March 15, 2024 / News & Notes

Get Inspired with the Walsworth 2023 President’s Collection Video Series!

Written by Danielle Finch

Let’s continue our journey of creative inspiration by diving further into our 2023 President’s Collection Video Series, which showcases the national award-winning yearbooks that choose to print with Walsworth Yearbooks. These videos let you witness award-winning secrets firsthand and come equipped with companion classroom resources. Elevate your staff’s skills by dissecting what sets these yearbooks apart. Let’s take a look at the next six books in this series: 

Hagerty High School, Oviedo, Florida

Known for their clean, graphic design aesthetic carried throughout the book from cover to endsheets, Hagerty stands out with thoughtful use of theme elements, white space and powerful photography. Under adviser Brit Taylor, CJE, the staff crafted a cohesive publication that tells the school’s stories with creativity and visual impact.

J.W. Mitchell High School, Trinity, Florida 

J.W. Mitchell High School’s yearbook was recently recognized for its outstanding achievements. The book was named a CSPA Crown Award finalist and inducted into the President’s Collection at Walsworth Yearbooks. Its “Bright Side” theme was brought to life through a unique Saul Bass-inspired design developed at Camp Orlando. Reinforcing the theme consistently through visuals and language, creative spreads without large photos and profiles showcasing diversity, J.W. Mitchell set the standard for yearbook excellence. Under adviser Susan McNulty, CJE, the staff combined inspiration with skill to produce a book that captured the essence of the school.

Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas 

Shawnee Mission East High School is a shining example of excellence in scholastic journalism. Adviser Dow Tate and his team of editors focus on strong visual storytelling and theme development. As highlighted in the video, spreads like their coverage of the band’s trip to London break convention with creative, magazine-worthy design. Through thoughtful photography, color use and layouts, the staff brings their “Within” theme to life page after page. It’s clear why Shawnee Mission East continues to be celebrated as one of the finest scholastic publications.

Shawnee Mission North High School, Overland Park, Kansas 

This book deserves recognition as one of the many creatively designed books in the President’s Collection. Through its use of unique layouts, bold colors and thoughtful photo choices, the staff was able to bring this year’s theme of “We Are Understood” to life. Their opening theme package utilized dimensional tip-ins to guide readers through the statement in an immersive format. This award-winning book demonstrated how innovative design can tell stories in engaging new ways.

Shawnee Mission Northwest, Shawnee, Kansas 

The Shawnee Mission Northwest High School yearbook, an NSPA Pacemaker finalist, creatively designed theme pages and spreads that highlighted the student experience. Featuring a dominant photo on each spread, the book carried graphic elements from the striking orange and black cover throughout. Notable spreads included a splash page honoring basketball championships, a wrestling spread covering girls wrestling and specialty stories like a memory of first love. Readers were engaged by timely sidebar stories and honesty in theme copy representing the sounds of student life.

 

Shawnee Mission South, Overland Park, Kansas 

The Shawnee Mission South High School yearbook used the theme phrase, “Nothing Greater,” living up to its theme through bold innovative design. Featuring a bright green cover with large dramatic typography and an action photo, the yearbook immediately conveyed school spirit and pride. Consistent use of doodles, cutouts and repetition throughout theme pages and spreads effectively emphasized the attitude of “Nothing Greater.” Creative adaptations of design elements like the stacked text module anchored varied layouts. With cohesive styling and smart photo choices, this staff captured all that made this school truly second to none.

 

Tune in next week to read out about the next group of schools to be featured, and be sure to follow along with the videos in our President’s Collection and watch with your staff. 

Comments are closed.

Danielle Finch

Danielle Finch is a former journalism adviser at Smithville High School and now works as a Digital Marketing Specialist for Walsworth. Danielle's passions lie in writing, managing web content and representing the needs of advisers.