What’s that saying about idle hands? It’s not what you want to face the last quarter of the school year. When the book is done, keep the staff busy doing useful work. It’s time for underclassmen to plan ahead and for seniors to create a legacy. With staff members engaged in activities that benefit the yearbook program, the classroom atmosphere remains academic and productive.
To get a jump on the next year’s book, have underclassmen create a final project with a theme concept, cover, endsheets, title page, opening spread and copy, and divider in groups of two or three. To add a critical thinking component to the last quarter, have each underclassmen present three ideas to improve next year’s book. Download a theme project assessment rating scale.
Have graduating seniors choose from a list of several possible projects (some examples):
- inventorying and organizing equipment;
- reconfiguring the graphic inspiration wall;
- creating and organizing a library of exchange books, design resources, magazines;
- sorting, archiving and removing photos from computers.
As a critical thinking assignment, seniors also create a presentation showing what they’ve learned and how they’ve grown as a result of their yearbook experience. They should also address what they will do with the skills they have learned in yearbook and how they will carry them forward into their lives.
h/t to Bernadette Cramner, Granite Bay High School adviser, for these detailed instructions on end-of-the year projects.
