Throughout the country, schools are experiencing a record numbers of snow days. While this definitely impacts the yearbook staff’s ability to meet deadlines, how do these bad weather days affect the students and teachers? Bad weather days and other major events are coverage opportunities for the yearbook staff.
Here are 8 ways to turn unexpected events into coverage opportunities.
1. Candid Photos
Get your staff in the habit of taking photos every day. As soon as a snow day is announced, remind a student leader, such as the photo editor or editor-in-chief, to communicate with the yearbook staff about shooting candid pictures of the event.
2. Photo Submissions
If the event has already happened, or you don’t have enough pictures generated by the yearbook staff, ask for submissions from students and parents (Balfour’s Image Share app is ideal for this). Create a package featuring what people did with the unplanned break from school.
3. Cause and Effect
Be specific on what the reason for the unexpected event was, but even more importantly, think about everything/everyone in the school impacted by this event. For example: Will graduation be delayed because there have been so many bad weather days? How do these days change a sporting event that was scheduled to happen? Brainstorm the possibilities and tell those stories.
4. Social Media
Watch how people are reacting via social media. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are a goldmine of information that can help develop an angle for a spread about an unexpected event.
5. In Their Own Words
Get quotes by asking good questions related to the event while it is happening and immediately after. Don’t wait three weeks to start collecting sound bites; they won’t be as meaningful.
6. Make Room
You may have to adjust your ladder, but the yearbook tells the COMPLETE story of the year. This type of coverage could easily fit into the student life section, but might also work in another section, such as academics, especially if it causes the school year to be extended into the summer. If it is too late to include it there, consider incorporating it into the index as a sidebar.
7. Expand Coverage
Think of other events affecting your students outside of school that should be covered. Things like the plummeting price of gas, ice bucket challenge, local and national elections, etc. When including events like these, always incorporate the student voice into them and include the facts, figures, and student’s feelings about the event.
8. Have Fun
Be creative with these spreads. The event was unexpected, so it is ok for the spread to break out of the traditional box a little bit.
