Tried-and-true strategies keep staffs motivated and organized. Here are three methods advisers use to keep track of yearbook spreads and deadlines. This post originally ran in the Spring 2019 issue of Balfour’s magazine Elements.
The Brigade yearbook staff at B.F. Terry High School in Rosenberg, Texas, displays Post-It notes to count down the days until the final yearbook deadline. The last 10 school days before the yearbook is due are in pink. Seeing the days dwindle motivates the staff to make every minute count.
To help her staff see the yearbook’s progress, Sterling Middle School adviser Stephanie Cox uses pocket charts and laminated paint sample cards to track pages. Cards for each page move from the “started” chart to “ready to be proofed” and finally to “published.”
“This method works for my yearbook staff members because it helps them see the progress of the whole book at a glance,” Cox said. “As we get closer to deadlines and they see more and more cards for other pages being moved over to the next pocket chart, they become more focused on getting their own pages completed. Each time we move a card, they take a minute to congratulate each other and celebrate their progress. It also helps them see where they are as a team and how many pages they need to complete to finish.”
Brenham High School’s method for tracking pages involves every member of the Brenhamite yearbook staff and serves as a visual reminder of the book’s progress.
“My rep, David Miller, and I really try to emphasize to the staffers how important it is to meet every deadline,” adviser Kim Lynch said. “We love the paper chain! The whole staff made it at the beginning of the year, one link for each page of the yearbook. When we ship pages to Balfour, each staffer ceremoniously rips a link off of the chain, representing each page that has been shipped. There's a lot of clapping and cheering.
“Every staffer participates, even if they were not directly involved with creating the page layout. Photographers, page designers, reporters and marketing staffers all participate in the chain rip. It's fun for them to destroy parts of the chain as they finish pages, and it's a constant visual reminder all across our classroom wall of how close we are to completing the yearbook. Students in my other classes are curious about the paper chain, which sparks discussion about what the yearbook staff is doing and helps build interest in the program. The chain is a fun, easy and almost free way to keep track of how close we are to being FINISHED."