Christine Seymour is the yearbook adviser at Helena High School in Montana.
With seven months, 272 pages, five deadlines, 17 staff members, and two programs to learn, there is one question: How does a staff that has very little journalism training make a book that is respected by the student body, community and the publishing company?
“The first day is always nerve wracking for me. We’ve all had years when the staff just didn’t click or ideas from camp were rejected, or students whom we thought would be excellent yearbook staff members turned out to be unproductive. I am always worried because, ultimately, they affect the production of the book.”
Helena High has 17 staff members, seven of whom are returning members. Most of them have never opened Adobe InDesign or Photoshop, never designed a page and never written for any publication. In addition, few have a background in photography, and most have no clue how much work it is to put a book together. So, how do we do it? We take it one step at a time.
Learning is the hardest part. How do you learn all there is to know about yearbook in one month? We start by utilizing the PowerPoint presentations provided by Balfour and the workshop educators at camp. The presentations usually begin with the very basics and allow students to learn a basic understanding of the programs, the composition and technical points of taking photos and the elements of caption writing.
Then, we practice. Using our inspiration pieces, the students go out and take photos, make infographics and create layouts. Once we have the basics down, we have a yearbook workshop. Our representatives David Honnold and Harvard Westlake adviser Jen Bladen travel to Montana to reinforce things like basic design and photography.
“I liked learning tricks and shortcuts in InDesign and Photoshop. I also liked working with Mark Murray to improve my photography skills. The workshop day helped each of us excel in different ways,” Kayla Robertson said.
The workshop coordinators also critiqued anything we had completed and offered suggestions. It’s a great way to think through the book before production of pages begins.
After the infographics are made, spreads are created, fonts are saved, and the ladder is established, students make the leap from “let’s practice making these things” to “I have this spread to do and a deadline to get it done.” This transition usually occurs around the first of October. Students can pick and choose what they want on their pages from items in the library pallet. They can also create something on their own as long as it ties into our theme. Most students stick with the library pallet for the first deadline and are more adventuresome in later deadlines.
“I find that it is nice to have the basic layout on the page for us when we open it. However, I love being able to choose what I want for secondary coverage, a headline, and the type of story I want to tell. It makes the pages look different instead of all being the same,” Kate Beaver said. Ownership is the key. By letting the students be creative within the confines of design rules, the staff is a much happier staff.
Of course, we don’t laugh at each other; we celebrate! We critique each other’s spreads, we give props to those who took photos that leave us in awe, and we eat! We eat when we make our deadlines, and we eat when things are going well. The staff loves to have pizza. It’s a simple and cheap way to show appreciation.
“We like it when we get pizza. It not only satisfies our hunger, but it motivates us to get our stuff done,” Alyssa Thompson Kirker said.
It is the small things that make a staff feel great. Motivation doesn’t always have to be generated with food or gifts. A simple comment on a great photo, a unique headline or cool typography reinforces the great work the staff is doing. Because when all is said and done, a hardworking, happy staff makes a great yearbook.
Helena High School’s yearbook can be purchased here.