Photo Corner

An expert shutterbug explains what makes these images superior and how your photo team can raise the bar. By Mark Murray

Design Studio

Writer’S Block

Put a little spring in your book. Adding a supplement is a great way to enhance your coverage and include cool topics that might otherwise not be in the book.

Let our newest Special Consultant teach you how to be a master of the “Maestro Concept.” By LInda Puntney

YBK ETC.

Yearbook pages (and other printed paper) become fashion statements with flair. Just add creativity and a little work.

DISCOVER MORE Download Downloadthe free mobile app for your smartphone and enjoy enjoy extra extra content content wherever wherever you you see see this this tag! tag! >> >> http:/ / gettag.mobi GO enohp ruoy ro f ppa elibo m eer f eh t teG GO TO TO i b o m. ga t te g / /: p t th http://gettag.mobi http://gettag.mobi Get the free mobile app for your phone

WHAT WAS YOUR PROUDest yearbook momenT EVER?

“

WHat makes YEARBOOK such an IMPORTANT and valuable learning experience?

“

In 2005, we had an amazing year. It was the hundredth anniversary of our school and everyone rose to the occasion. The staff meshed in remarkable ways. Everything about the book just jelled. In the end, a staffer won the NSPA/ Adobe Design of the Year contest and we set the standard for anniversary books.”

When did you first realize you were a yerd?

“

Anyone who comes into the room can see what’s going on. The students find an idea and elaborate and expand. It’s creative... and they realize learning is fun. They get to tell amazing stories, and find new ways to present the information. Yearbook teaches skills that students cannot learn and practice anywhere else.”

I’ve always loved yearbooks – my own little softcover elementary school books, my mom’s high school books from the ’60s and my older brother’s high school yearbooks – so when I received an “invitation” to join the yearbook staff during my freshman year of high school, I couldn’t believe my good fortune.”

– CHARLA HARRIS

– MEGHAN PERCIVAL

– Mitch ZIEGLER

National Yearbook Adviser of the year, Sarah Nichols Whitney HS, Rocklin, CA, who will address those attending the awards luncheon, was the first honored on campus at Whitney on Jan. 19. Three long-time Herff Jones advisers will be among the six others recognized in the Adviser of the Year competition. Mitch Ziegler Redondo Union HS, Redondo Beach, CA and Charla Harris Pleasant Grove HS, Texarkana, TX have both been named Distinguished Advisers and Meghan Percival McLean HS, McLean, VA is one of three Special Recognition Advisers.

Photo By Bianca Vasquez

Photo By Ali Burks

Photo By Daniel Fallon

The 2011 National Yearbook Adviser of the Year COMPETITION

Y e a r b o o k DISCOVERIES

www.yearbooks.biz

GIVE’ EM

A HAND

There will be lots of applause and cause to celebrate at the Herff Jonessponsored Saturday adviser luncheon during the JEA/NSPA National Spring High School Journalism Convention in Anaheim in April. In addition to recognition of dozens of Certified Journalism Educators and Master Journalism Educators, a host of other awards will be presented by JEA. 2011 Rising Star Award

Ponderosa HS Parker, CO

“

My students make me proud every day. They make me feel like I picked the right profession; with their constant questions, creativity and insight, I am amazed by what they do every day.”

VOLUME 15

ISSUE 3

Tamra McCarthy

Mark Novom

James F. Enochs HS Modesto, CA

“

Being an adviser affords many opportunities to connect with kids... We travel together, make decisions together, create, win, cry and deliver a product together that lives long after high school ends.”

Photo By Seth Fischer

Photo By Megan Grossbard

Anastasia Harrison

Photo By Gilberto Ruiz-Ortega

Photo By McKenna Bird

Four Herff Jones advisers will be presented JEA’s Rising Star Award, for advisers who have no more than five years of experience advising. The Herff Jones Rising Stars include the following:

Brentwood School Los Angeles, CA

“

I have a proudest moment every year when we hand out the yearbook. After everyone gets a book, my favorite part is watching my staff walk around and watch all their friends looking at the yearbook.”

Liz Palmer

DuPont Manual HS Louisville, KY

“

My favorite part of yearbook is always the moment where someone shares a fantastic idea, and everyone is electrified with a feeling of creative synergy. I love the endless creative possibilities.”

Y e a r b o o k DISCOVERIES

“

Yearbook takes every kind of person... and it’s fun.”

Katelyn Roberts Portland ’10 Yerd Mountain View HS, Tempe, AZ

“

Yearbook is my place to belong at school.”

Camryn Baum DC ’09/KC ’10 Yerd Ward Melville HS, Setauket, NY

WHAT A Snap this tag or visit www.yearbooks.biz/ go/YERDAPPLICATION to Download a Yerd application to join the fun!

They come from all corners. Some with years of experience and others who are newer. Many who have already attended conventions and workshops, some at their first-ever large gathering of student journalists.

GO TO http://gettag.mobi to download the free app

A few who have really decided on a career in publishing, editing or design and those who have other interests, but love the process of imagining one of their school’s largest, most comprehensive projects and then creating it for all members of the school community. They convene thrice yearly: once at each national JEA/NSPA convention and at the annual CPSA convention in NYC in March. They find that yearbooking in Florida, Georgia, Virginia and Pennsylvania is very much like it is in Arizona, Kansas, Colorado and California. While their schools are as different as their books, the groups laugh as they share

Y e a r b o o k DISCOVERIES

tales of creativity, chaos, revision and deadlines. It is a very small world indeed. At these meetings, they imagine new products and react to ideas. They brainstorm, critique and share thoughts. At Herff Jones, when we spell Yerd with a capital Y, we’re referring to our growing team of editors who meet at a convention and continue to help us throughout the year and in the future. If you’re a sophomore or junior yerd and you’ll be attending the spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Anaheim with your staff, we’d love to have you apply for a spot in the group. www.yearbooks.biz

“

25 years from now, people will really care about what we did.” Maggie Kim Phoenix ’09/DC ’09/ Portland ’10 Yerd Columbus North HS, Columbus, IN

“

Yearbook changed my entire life! I now know what I want to do.”

YERD! Natalie Hotaling Portland ’10 Yerd Northeastern Senior HS, Manchester, PA

“

AMONG THE MANY FRIENDS OF HERFF (from top left): CARLA NORTHY, Schurr HS, Montebello, CA / Portland ’10 Yerd; ANDREW VALENCIA, Bellarmine College Prep, San Jose, CA / Portland ’10 Yerd; Megan Lynch, Lake Central HS, St. John, IN / Kansas City ’10 Yerd; HANNAH EARLE and ANNA Kirkland, North Forsyth HS, Cumming, GA and JORDIE FERRER, Bellarmine College Prep, San Jose, CA / NYC ’09 Yerds; MOLLY SMITH, Gilbert HS, Gilbert, AZ / Phoenix ’09 Yerd; MICHAEL CASTILLO, Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Miami, FL / NYC ’10 Yerd; NIKI GOULARTE, Cupertino HS, Cupertino, CA / Portland ’10 Yerd; FRED WU, Cupertino HS, Cupertino, CA / Portland ’10 Yerd; TORI BRODSKY, Casa Roble HS, Orangevale, CA / Portland ’10 Yerd; SHELBY HUNT, Smoky Hill HS, Aurora, CO / Portland ’10 Yerd; KENDALL CROUTHER, Chantilly HS, Chantilly, VA / Phoenix ’09 Yerd

VOLUME 15

ISSUE 3

Yearbook helps develop your networking computer program skills as well as your people skills. Plus, I learned to prioritize, organize and delegate”

Christina Medina NYC ’10 Yerd Westminster Christian Academy, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Y e a r b o o k DISCOVERIES

Some advisers have a knack for it, while others don’t find the qualities of great potential leaders quite so obvious.

Destined for The Corner Office

by Karen mechem

(Inspired By the true stories of amazing Lexington High School Rookie staffers Through the years)

The young staffers who one day will wear the editors in chief’s caps Are personable, although not necessarily glad-handers. Early on, they get the concept that the yearbook is a historical record and that the responsibility for an accurate recording of the year is a serious one. The staffers care that feelings are hurt when student or faculty pictures are left out or when names are misspelled. Out of this understanding comes the intent to include everyone in the book. The EIC-in-training champion the need for pictures of the custodians, secretaries and kitchen staff. They’ll beat the bushes to get every last student’s portrait, especially the seniors’.

Y e a r b o o k DISCOVERIES

They may have come onto the radar if they won a writing, art or photography award in the eighth grade. The local newspaper may have written them up and the yearbook staff, having vigilantly read the paper every week, “discovers” and then recruits them. Often, they are not yet award-winners, but arrive with at least rudimentary skills in design, writing and photography — hungry to improve.

www.yearbooks.biz

more on building your staff - - - - -

Of the people who show up for training, they complete all So many staffers are only enthusiastic the first week on the sessions and do the homework. the job. The future editors are those who become part of the crew who make the deadlines. They continually show When older staffers tell the newbies, “We’ll call ya when up, especially when work must be completed. It becomes we need ya,” a future EIC will keep coming back asking, obvious to them that editors parcel out more work as “Need anything done today?” “How can I help?” deadlines loom. And our future stars will be there. At last, someone lets them correct copy on a proof and allows them to enter it officially on the computer. They’re in heaven, but they don’t scream with joy. That wouldn’t be cool. They just ask, “What’s next?” Did they get coaching from an older sibling, or do they just know when and how to be useful? Finally, they’re asked to assist an editor on a special project. True, they’re the ones sent to borrow the lights from the photography teacher way down the hall, but that’s OK, even the tenth time they stage this shoot. They’re on a special project and it’s turning out well.

It takes a great deal of poise to be a serious younger staffer. This means that for awhile, they have left their pack of peers to pursue their own interests. They make it look easy to approach a junior or a senior for assistance, quietly asking, “Could you show me how to get rid of this hyphen?” or “Is this a good dominant photo?” Then, they’re ready to take constructive criticism. This separates the future greats from the also-rans. And after that, they engage in banter and joking around... at first at a bit of a distance. They expand their circle of yearbook friends and are included when the staff goes bowling. Finally, they earn the respect of the whole staff because they put up fliers and sell the yearbook, as well as interview, write copy and design pages.

The next year, as sophomores, they might be section editors. During this time their astuteness emerges, after a day in the trenches or when a deadline is met, someone They’re the first to sign up to distribute the yearbook and in authority talks to them about how invaluable they are, they proudly sport the sweatshirts they’ve earned. I can and how they are on a path to becoming an editor in chief. easily spot an editor.

VOLUME 15

ISS U E 3

Y e a r b o o k DISCOVERIES

Invest energy to find the right staffers and you’ll have diversity in skill sets, talents and more. Recruit the

best staff ever

and life gets easier.

Even though yearbook may be a completely different scenario from school to school, there are some universal truths. Whether the yearbook at your school is created by a club or a class, whether the book is large or small, whether the staff strives to wow the school audience or really works to impress contest judges, the process of creating the only permanent record of the school year requires creative designers, photographers, reporters and techies. No matter what, there’s a staff that plans and dreams, documents and executes. There needs to be a team that works to include as many people (and as many kinds of people) as possible. There’s good news and bad news when it comes to recruiting the yearbook staff. If you have a fall delivery book or you operate as an after-school club, you may have a little more leeway in your schedule. If not, it’s likely that there will be some overlap between the selection of your new staff and the completion of the current book.

Because Herff Jones believes having the best possible staff makes everything about the process of creating the yearbook better and because we know that the most efficient recruitment might need to take place at a time of year when there are lots of other yearbook responsibilities fighting for time/energy, we created materials that will make you look great as they increase the visibility of yearbook on campus. Enter the True Potential package. Containing samples of all the materials needed to line up an amazing staff, this packet reminds the school that there’s a place for all kinds of students on the yearbook staff. The instruction booklet breaks the process of building your staff into five simple steps and explains the intent behind all components. You’ll be led through the processes of deciding how many staffers you’re trying to add, identifying potential candidates, collecting applications and more. We even provide the plans for helping new staffers celebrate their selection to the yearbook staff. We’re all about helping you find solutions for yearbook needs without having to create everything from scratch!

watch our informative video, why yearbook?, through this tag or on our youtube channel at: www.youtube.com/ herffjonesyearbooks Get the free mobile app for your phone

http:/ / gettag.mobi

Chronological Coverage

There are several ways a staff

identifying an Angle directions: Consider this feature story and answer the questions that follow.

doMinant PHoto

CoLuMn design

can use a chronological approach

to covering the year.

Seasonal The book has four sections: summer, fall, winter and spring. All the contents of the regular book are divided up by which season best fits. Monthly Coverage is organized by month. With a spring-delivery book, that usually means coverageimagine it as my own or as a real thing,” from March to February. With I didn’t runs wasn’t uncomfortable because but it “I have cats, a summer/fall book, the year would run from June to May. junior Kelly Fredericksen said. “But then we got to name our cat and we got attached to it.” Weekly Each spread or sometimes multiple spreads reallyone of it as your cat and when you gauze up the don’t really think youactivities of events, bad because thatweek “It wasn’tcover As with monthly coverage, the other topics. book needs to include the entire Theberge said. “Itand kind of makes it less like a cat and just a specimen.” face and paws,” junior Karisa year. Partial Chronological Chronological coverage can be of skinning and analyzing the different bodily organs of cats, the students could days a few After blended with more traditional coverage. For example, weekly or monthly coverage could be again. finally used for onlybreathe sports and student life while academics, people are covered clubs and in regular sections. 3

step

photo. add the dominant is the- broad topic of this feature story? What-and-a  is two to two The dominant photo oto on the  anatOmy class er than any ot her ph he  half times larg nt usually crosses t d the  spread. The domina  towar is the more specific angle? erally placed What  is gen  and it gutter, lps unify   because it he cats the smell invOlved as students dissected   center of the spread minant also touches the two pages. A do al margin.   extern  bottom think the writer chose this specific angle? Why do youlow  either the top or the ant rests above or be A horizontal domin ed when they entered the rOOm, but ant usually  that was the first thing students nOtic ertical domin the eyeline while a v then they realized the smell was the wOrst part. the rest Of the dissectiOn breaks the eyeline. HeadLine lab really wasn’t that bad. ss ad . This proce book spre t ke photo ook spread for a year Fact Shee externaL Margin uter. To ma step 4 for a yearb se photos ing photos to t he comp oos Goal: To choo era f ch cam ss o rom the headline. he proce Place the copy and wnloaded f le,  refers to t e do  a sing tion ne are ages ar e taken. Photo selec elements will appear The copy and headli gital im placed in new Angles Brainstorm as they ar the following design ey should be  after the di e photos rectangular unit. Th , sort th common spread topics. For each, brainstorm five possible angles. Then, choose Cat got Your Tonguebegins a list ofe or  is d, abov Below e sprea on your layouts: rs of th n easier selectio one of the four corne dissect cats to explore their human-like body system Students of Anatomy and Physiology the best angle and justify your choice. Be prepared to share your answers with the staff. •  Photog raphs the eyeline. ding headlines,  light below  s, inclu of s 1 ackage Step t ge, so ptions rent type •  Copy p of light ges that: typesary he Fact Shee any ima adlines, copy and ca “pae space rent int” the ima rate the diffe ete diffe onst g Del second t to dem lighnegativ by rachel Huang Topic: Summer called  s for usin cus Goal: To ou need which  space,  er. Yis also  rest ing. ide guideline are out of fo too light aint •  White  inte • prov TiTanium To ore he p l: Angles: Possible Five Goa ge m r is to tcs and art. dark or hat colo erfections Antelope High School — Antelope, CA ke your ima •  Graphi • are too step 5 CoLuMns ographer w ght can ma chnical imp CoPy broKen into • have te to t he phot bout how li al candid photos. story Light is s thing they noticed ell a est.Dec. 8,Candid 1. trips tO faraway lands oncerned a capture an onal  arrange the addition nteron the first class Physiology and of i As students entered their Anatomy • do not t uld be c photos  five to seven additi step 1 g center you sho The haida lly if those a stron Annie A typical spread has s. The shape  lab assignment. Students of Science Instructor lackday’s . 2. the dreaded family vacatiOn nauseating stench of• the was the est, especia s and margins gutter s ying shapes and size Auburn Riverside High column of inter  of var School — Auburn, CoLuMnsClegg’s second period had to deal with the unpleasant smell ofr ce ntercats, shadow photos which they would have WA decide on your  contrast with the  ns you will have  clea dead attering 2 y a y colum 3. summer jObs unfl Step w man spla ast one photo should t di ns  n create ine ho of at le eft. The seasonal icons  additional  ight to dissect for the next few days. p photos tha ace all e day ca Determ on the right to the l ofant. Pl six, eight or ten colum the page ples: raph Kee domin set Direct Sunl d. Use  dle of th the scene of the  exam otog r sprea 4. summer schOOl le. mid s will  shape  the e ph on you in beginning the to. Use a  for the organization of this book. From osthe ar ing ang n in the reader cle knows ominant pho All copy and caption coverage ace, as in th d the d interest will be done chronologically. Open su ine the phot lete is a  aroun own , exam our photos  align  On the inside pagemes schOOl is better per spread to begin.  ll in the d folio label margin hts on the f The ath logos cro Now Since cats have a similar body system to humans, they were a great example of how the  of one pica to  andppe oto:seasonal the to fi, and all photos will on the5. getting bOred Over the summer; sOmeti left o is consis and highlig remind the reader n wide inant ph   tent internal  tdoors  colum he phot be one eyeLine location The lab was successful, but students had mixed feelings about the assignment. for homecoming • The dom terest, and t insides look. flash ou st one photo should red is the Fall section, the perfect coverage. ground, e columns.  The dating acksepara photos. At lea e or use ct Sun spread followed te the  e four  in the blue/winter section. essary b he shad with the widt h of th h of th using Dire center of in  on eac r face. y unnec best angle? is the Which margin o he bject into t e an ternal  re t e su inat the ex lim “I also touch  said. Set  he pictu Move th eak of “I didn’t like this lab; it’s gross and the smell was disturbing,” junior Abraham Diaz to e face. it of measurement.  e focus of t ptured at t he p pread. s on the f the s g th see belOw cing  itin sides o problem.” the Use picas as your un wasn’t that so ry much, that cats like shadow lim the spa n ca didn’t like handling sharp tools. I don’t reat sto rnal margin,  ur inte ner has bee photo g a door waynts. Set adequate  one pica as yo The run giv ing the ree or in  eleme he ns and to t mot ion, de of a t n colum sha nd the  betwee Why is it the best angle for your story? ight action/e of tograph Many people agreed the lab was overall repulsive, but some people had a different perspective phogins to ound in the  create a frame arou y.oF Yearbookravels onto the Indirect Sunl PHoto 36 bilit Teaching s in the al marll fo to t Journalism ontents. extern r proper plates already have  t sunlight f face, a telling a the lab. sHaPe fOr this answer key, Only a few pOssible angles are prOvided. as the very pho he c 6 s on the es tem of esting internaL Margin The indirec e flash fi erff Jon Contra e into tstep sh fill is action because layout. The H eed som the shadow • The “I’m not too fond of cats,” sophomore Taylor Teel said. “But the ribs were the best part the audienc ine if fla . de may n apprOpriate angle fOr the will soften determ drawing adviser, yOu will be the best judge Of an rd external margins ad, st to standa shot in sha s fir spre chest.”  caption  the add the captions. up open to them of all break to otos had age you l im left. Ph  caption. Place each hoot severa stOry at yOur schOOl.   Each photo needs a re. S osu exp to the photog raph it ot. so that it is adjacent  Surprisingly, it didn’t affect cat owners too much; other students weren’t too disgusted with the step 2 o and the laced above,  needed or n an be p tions c hot r ing  describes. Cap tabs. assignment and got kind of attached to them after having to spend time with it for the past few days. of t he p folio you andake  photos. If you’re us rect Sunlight ill m subject Place the eyeline bove  t to the nd w   the laced a or nex using Indi e than oth below  ld be p a re b ackgrou  to place mor ny bThe ho h fill fore shou pot whe rizonta flasl eyelin the tions, try not ight  ual cap Find a s hade. A sun individus, d some one pica   to link the left and r elective foc und are in s ou may still nee  together. Make sure  or below the center FoLios ptions backgro oto: Using s e ph two ca nexus oto. The n River, MI it. inant ph dark, but y  and the caption. . s HS — India ut of th irds photo pages as a single un e. tes the • The dom of th subject too Inland Lake 62 Teaching Yearbook Journalism t pops o separa posed imag f interes to the r ule center o cording argin,  properly ex eft page  the bottom m cropped ac ids on t he l the copy. n  Folios are placed in there w ill photo is and oints i d 12 p he c t, so t excee he ligh tter and ion in t uld no ey sho use sun   and th • The act , as in t ce to the gu d w ith very dy Sun ide diff hadows  the spread content e audien sh snclude Hazy or Clou olios i y w ill prov croppe size. F leads th out har CaPtions loudy da e WHiCH are closely ght with tHe arroWs indiCat The candids A hazy or c information. ibut ion of li • . some PHotos en distr d space. var ied with d one identiFy WHiCH be an ev eft. little waste id shots is s an aph to t he l of cand ll group squinting. photogr me sma • Content won’t be Design 101 t, so Sun cts bjec dy ubje y or Clou t. Your s as single su using Haz p. of soft ligh rou tage er g van larg Take ad its own ject creates sub the s. bject, so ting eye Backlight hind the su oblem of squin e sun be s the pr Place th k Journalism klight solve 100 Teaching Yearboo otos veral ph shade. Bac ed Post, NY , so take se ense HS — Paint sjkÖlD be difficult light e sun is int ed Post West using Back to light can Corning Paint . Also, if th e vailable ct may b g direct ly in is a ubje otin one Be Sho er if ot, t he s loaded. a light met ture was sh e image is down pic and use the 141 once th he t ime silhouette Photography enough at t n a tha ore . not hing m g backlight careful usin to design their spreads

Fact sheet use columns why yearbook staffs Goal: To explain appear on a spread elements that will mn spread Goal: To list the design designing a 10-colu trate the steps for Goal: To demons create spreads: columns when they using for least four reasons per design. designers have at ewspa  and n ect magazine •  Columns refl rimary focus. dabilit y. •  They help rea sign, t he readers’ p e content, not the de ake th s. reader They m •  or the   a guide/road map f •  They provide

LECTION

PHOTO SE

LIgHTINg

The Prowl Powell Middle School — Littleton, CO

The staff chose to organize the book in two sections by semester and also by date and time. The time approach begins on the cover and carries over to the inside pages where each caption begins with a date. Using their chronologica l concept to drive coverage, the staff also add a “Day in the Life” package where they covered events on a single day in blocks.

Yearbook Basics 37

Copy 63

Once you’ve selected a staff, the challenge is getting them photos cour

hing 140 Teac

ing Painted tesy of Corn

Yearbook

Post Wes

ted Post, t HS — Pain

Journalism

ready to produce

WHETHER YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SOME QUICK ACTIVITIES TO JUMPSTART YOUR YEARBOOK CLUB OR A COMPLETELY STRUCTURED PLAN TO USE WITH A FOR-CREDIT CLASS, tHE HERFF JONES CURRICULUM, TEACHING YEARBOOK JOURNALISM, ANSWERS YOUR NEED.

VOLUME 15

ISS U E 3

You’ll be a yearbook expert in no time at all with the varied tools that make up our instructional set. The 272-page adviser binder contains an overview of all materials, as well as goals, objectives and evaluation tools. Add in the fact sheets, activities and assignments and you’ll be prepared to train your staff without spending the entire summer studying and seeking great examples. The entire set is teacher-written, teacher-tested so you know you’ll be ready to train your staff — and they’ll be prepared to start working on the book of their dreams.

Y e a r b o o k DISCOVERIES

One way to get better photos is to have your entire staff share an image they like and then take some time to really discuss

WHY IT WORKED Mark Murray, whose passions for photojournalism and student publications allow him to see thousands of images each year, provides comments on current student photography. His thoughts might help your staffers better understand what it takes to make more of their photos truly amazing.

Y e a r b o o k DISCOVERIES

1 2

PHOTO CORNER by mark murray

With the wave creating a perfect framing element for the surfer, this photographer did a magnificent job of putting the viewer into the middle of the action. Combined with the expression on the surfer’s face and the warm light adding color to the surfer and the water, this sports action photo is a great example. jake collins, Redondo union HS, Redondo Beach, CA

Traditionally, photojournalists want to try and show a person’s face in the photo so that the subject is easily recognized. But there are times when treating the subject as a silhouette creates an even more dramatic photograph. The rim light which wraps around the drummer and drumsticks provides the separation from the background that a good silhouette requires. Graham beck, bellarmine college preparatory, San Jose, CA

Photojournalists need to be able to capture a moment in time and tell a story, but they also need to be able to create a story when required. Environmental portraits place a subject in surroundings that tell the viewer something about the subject. Here, the photographer uses lighting and color to make the subject pop out of the background. By using a small aperture on the camera (f/18 according to the metadata), the photographer also did a great job of making sure that both the subject’s face and the outstretched glove are in focus. Graham beck, bellarmine college preparatory, San Jose, CA

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Photographers use light as an artist would use oil or watercolor. The late afternoon sun adds great side lighting and a warm color to the subject. Together with the red lifejacket and the yellow shorts, the subject stands out from the dark water and a clean background. Colleen Guilfoyle, corning painted post west HS, Painted Post, NY

Great photos pull the viewer into the image, creating a sense of place and time. This sports reaction shot perfectly captures the emotions of the two football players as they celebrate. The photographer did a great job of grabbing a very quick shot, especially the tear rolling down the player’s face, which indicates that the photographer was watching everything going on and was ready when the moment occurred. Anna Cheban, antelope HS, Antelope, CA

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Great sports action photos require several things. The photographer needs the right equipment, needs to know something about the sport, needs to understand where to be to get the best photo, and finally, needs to give the viewer a sense of what the athletes are experiencing. Devin daniels, aberdeen HS, Aberdeen, WA

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A simple environmental portrait is elevated by great lighting and a strong point of view. Light brings the subject’s face out of the darkness, but is diffused enough to wrap around so that the left cheek and eye are still visible. By choosing a low point of view, the photographer made sure that the viewer could still see the subject’s face. Instead of dealing with a distracting background, the photographer exposed so that it disappears into darkness—the perfect approach. jordan michnoff, ward melville HS, Setauket, NY

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Y e a r b o o k DISCOVERIES

There are many ways your staff can

SUPPLEMENT the story you tell.

ResumĂ&#x2030;, GEorge Walton academy, Monroe, GA

Y e a r b o o k D I S CO V E R I E S

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DESIGN STUDIO carillon, bellarmine college Preparatory, San Jose, CA

Whether your goal is to extend the time frame you are able to cover, showcase a collection of people, ideas or works, create a shift in focus or share your world with more readers, you have options. Final deadlines have passed, but life goes on. There are classes, rallies, games and dances as well as everyday events to cover. Some staffs begin taking photos and doing research/ interviews as soon as they finish the previous book and begin the next edition with spring activities from the previous year. Others declare that their readers only want those stories in the book of the year and work to create a spring supplement covering those events that occur at year’s end. One common approach for staffs creating spring supplements is for them to be attached to the back endsheet. The Quick Turn supplement program makes it possible for most events of the school year to be included in the book in time for distribution. Another twist on the spring supplement is the creation of a seniors-only piece which might include year-end awards, prom, senior picnic, baccalaureate, graduation, Grad Night and more. Some schools include this component as a benefit of buying tickets to attend a parent group-sponsored prom or graduation post-parties. But more staffs are playing with supplemental coverage in different formats than ever before. The 2010 Resumé from George Walton Academy in Monroe, GA was an anniversary book. The volume began with a 16-page history of the school’s first 40 years. Printed on a special cotton stock, it had lots of great photos and quotes and it showed how the school has grown/changed through the years. Adviser Brian Cole knew that his staff had produced another great PR VOLUME 15

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piece for the private K-12 school, and so as he had done in the past, ordered additional copies of that first sig for distribution to families of prospective students and others in the school community. The yearbook staff designs a paper version of their book’s cover and extras are merely saddle stitched like this magazine is. Another option that’s increasing in popularity is a supplement that’s a different size than the pages in the book. That could mean either choosing a smaller standard trim size or having the plant do a custom trim. To get the highest impact from a short-trimmed supplement, you need to plan how it fits into the bound volume and design the spread into which it’s tipped to accommodate the additional content. It’s hard to make it look like you meant for it to be “that way” unless you use the bound pages on either side of the supplement to “house” the extra content in some meaningful way. The guys on staff at San Jose, CA’s Bellarmine College Prep saw an ad in a magazine that included a booklet of additional content and they loved some of the inks and materials their rep had shown them. So they designed a spread onto which they’d tip a “mini-mag” of profiles. At 6 x 9,″ the booklet demanded attention and the distinctive designs and stunning photography added impact. “The school community loved it,” said adviser Dmitri Conom. “They asked immediately if we were going to do it again.” Whether you’re planning now for something new and different next year or you’re still seeking a way to cover events that happen yet this spring, a supplement might be the answer. Y e a r b o o k D I S CO V E R I E S

If you are looking for a single plan that will help you make every deadline, provide fresh story ideas on the topics you cover year after year and develop a real sense of camaraderie for your staff, consider joining the growing list of yearbook staffs that are part of

MAESTRO MANIA Formally started around 1993 by Buck Ryan of the University of Kentucky, the maestro concept continues to find its way into commercial magazine, newspaper and now yearbook staff offices around the world. It’s simply a content management system involving groupthink and collaboration. It operates on the principles that three heads are better than one, and that the reader should be the driving force in every story in the yearbook. Here are eight easy steps to implement the concept with your staff:

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Brainstorm as a staff for story topics.

5 The team discusses possibilities for coverage before and after

the parade and goes to the homecoming parade together eliminating the possibility that someone may forget about the event or not show up.

6 During the parade, the photographer and the writer are in constant contact talking about the verbal/visual connection of the coverage — if the writer gets a strong quote, letting the photographer know about the quote, will allow for a supporting photograph. If the photographer captures a poignant moment, the writer can be sure to interview the center of interest. The designer is present to make certain the package will have the same feel as the event itself and to find detailed information that might be best told through some other layer of coverage.

Assign a maestro team of a writer, designer and a photographer to a topic. The section editor could serve as the maestro to call the team together and facilitate communication OR a team member could serve as the leader.

7 Following the event, the team brainstorms what the package

The team meets for 10 minutes or less to find the story angle. If the topic is homecoming, the story angle might be the return of the homecoming parade which was done away with in 2005 due to lack of interest.

8 The deadline for the final package can easily be 48 hours

Together the team fills out the Package Planner form focusing on the driving questions “Why does the reader care?” (serves the memory function of a yearbook) and “What questions might the reader have?” (preserves the record/history function of a yearbook).

Snap this tag or visit www.yearbooks.biz/go/ maestropkgplannerform to Download the PAckage Plan form. GO TO http://gettag.mobi to download the free app

should be, how it should look, what should be the lead photograph, headline and lead paragraph. These decisions must always answer the question “Why does the reader care?”

after the event so the team works to create, edit and tweak the coverage before the details have gotten cold and the project has been set on a back burner. The result is coverage that is reader driven, is not the same story as in last year’s book, the deadline is met and a team shares ownership in the final product. If you also have a website or produce a DVD for extended coverage, the team might have captured video, audio and soundslide files to tease to the content in the print book. Team members could even tweet from floatbuilding or the parade and later write a blog about the experience using the maestro concept to coordinate the best, most efficient way to tell the story.

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Using the maestro concept puts the focus of the story on the reader, where it should be while giving staff members the ultimate experience in collaboration. www.yearbooks.biz

WRITER’S BLOCK by Linda Puntney

Meet our

ITS BEEN YEARS SINCE LINDA PUNTNEY FIRST MET BUCK RYAN. She knew his reputation and believed in his Maestro process. After an introduction at an Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference more than a decade ago, they began teaching together at workshops and conventions, evolving the process along the way. The plan fit into Puntney’s other work as adviser to the Royal Purple yearbook at Kansas State University, as a magazine journalism professor on faculty there and as a coveted workshop and convention speaker. In June 2010, she retired from KState and from her role as executive director of the Journalism Education Association. Puntney has since joined Kathy Daly, Paul Ender and Lynn Strause as Herff Jones’ fourth Special Consultant. In her new role, she’ll be writing for Yearbook Discoveries each year, assisting with special projects and consulting with staffs and advisers at ACP/CMA, CSPA and JEA/NSPA conventions as well as traveling with reps and continuing to teach workshops. And we’ll be first in line to congratulate her when she’s presented JEA’s Teacher Inspiration Award at the Herff Jones-sponsored Adviser Luncheon at JEA/NSPA in Anaheim.

MAESTRA of the Maestro

“Using the tomato added a playful tone. And we knew we wanted to echo color, so we pulled the red from the second spread to unify the package.” “The retro sign revealed the city market’s history (citing the date of establishment) and thorough reporting made sure no one missed that fact.” “We wanted to use an overview as an establishing shot and we really liked that this shot showed both the market and the city skyline.” “These detail shots don’t have traditional captions, but each image is addressed in the copy as visuals and verbals were planned together.”

VOLUME 15

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Y e a r b o o k DISCOVERIES

REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE REDUCE REUSE RE RECYCLE PURPOSING REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE

REDU REUS RECY REDU REUS RECY REDU REUS RECY REDU REUS RECY YBK ETC.

Reusing and recycling aren’t the only environment-friendly alternatives for used paper. Artisans and out-of-thebox thinkers everywhere are

newspapers, magazines, wrappers — and yes, yearbooks — to make cool projects with extended lives.

Decades of crafters have cut, woven and decopauged paper into cards, boxes and other projects. They’ve torn, folded and stamped onto flexible fibers to create new masterpieces. They have preserved photos and other images, clippings and memorabilia with shellac, varnish and glue. And you don’t have to look very far to find an array of projects that put a really fresh spin on some of these ideas. Many galleries and gift shops feature boxes, vases and other vessels crafted from folded magazines. Why not yearbooks? Because of their durability, foiled snack wrappers were first used to create “gum wrapper chain” purses, but word on the street is that using clear mailing tape or contact paper expands the possibilities for that project to include newsprint, magazines and yearbooks. Newspaper totes, purses and other bags usually feature dailies from New York,

Y e a r b o o k DISCOVERIES

Paris or some other great destination or promote a reader’s favorite section (like style, travel or the comics), but what would be cooler than having a clutch that reminded you of yearbook every time you used it? Even Nike sees the cool factor in reusing paper. In January, they premiered shoes made of recycled magazines as part of their spring collection. The repurposed shoes align well with their other eco programs. For more than 20 years, the sportswear giant has also recycled shoes, using components to create tracks and basketball courts around the world. Yearbook adviser Carol Neal knew she had a great idea a few years back when she imagined turning yearbook pages into beaded jewelry for the very people who worked on the book. “It was one of those projects,” said the longtime adviser from Westminster Christian Academy in Fort

Lauderdale, FL. “I knew it would be amazing and I started collecting the tools and supplies we’d need, but it took awhile before it happened.”

At first she pitched the idea to her middle school staff, suggesting they could make beads for older siblings on the high school staff. But after they made the beads, they loved them so much they wanted a set of their own. In the last four or five years, they’ve experimented with bead size and shape, the incorporation of other beads and links and the options of different kinds of necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

MAKE YOUR OWN! To make amazing jewelry from your own yearbook (use a damaged copy or one you cut up for contest entries or tearsheets), see the instructions at the right. >>