The Yearbooking Report Podcast

Welcome to a new calendar year! Halfway through the school year now, do you and your staff do a good job of yearbook promotion? Not just book sales but also letting your school know about all the hard work you do every single week? Do you do ANY promotion at all? Most yearbook staffs DON'T. If not, it's time to start - listen to some great views from veteran yearbook adviser Rebecca Pollard from Lovejoy HS in Texas. Her staff works all year long to tell student stories in many different ways - and you can too! Get ready for some ideas and inspiration to help improve your yearbook effort - and your entire school!

Let's face it - everyone has a smartphone in their pocket. How can that little item be used as part of any yearbooking effort?

Check out this episode with comments from Penn State University associate professor John Beale, also an experienced  veteran photojournalist who teaches a course on smartphone usage for journalism. Pick up a bunch of tips on using your mobile device for yearbooking, along with some discussion on journalism today. Then let's go use those phones - for good!

How's your yearbook page making going? No matter where you are, listen to this episode for a LONG list of great advice and tips from Jostens ambassador and yearbook legend John Cutsinger. John has been helping yearbook staffs for decades to improve their look and design with cutting edge ideas like freeform design. Listen to see what we mean!

And John also shares nearly five decades of yearbooking wisdom for advisers from rookies to veterans. This episode runs a bit longer than others but only because John's advice on all things yearbook is thorough and outstanding. 

It's our October 2019 episode, and get ready for some great thoughts on what should be the chief reason for making a yearbook - storytelling. Everyone at school has some story to tell, and everyone WANTS their story told.

Listen for great ideas and wisdom from Casey Nichols, recently retired as the outstanding adviser at Rocklin High School in Rocklin, CA. Now a traveling ambassador for Jostens, at Rocklin Casey always stressed good and frequent storytelling with his staff which resulted in an outstanding yearbook every year - and a happier and more understanding student body. One helps the other...

Also check out some of the latest news in yearbooking!

In the September 2019 episode of The Yearbooking Report, hear some good ideas on staff organization with top adviser Kristen Scott from Kealing Middle School in Austin, TX. Kristen helped to write the Jostens Yearbook Adviser Guide and has one of the top middle school staffs in America, a book that rivals many high school efforts.

Listen for tips and inspiration on both organizing your staff, and that kids at ANY level can create a top notch yearbook! Yes middle schooler advisers, you can do this!

Welcome to a new school year! Check this our first episode of the new year with thoughts on building your new yearbook team with veteran adviser Kelly Shearer from South Williamsport HS, PA. Building a great team will mean ultimate success for your effort. Also be sure to listen for lots of other ideas and tips from Kelly, along with news on a new exciting portrait photo option slowly sweeping the country - is it right for your school?

To wrap up the school year, hear a great interview on the importance of student journalism with Sarah Nichols, president of the national Journalism Education Association (JEA) and one of the top yearbook advisers in the country. Sarah leads an outstanding media group at Whitney HS in Rocklin, CA where trained students do the reporting and decision making.

 

Hear Sarah's thoughts on good student journalism, inspiration to get there, dealing with administrators and journalism, and advice on yearbooking. It's a great way to end the current school year!

Welcome back! With the end of the school year approaching, your distribution day should be one of the most important days on the school calendar. But at most schools, it goes by without any fanfare. You've worked hard all year and then...nothing. Let's change that!

Listen to an interview with Maddi Hallock, adviser at Bradford Area High School, PA, on her staff's Barker Day entertainment and distribution event which is anticipated by everyone each year. Hear ideas and insights on what they do and see how YOU can do it!

And advisers, you have a chance to earn some graduate credit hours for yourself just by doing yearbook work! Listen in for some details...

It's March and SPRING! It's also about time for spring yearbook schools to wrap up their book work, and a popular question for them is "book's done, now what?" This month we talk with adviser Savannah Cajka of Loyalsock Township High School in Williamsport, PA on what she does with her staff once the book is completed. Last year's staff won the Jostens Yearbook Program of Excellence Award AND made the annual Jostens Look Book, a rare duo. And hear some thoughts on other yearbooking aspects, for both spring and fall yearbook schools.

Having trouble motivating your students to do their best work or maybe even to WORK? In the February episode of The Yearbooking Report podcast listen to veteran adviser Mitch Eden of Kirkwood HS, MO as he shares some great advice and ideas to help any adviser get the best out of their staff. EVERY journalism adviser needs to listen to this interview and episode - it's time to get the kids to WORK!