Yearbook Love | Spring 2018 | Issue 76

“Many times I find that my staff need to revisit instruction for clarification,” she said. “They have become so much more self-directed from having access to knowledge through the videos. When they need to, they watch the videos again to try and answer their questions before coming to me or an editor.”

This has reduced the number of revisions that have to be made, and it has helped staff make sure that elements, such as captions, better adhere to the publication’s style guidelines.

“I like the fact that if I am busy and a student needs clarification, they have another source to turn to rather than waiting for me to get to them,” she said. “It multiples me as the instructor and cuts down on the amount of time a student might be sitting there waiting.”

Another bonus is that students can pause, rewind or even speed up the pace of the videos.

“This is great because they don’t feel rushed or worried that they will miss important content to include in their notes,” she said. “I have students who love the fact that they can do their yearbook ‘homework’ at 1 am, or that they can start their homework, then pause it and resume it later when it works with their personal schedule. It makes my instruction more of a teacher-on-demand.”

The inverted curriculum is a beneficial tool for advisers in other ways, too.

Weidkamp’s yearbook rep, Bryan Durda, noted that “creating this library of instructional videos enabled Kate to have another ‘tangible’ grading element, which is important because sometimes the yearbook class can be a difficult one to grade.”

The third reason is more personal.

As a fairly young adviser, Weidkamp, and her husband, wanted to

start a family. In fact, she is expecting their first child this year. She knew she would need to plan for her maternity leave, and she wanted to make sure that her staff and their yearbook product would be well-supported while she was gone.

“By inverting my curriculum, I can be away but still teach my staff and deliver the content the way I’d like it to be instructed,” she said. “It also makes it easier for a substitute teacher; most will not have a yearbook or journalism background. My inverted curriculum will be used this fall by my substitute. When I return for the spring 2019 term, I am confident that my staff will know how to be great yearbookers because I have taught them through my videos and the accompanying activities.”

The new format freed up time for Weidkamp and her staff to bond by participating in team building games.

“That created a positive culture that we all now enjoy and benefit from,” she said.

Her students have definitely taken to the idea. But it took a while for them to get on board with the new format.

“To be honest, at first my staff was confused,” she said. “It was my first time inverting a class and it was their first time being in an inverted structure. It took a little bit of time to get the process down.”

Weidkamp was honest with them. She reminded them that everyone (even their adviser) was going through a learning process. She invited them to provide constructive feedback so she could refine the process and improve it for the following year.

“My staff did a great job embracing the new format, and I tried to demonstrate how this would be used to improve our class time together; that helped a lot with their buy-in,” she said.

“Once the staff realized how efficient and resourceful the inverted curriculum can be, they were all on board.”

Durda added, “Once the staff realized how efficient and resourceful the inverted curriculum can be, they were all on board. Kate is not only a great yearbook adviser but an amazing teacher, and I think the way she implemented the process helped her students buy in to all its advantages.”

Weidkamp used content from the 7-Minute Starters in Jostens Digital Classroom to create her video presentations.

“It helped that the information and examples were already there and in a format that was supposed to be for a shortened, yet direct, instruction time period,” she said. “All I had to do was create a video around it. Without the 7-Minute Starters, this would have been a lot more work and more of a challenge to pull off in the first year.”

Along the way, she also experienced some challenges.

“Sometimes the technology would not work or I had to remake a video(s) to clarify further or touch on missing instruction that we needed to include in our training,” she said.

At times, her staff grew tired of having “homework” on an almost nightly basis. But, she kept the videos short (less than 15 minutes each) and the delivery entertaining — which helped.

She also tried to make it fun.

“We called the inverted structure ‘Yearbook University’,” she said. “They got stickers for completing the ‘classes’, and those stickers adorn their yearbook notebook (their notebooks are full of their video notes to revert back to when they need a refresher). We also had a ‘graduation’ ceremony. Celebration is huge in our culture and my staff love to have fun with goofy traditions.”

KATE’S TIPS FOR FLIPPING A CLASSROOM

START SLOW AND DO WHAT YOU CAN.

I am pretty tech savvy; so, for me, this was an easier next step in our class structure, but I understand that it may not be for all advisers. Do what you can, when you can. Every step you make towards improving your program for your staff will help. Just making two videos the first time around frees up class time to spend connecting with your staff. That’s a win for everyone.

ACCEPT THAT IT WON’T BE PERFECT. I knew going into this that it was going to have bumps, and I am glad I was very open with my staff. That was a great teaching moment in itself. I love that now I have a base from which to add on to and refine for future yearbook staff. After our book is completed this spring, I want to work on refining my inverted structure and the activities associated with each video. HAVE FUN WITH IT.

If this is something you want to try — own it! The more you buy in, the more your staff will enjoy it. My staff’s favorite videos are when my pets accidentally make noise or when I hold up my cat during the filming. They love when I am energetic or goofy because it keeps them more entertained. Develop a style that works for who you are, and have fun integrating it. Everyone will enjoy the process so much more.

A RARE OPPORTUNITY Adviser

m re

YEARBOOK CAPTURES BOARD’S ATTENTION

It was the personality profile posters that first caught the assistant superintendent’s attention early on in the 2017-2018 school year.

Ava Butzu’s yearbook staff at Grand Blanc Community High School [MI] created the posters and displayed them in the halls of the school to promote the yearbook theme, “Blanc Slate.”

The 11 x 17 posters were similar in style to Humans of New York.

“Our assistant superintendent was intrigued by the personal connections they created,” Butzu said, “and by our theme, ‘Blanc Slate,’ which is geared toward celebrating community, connections and how our school, our community and the city of Grand Blanc have shaped our life experiences, who we are today and our memories. The second part of the theme acknowledges that we all have a ‘slate’ that we can fill or erase to

continue to build who we are.”

After hearing that the school’s 2016-2017 yearbook was a JEA Pacemaker finalist, and learning that this year’s book contained a 10-page special section focusing on mental health, the new principal asked Butzu and her staff if they would like to talk to the Board of Education about their theme and the yearbook program. He arranged for them to speak.

Three editors jumped at the opportunity: editorin-chief Olivia Bradish, copy editor Hope Welter and design editor Allison Morgan.

“The editors wanted to do this because they are incredibly proud of our 2017-2018 theme,” Butzu said. “I was surprised that two of them volunteered, because they are (self-acknowledged) public-speaking phobic, but they wanted a chance to talk about this project that they love.”

Photo by Matthew Rickard

Handling a leave of absence with ease.

BY MANDY MAHAN*

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest pressures of an adviser’s job is meeting a deadline. The adviser is often in a difficult position to begin with because he is essentially a middle man, facilitating business between teenage producers and adult publishers. While there is a multitude of uncontrollable variables that can prevent meeting a deadline in a timely fashion, an adviser’s worst nightmare can be when his or her own life gets in the way, resulting in the dreaded LEAVE OF ABSENCE!

Whether it’s a family crisis, maternity leave, scheduled (or unscheduled) surgery, or even a planned vacation, every adviser dreads the thought of leaving his or her publication in the hands of a stranger, especially at deadline time. To get through this situation, all it takes is some hard work and careful planning. Throughout her 10-year tenure at West Forsyth High School, Zephyr adviser Maureen Farry has had to take three leaves of absence (two planned and one unforeseen), and each one has yielded a successful publication, which

managed to meet all its deadlines. When discussing how things went so smoothly, she agreed that prior communication was the key to avoiding deadline disasters.

“I think the thing that helped the most was letting my sales rep know ahead of time. He and his assistants made regular visits with my staff to make sure that everything was getting done when I couldn’t be there. Your plant consultant is important, too. She knew that I was out, too, so that she could help with submissions and technical issues,” she said.

Whitney High School Details adviser Sarah Nichols secnds Farry’s recommendation to lean on your sales rep and plant consultant. Her staff had mostly finished their book for the year when she went out on maternity leave, but they still had a few index pages to submit.

She thanks both her sales rep and plant consultant for catching what could have been a disaster.

“Our consultant at the plant was incredible — she noticed that some of our index had not placed properly,

*Mandy Mahan is the publications adviser and foreign language department head at d’Iberville High School [MS].

Photo by Pedro Cabrera

“I think the thing that helped the most was letting my sales rep know ahead of time. He and his assistants made regular visits with my staff to make sure that everything was getting done when I couldn’t be there.”

resulting in names missing. The level of detail and care truly amazed me! I thought, ‘How in the world did they catch something like that?’ They said they just wanted to be that extra set of eyes in my absence, and I was grateful,” Nichols said.

Another piece of advice from Farry is to set clear communication boundaries with your staff members prior to leaving, if possible. While out, she only communicated with her editor in chief, mostly through phone calls and texts. Any staff members who had issues or questions submitted those to the EIC, who would then check in with Farry only at designated times. On days when she could make it work, she would FaceTime with her staff so it felt like she was in the room, and anyone and everyone could communicate with her then. Likewise, Nichols kept in constant communication with her staff, but only on oher schedule.

“Those strong personal relationships with editors are key. Being out of school is always a challenge for yearbook advisers, but in the case of childbirth it should be a special time free of distractions. My advice to others is to be as forthcoming as possible with the staff, editors, rep and other key players (like students’ parents) about your tentative timeline and what’s about to take place. You’ll have another yearbook, but only one time to experience the arrival of this new little person in your family,” Nichols said.

Unfortunately, not all districts have identical teacherto-student communication policies. It’s important to check with your administration on the approved ways to communicate with your staff members while out. If personal phone communication isn’t allowed, there are several apps and websites designed to facilitate communication in safe ways between students and teachers. Make sure to research your options and pitch them for approval as much in advance as possible.

In addition to communication throughout her absence, Farry is consistent with setting procedures and expectations from the beginning of the year to make the transition as smooth as it can be when it finally or happens to occur.

“My last leave of absence was unplanned, and it was a family tragedy that hit me really hard. My mind wasn’t in the right place, and it was hard to think clearly about everything I needed to take care of. Fortunately, I had a fantastic editor in chief who was so used to our procedures that she was able to take care of everything that needed to be done. Our school has prior review, and she even managed to get the principal to review all of our pages so that they were ready to send to the plant at deadline time,” Farry said.

Despite feeling slightly guilty for not being able to lead her staff, Farry knew that, ultimately, she had done the right thing by training them all correctly in prior years. Strong guidelines that are followed on a regular basis can set the pattern and tone for how things should be run whether the adviser is on campus or not. It’s a good idea to have most procedures in writing in a staff manual so that a sub, member of administration, or even a staff member can use it as a reference if the adviser is not available to ask.

Farry’s final recommendation is to have another on-campus adult employed by the district who can help with day-to-day duties like handling equipment.

“I gave my next-door teaching neighbor the key to our equipment safe, and he would lock it or unlock it if a staff member needed a piece of equipment to cover an event. The students knew who he was and were familiar with him, and he had stepped into my class a few times throughout the year, so he knew who they were too. All of my equipment was there in perfect shape when I got back, so I’d say the plan worked pretty well,” Farry said.

There are many aspects to advising yearbooks that can make a long-term absence much different from those who teach standard classroom subjects. Regardless of the circumstances life hands you, it’s important to be prepared to handle them appropriately so that your staff and publication can survive without you there. Make sure to set clear and thorough expectations from the beginning to help facilitate any absence as smoothly as possible. Don’t forget to ask for help, and most importantly, take care of yourself!

Adviser’s career spans more than five decades m re DREAM

Barbara Landreth has had a long and exemplary career as a yearbook adviser. She’s been teaching at Newnan High School [GA] since 1961. She’s been the yearbook adviser there since 1963. That’s 54 yearbooks.

But her yearbook journey started long before she ever stepped foot in the halls of Newnan High.

“I started working on a yearbook staff when I was in the seventh grade,” Landreth said. “I worked through my senior year when I was editor of the book. I worked on the yearbook for a couple of years in college, as well as the newspaper.”

At Newnan High School, she’s been in the same classroom for the last 54 years. She’s taught grades 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. In addition to advising the school’s yearbook, she teaches American literature and composition.

She credits her longevity to the people she works with.

“I have appreciated the teachers, administrations and staff at Newnan High School for their professionalism and the expertise and loyalty they exhibit,” she said. “I have appreciated the students and the community. As a matter of fact, I have worked for only seven principals during my 57 years here. I have loved my job.”

Over the course of a career that has spanned more than five decades, yearbooks have evolved. As a consummate professional, Landreth has kept pace with the ongoing changes, but she noted that the challenges of being a yearbook adviser haven’t changed much since she began her tenure in 1963.

Every year she focuses on keeping up with content, data, paperwork, meetings, new programs and workshops, all while thinking, “What goes around comes back around.”

Her biggest challenge has been to teach teens to choose pictures based on quality, not their emotions.

“They have to picture the people they do not know, not just their best friends,” she said.

She instills a strong work ethic in her students and teaches them to focus on the professionalism that is the cornerstone of exceptional scholastic journalism.

“They have to spell everyone’s name correctly, not just the way they think names are spelled,” she said. “They have to meet deadlines and sustain work every day for 90 minutes. They have to appreciate the school enough to want to tell its good story and to represent the school as a staff member.”

She impresses upon her staff the importance of creativity and innovation.

“Thinking outside of the box means not doing what we have always done — not falling into the trap of thinking, ‘but we’ve always done it that way.’ Instead, we have to say: Let’s do it differently.”

Landreth’s Jostens yearbook representative, Matt Felis, has worked with her since 2001.

“I was a rookie yearbook rep when she was celebrating her 40th year teaching at Newnan High School,” Felis said. “She was one of the first advisers I met when I got my territory and through all those years, she has done whatever is best for her students and her yearbook staff.”

Felis noted that Landreth has never used her expertise and longevity as a ‘crutch’. She’s doesn’t shy away from keeping up with technology.

“Over the last 17 years I have had the pleasure of watching Barbara shift from producing a yearbook using paper and grease pencils to using an online yearbook program,” Felis said. “She has moved from only doing the seniors section in color to producing an all-color book. And she has moved from keeping up with sales in a ledger to entering them online.”

While she can still draw layouts on graph paper and crop pictures, she feels technology has made it easier to produce the yearbook.

“We like to do the book online,” she said. “Cameras have changed. It’s very easy to take a picture and put it directly into the image library and on a page.”

By all measures, Landreth has had an important impact on the lives of her students.

“I love hearing stories about the students she has had over the years that have gone on to have great success in life,” Felis said. “It doesn’t matter if they have a Hall of Fame career in country music or have risen to become Secretary of the Navy or are a yearbook adviser in Rome, GA — they all had Barbara Landreth as an English teacher at Newnan High School, and they all remember her.”

In addition to being an inspiring yearbook adviser and teacher, Landreth is kind and generous.

“She always has some candy to give to me when I visit,” Felis said. “She always walks me to the front door of the school and gives me a hug when I leave.”

After more than 54 years of teaching English and advising yearbook, Landreth isn’t thinking about retiring.

“One day, I’ll just quit,” she said. “I’ll sit for a while, read a book or two more than I usually read, and then decide what I am going to do when I retire.”

m re BECOME

Each year, Jostens identifies schools that continually strive to create a great yearbook for their students. The National Yearbook Program of Excellence is awarded to yearbook programs that meet the following criteria:

• A MEANINGFUL BOOK FOR ALL STUDENTS

• A BOOK IN EVERY STUDENT’S HANDS

• EFFECTIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The following four schools are a few programs that have earned the award every year of its existence (2012-2017). They will be striving for their seventh straight award this May.

View all the winners of Jostens National Yearbook Program of Excellence at www.jostens.com/yearbook.

A MEANINGFUL BOOK FOR ALL STUDENTS

NATIONAL YEARBOOK P ROGRAM

HOLY FAMILY HIGH SCHOOL [CO]

For the Vista yearbook staff, coverage is everything. “We all believe that every human is precious and everyone here matters,” adviser Amy Frie said. “I have stressed the importance of inclusion and that it is imperative we find what is special about everyone here at our school.”

A passion for coverage and a commitment to meeting deadlines are the keys to Holy Family’s sustained success. “For 22 years as yearbook rep, I have never cried until I witnessed Holy Family’s passionate commitment to coverage,” Jostens rep Dana Weis said after she witnessed Frie challenge her staff to include every member of their school community in the yearbook. The Vista regularly covers 90% of the student body. “When we hit the excellence requirements and receive word that we indeed met it, we have a big staff party, because everyone was a part of making it a reality,” Frie said. “It is a great honor, yet well deserved, because my editors and staff have worked so hard to achieve it!”

FAIRPORT HIGH SCHOOL [NY]

The Hourglass staff know that, with yearbooks, publicity goes a long way. This is why they do all they can to get the word out about their great publication. “I personalize many emails to parents to let them know that their son or daughter’s artwork was chosen to be in the book,” adviser Donna Marie Roessel said. In addition to personalized emails, Fairport takes advantage of the Yearbook Avenue Coverage Report and You’re in the Book flyers. The program also throws a big party at the end of the year, which helps with recognition. “They throw the BEST yearbook distribution party,” Jostens rep Matt Crafts said. “It’s a half day signing event complete with a dozen food trucks, games (including a principal dunk tank, bands and bubble races) and a dedication ceremony. The whole school community gets involved with it.” Efforts like this help with getting a copy of the Hourglass in as many students’ hands as possible.

P ROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE

SUN PRAIRIE HIGH SCHOOL [WI]

Over the years, winning the Program of Excellence award has become an expectation of The Cardinal staff. “There is a definite pride in it,” adviser Betsy Butler said. “The tenets of the program are in line with our club’s priorities and values — timeliness, planning, inclusion and diversity — and a book in as many hands as possible.” Butler credits the program’s success to her rep’s yearly planning workshop. “Because of their attendance at the workshop, they have their theme, cover and ladder completed by the first bell of the year,” Jostens rep Keri Lange said. “Having these key pieces already done allows them to really focus on spread completion as soon as school starts.” The Sun Prairie program continues to flourish despite being a club activity, having a school with an enrollment of over 1,600 and creating a 200+ page book. “Any staff that earns this recognition is amazing, but as a club with the enrollment and page count Betsy and her staff tackle each year, it is simply incredible that she has consistently achieved this recognition,” Lange said.

POWDERSVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL [SC]

Adviser Monique German learned early that being intentional about coverage generates yearbook sales. “Students buy yearbooks because they hope to see themselves in the yearbook,” German said. “After the first year, we were very committed to getting our student photos, and the staff is persistent in using Jostens Yearbook Avenue tools like the Coverage Report to keep track.” One thing that helps Powdersville with coverage is to plan for it in its theme and design. “This year, I had a contest with my 8th grade students to see who could design the best coverage strip for our theme,” German said. “We used the winner’s design on every page and that invested all of our students in the process.”

The more pre-planning the yearbook staff does, the smoother the creation process is. “It’s great working with a staff that is always three steps ahead,” Jostens rep Luke Samples said. “They are always making their deadlines with weeks to spare. I’m always impressed with their marketing efforts and I know they are doing their very best to get a yearbook in every student’s hands.”

IN A SNAP

2018 JOSTENS PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS

Thousands of unique and talented student photographers from across the country submitted amazing photography to this year’s Jostens Photo Contest. More than 5,400 entries were received, but only 80 of them were selected as award winners.

Judges for the 2018 Jostens Photo Contest were:

MARCI PIEPER

Photojournalism Teacher

Clayton High School, MO

SAM OLDENBURG

Publications Adviser

Western Kentucky University, KY

DEREK GOWER

Freelance Photographer

JOHN CUTSINGER

Jostens Ambassador

In addition to the Grand Prize and First Place winners showcased on these pages, additional winners are displayed at jostensyearbooks.com and will be featured in the 2019 Look Book.

GRAND PRIZE

ALL FOR INDIA

Alina Peret, photographer

Bryant High School [AR]

“India, a student with special needs, won homecoming court the last year of her high school career. I was ready for any sign or moment of celebration and she gave it to me, loud and clear.”

“This is THE photo we all hope to get — that peak of the moment photo packed with irrefutable emotion. What makes this image so special is the technical superiority of the photograph. In the right place at the right time, this photographer got in close and took a masterful shot.”

– John Cutsinger