Top 10 tips for keeping yearbook seniors busy

Updated by Walsworth Yearbooks

Several yearbook staffs all over the country have hit that stage of the school year where they are now finished with the book, but still a few weeks away from the final product being delivered and distribution day.

Time to celebrate

First things first, creating a yearbook is a lot of hard work. Once your staff makes it to that final deadline and all pages have been submitted, it’s natural to exhale and celebrate your accomplishment!

Walsworth Yearbooks covers this topic in the free eBook, Let’s Have Some Fun. The Book is Done!, which you can download today. It’s filled with tips for planning a year-end celebration for the staff.

Keep the seniors busy

Even while you’re celebrating a completed yearbook, the school year isn’t over. It can be difficult finding things to keep the staff busy, especially seniors who don’t have their eyes on getting ready for next year’s book. But there are definitely productive tasks your seniors can be working on.

Many thanks to Walsworth yearbook rep Kat Bayliss and Whitney Huntington, CJE, yearbook adviser at West Potomac High School, for sending along these top 10 tips for keeping the yearbook seniors busy as the school year winds down!

1. Have the seniors research colleges and careers, then present on them – journalist, graphic designer, even yearbook rep. They can interview professionals in the field. Also, take a listen to Walsworth’s Behind the Byline podcast, which catches up with former student journalists every episode to find out where they are now with their careers.

2. Create a portfolio of their best yearbook spreads and journalist work.

3. Let them work on marketing ideas to sell more books for this year, if you have any left over. For next year, they can stuff folders to go out for next year’s ad and yearbook sales.

4. The seniors have learned all the yearbook tricks, and they know how to survive every ordeal, so have them create a “Survival Guide” for future yearbook staffers.

5. Have the seniors help with a curriculum, and provide input on what next year’s yearbook class should be graded on.

6. Get them to research distribution ideas to make for a smooth distribution day.

7. Theme ideas are always one of the most enjoyable areas of the yearbook to brainstorm. Allow the seniors to provide input on next year’s theme.

8. Have you thought about doing a supplement? If not, there could still be time, and the seniors should be in charge of a supplement covering graduation or prom. Ask your yearbook rep for more details.

9. Have the seniors create fliers to help recruit students for next year’s staff.

10. Have you tried some fundraising lately? The seniors could organize a bake sale, or a barbecue to raise some money for yearbook.

If you need even more great ideas, be sure to check out another one of our valuable, free resources – the eBook Jim Jordan’s 40 Things to do After the Yearbook is Done. Jordan, a special consultant for Walsworth and former award-winning yearbook adviser, outlines a wide variety of projects and activities that should keep your staff plenty busy through the end of the school year.