Even though the yearbook may be finished, there are still lots of activities students can do to keep busy and help get a head start on next year's book.
Theme Project
Many yearbook advisers are reluctant to do too much work towards next year's book without having the new staff in place, but if you have returning students, what better way to get ahead on the most important part of the book? Divide students into small groups and have each group come up with one theme slogan/phrase, one cover idea, one endsheet layout design, one theme-related icon that could be used throughout the book, and one theme-related title for each section. Have groups present their ideas to each other and vote on their favorites.
Yearbook Cheat Sheets
Once they’ve created the book, your students may think they're experts. While this may not be the case, they surely know a lot more about the production process now than they did just a few months ago. Let this year’s staff help next year’s staff by creating “Cheat Sheets” full of helpful hints for each topic or spread (e.g., who is in charge of what club, what coach to go to for stats, etc.).
“Idiot's Guide” to Yearbook
Similar to the Cheat Sheet assignment, the Idiot’s Guide is all about making production easier. Current staff members create a guide for next year with information on preparation, organization, etc.
Design Portfolio Project
What better way to reinforce design (and possibly get some designs started for next year) than to have students create their own layouts? Have students create layouts for each section of the book using design techniques learned throughout the year (e.g., drop shadows, gradients, transparency, image in text).
Scrapbooks
Students love scrapbooking, and what better way to put their design skills to use than to create their own mini-yearbooks commemorating their high school experiences? Using the same techniques they used to create the yearbook, students can create a scrapbook that is unified by a verbal or visual theme. Students will enjoy sharing their scrapbooks with each other and will have created something they can treasure for years to come.
Analysis of Yearbook
Once the yearbook arrives, it's time to look at its strengths and weaknesses. Analyzing the final product is a great way for students to look critically and objectively at what they did well and what needed improvement. This exercise invariably leads to forming new ideas for the next year’s book.
Even though the yearbook may be finished, there are still lots of valuable activities that students can do, making getting through those last few weeks of school easier for the adviser.
Angela D. Stancar - Ever since my first trip to Europe as a teenager, I have had a passion for travel. Since then, I have had some unforgettable experiences: ...
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