Some of the work being done by middle school and junior high yearbook staffs is absolutely amazing. Ask Mike host Mike Taylor, CJE, sat down with two middle school yearbook staffs to discuss what they’re doing right, what they’re working on and what will happen when they move on to high school. Carl Albert Middle School, Midwest City, Oklahoma Taylor …
You have a theme. You have even created or are working on a cover. You might have worked on theme-related pages that are traditionally found in every yearbook, such as the endsheets, title page, opening, closing and division spreads. Now it’s time to do the storytelling, right? But wait. What about the theme? What about the voice? There are all …
In the newest episode of the Ask Mike podcast, host Mike Taylor, CJE, interviewed yearbook editors from opposite sides of the country. The first interview is done with Saugus High School, Saugus, California. Editors Megan Puettmann, Olivia Tessalaar and Ashley Dredge (collectively known as MOA), shared their thoughts on creating their 2020 yearbook. Taylor’s second interview, recorded the next day …
A note from the producer: This episode of Ask Mike was recorded during the recent yearbook workshop held in El Paso, Texas. While editing the episode, I fell in love with the border community, despite never having visited. The love Mike Taylor has for El Paso is also evident. The young people interviewed in this episode are amazing human beings. …
Updated by Delaney Pierce 5/5/2025 Writing strong copy for the whole school year is no easy feat considering themes are typically developed in October. Some schools even work on their themes in the spring of the previous year! It’s a difficult task. At times it may feel like you need a crystal ball to see how the year plays out …
There are some yearbook staffs who continually impress, year after year. But how do they do it? Mike Taylor, CJE, host of Ask Mike, sat down to find out how. In this podcast episode, he interviewed the editors of three outstanding yearbooks. You can listen to their interviews on the new episode, ”What Sets These Yearbooks Apart from the Crowd?” …
If you haven’t already, be sure to listen to the excellent season two bonus episode of Ask Mike. In the episode, titled “How Do I Create a Podcast?” Mike Taylor, CJE, and guest Samantha Jo Berry of Bridgeland High School in Houston, Texas, discuss the many benefits of adding podcasts to her journalism class curriculum. Whether the podcast stands alone …
It’s the time of year when many yearbook staffs are finishing their books. The only problem? There are still months left in the school year! If you’re looking for a journalism skill-building activity for your yearbook staff, Mike Taylor, CJE, has an option for you: podcasts! The possibilities of scholastic journalism keep expanding, and many schools are turning to podcasts …
Over the last several years, I became known by the title of Ask Mike. This is mainly due to the questions I get when traveling around the country or through my podcast called Ask Mike. Now it’s time to answer some of those questions. D’Angilo in Kansas writes: Hey Mike, when we look at our spreads, we have maybe seven …
Four years ago, the yearbook program at Williamsville North High School in Williamsville, New York, was fine. They weren’t creating award-winning or journalistic yearbooks, but their yearbook club was creating image-based books that the community liked well enough. “It was a big picture book,” said yearbook adviser Erin DeVantier. This is fairly standard in their part of the country; most …
