5 Simple Ideas for… Smiling in the spring

Spring is in the air… stop pulling out your hair! Whether your staff is pushing through spring sports and prom pictures or celebrating turning in the very last set of proofs, this is the perfect time of year to have some much-deserved, much-needed fun.

Here are five ways to let off steam, celebrate, or just take a break:

1. Have a Chocolate Party. Have everyone on staff bring in something chocolate to share (make a list to avoid duplicates) and spend the period in gluttony. Don’t forget to assign at least two to three staffers to milk and cups!

2. Design Distribution Day T-shirts. Not only is it a great way to advertise distribution, shirts make staffers stand out if students have any questions about how to buy books, where to get extra autograph pages, or other questions. Whether you have T-shirts printed by a local company (ask for donations!) or have a tie-dye or Bedazzle party in class, matching shirts on distribution day unifies the staff one last time.

3. Take a Stress Relief Field Trip. If your staff members were at each others’ throats for the past few weeks, there’s no better time to let them have it out at your local paint ball or laser tag center. It’s a fun way to let go of all the year’s anxiety. No worries if your administration doesn’t think paint ball is a school appropriate idea; a cart racing track, bumper cars at a miniature golf park, a trampoline or gymnastics studio, or even Chuck-E-Cheese’s will do the trick, too.

4. Have Thanksgiving in April. Each year before our holiday break in November, my staff plans an elaborate Thanksgiving meal to share with one another. Each student brings in a traditional family dish and we set one long table to eat at together. We do this again in April, after our final proofs have been sent, as a reminder of what brought us all together in the first place and to share favorite funny memories of the year.

5. Sleep… at a Spring Slumber Party. Have a “lock-in” slumber party in the yearbook room.  Borrow a projector and screen and plan to watch movies, eat popcorn, play games, make sundaes and sleep (yeah, right!) in sleeping bags on the floor.  Don’t forget parent permission slips and one or two adult chaperones, of course.

You have a lot to do in the spring, as evidenced by some of the articles in this issue. But take time to relieve stress, have fun and celebrate your hard work.