In honor of our 30th anniversary, we’ve redesigned Idea File. Come check out all the interesting reads, useful information and inspiration examples.
Social media holds enormous potential for yearbook staffs. It no longer needs to be relegated to the “Oh, yeah! I guess I could do that” category. With everyone spending more time online than ever before, social media is a channel for getting information in front of an audience. Whether you use it as a news…
I used to have a recurring yearbook nightmare – that when I died, every word in the 35 yearbooks I advised that was not completely accurate would turn red and would expose how much students made up. To avoid that potential embarrassment, I tried to create a culture with my staff that championed the essential…
Yearbook staffs work tirelessly to promote yearbooks as something as natural to the American high school experience as the events they record. But for those of diverse ethnic backgrounds, yearbooks may be unfamiliar. Three schools from different communities had one important factor in common: a large demographic whose first language was not English. El Dorado,…
It’s a spooky time of year: the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder, and the first big deadline for yearbook staffs has either just passed or is looming. Yearbook is a rewarding endeavor, but sometimes mistakes or oversights can cast a dark shadow on the entire project. These are some of the…
The purpose of every yearbook should be to tell the complete story of one year at one school through words, photos and design. Your coverage plan is the framework that drives the telling of your story from your cover to the last page of the book. Make sure that plan leads you to focus on…
Long, lazy days at the pool. Sidewalks so hot you could cook an egg on them. The summer sun blazing down upon your shoulders. BBQs at your best friend’s house. Camping out at the lake. Hot days and starry nights. All things that could describe the dog days of summer. It’s a phrase that can…
As I head into my 23rd year in education – my fifth as middle school yearbook teacher, I feel more confident than ever in my abilities. Of course, being a somewhat obsessive reflective educator, that road of reflection brings me back to those items I feel need improvement. That reflective little devil on my shoulder…
The book gets done and distributed and it’s instantly time to start thinking about next year. That was fast. It’s time to get the creative juices flowing and start gathering inspiration and contemplate what the story of 2020 at your school will be. Part One – Story Quest What story do you want to tell…
This holiday season, Walsworth has decided to celebrate by creating the 12 days of eBooks! We’re pretty proud of all the helpful eBooks we’ve created, and we want to make sure you’re aware of them too. That’s why over 12 days this month, we’ll be putting the spotlight on 12 of our specific eBooks. Each…
Trying to come up with an interesting idea for a yearbook feature story? Sometimes it can be difficult coming up with a unique angle, but the fact that you’re trying means you’re on the right track! “A yearbook shouldn’t be full of topics,” according to Brady Smekens, former adviser of the Deka yearbook staff at Huntington North High School, Huntington, Indiana. “Rather, it should tell the story of students. In the process, the topics get covered.” The list of story ideas on this page will help editors start brainstorming for coverage unique to their school and the current year.
