Sami A. Slaquer
8:30 a.m., somewhere on the West Coast – Sami is assigned the hottest story of the year – an investigative piece on the new speed bumps that are causing damage to cars in the school’s parking lot.
Anne Whitt, adviser of student publications at Dr. Phillips High School, Orlando, Fla., was recently selected as a 1997 Special Recognition Adviser by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund (DJNF) in its annual National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year award program.
For Susan Caperna, yearbook adviser at Ridgeville Christian High School, Springboro, Ohio, having 23 students sign up to be on staff was unprecedented.
My mind was firmly entrenched in the third paragraph when my name was called. “Not now,” I whined as I scurried to finish an article in People magazine before having my teeth checked. Of all the days for my dentist to be on schedule! I had just found the ultimate story – an intriguing topic covered from an unusual angle and including a smattering of opinion, as well as multiple methods of reporting the facts.
The old saying is that a good story will write itself. That is a myth. Really good stories, regardless of the topic, are the result of a focused angle, in-depth interviews and a creative writing style. Take a look at the following two examples of a personality profile written about a high school custodian. Although they were both written about the same individual, they were obviously the result of different reporting styles.
It can be called alternative, quick-read or reader-friendly. But the one thing non- traditional copy cannot be called is easy.
It was during our third deadline last year that it became painfully clear to me that if I had to read another boring yearbook story, I was going to – kill myself? No, that would have been too drastic. I was going to take a break and go to the lounge for a snack or two? No, the same boring stories would be on my desk when I returned.
For yearbook journalists, a primary objective is to tell the complete story of the year and infographics are an effective method of increasing in-depth coverage.
The last deadline has been met and the staff and adviser breathe a big sigh of relief. Some members of the yearbook staff may think the yearbook lab class just became an extra study hall and now there will be time to catch up on other classes. But, there are almost two months of the school year left.
Need a reliable yearbook partner? We specialize in high-quality yearbook printing and provide learning resources to support your school’s needs.