The Yearbook World of Scott Geesey
from Jostens Yearbooks of central/northern Pennsylvania
ARCHIVE - AUGUST 20, 2020
WELCOME TO YEARBOOK 2021: Perhaps It's Time to Reassess Your Effort
Hello! I hope your summer break was as restful as you could make it given the bizarre circumstances we're still living in. I'm guessing you'll agree - the year 2020 can't end soon enough, although perhaps it's been a great year for you!
But there's no doubt that so many things have changed just this year alone, and will change for the future. When we eventually get past this pandemic so many things will be different - education in general, cleanliness, group gatherings, sports events, some people wearing masks all the time in public, people keeping distance from strangers, so many things.
Back in the spring I referred to the Cheated Class of 2020. That's just a memory now - instead we may have the Even More Cheated Class of 2021. For those seniors out there, how can we make their big final year one to remember for all the RIGHT reasons?
I've been super busy all summer long, no vacation this year. I was already a broadcast and journalism expert - now I'm an online broadcast expert. And with "no visitors" the standard line at nearly every school this fall (and maybe longer,) I'm ready to do some fun informative online teaching LIVE nearly every day once classes begin again. No matter where the students are learning - school, home, wherever. What can I do to help?
Be sure to check out my latest episode of my Yearbooking Report monthly series here in the right column. This is one to watch and listen to, featuring an interview on remote teaching from a veteran yearbook adviser who did this ALL of last year, not just in the spring, and over 2,000 miles away from her school! Get the highlights in the video, the full story in the podcast.
As we begin again, let's assess - or reassess - some yearbook basics...
It's already a crazy start to the new year, and very distracting. The state keeps changing guidelines, school officials are nervous, some parents are concerned, and many teachers are understandably worried.
Sadly I've lost some terrific yearbook advisers this year because of this situation. One quit her position over concerns at school and an existing health situation. Another at a private school and near retirement was essentially just retired by the school because of budget cuts. One veteran adviser was going to try one or two more years, then saw the situation and opted to retire now.
What a year. But I'm reminded of one of my favorite sayings - when life gives you lemons, make some yummy lemonade. How can we make some delicious lemonade from this lemon of a situation?
TAKE PICTURES NOW, LOTS OF THEM: As I compose this in mid August no one has any idea of the future, even just the next few weeks. Will we all be thrown home again for remote learning? A growing number of schools aren't taking chances, they're starting the new year online and will stay there for probably quite a while.
But for everyone the idea might be the expect the worst so the thought is to get your staffers taking pictures - a LOT of them - right from the beginning. If your school is back in the building get students taking a TON of images of different people right away so that IF your classes are all thrown home again you have at least something to start with.
What pictures? No silly poses or people just standing there - instead look for real life action but perhaps especially for THIS year: people wearing masks, social distancing, other precautions needed now. But do your best to get REGULAR action shots of kids hanging out, having fun, working on something, etc.
And when our cool new J-classes series goes live shortly, be sure to check out and use the lessons on photography. It isn't hard to take great photos, it just takes the initiative to try something different. And what's the best camera you have right now? Easy - the one that's with you; yes, even a smartphone camera available at a moment's notice.
TELL STORIES OF PEOPLE: I'm actually repeating this one from my summer update. I'll be urging staffs all year about a change to your yearbooking. Instead of the usual concentrating on events and groups/teams/clubs, it needs to become more about stories of individuals, the people of our school.
An example: as I write this we still have no idea about fall sports. They could be canceled again like spring sports were handled, especially if online learning is the norm. But fall athletes still have stories to tell: prepping for the season, their frustrations, their future goals, and if games ARE played stories about their remembrances.
For my Jostens advisers I've shared a simple one page plan on how to handle this. While it will entail a little more work, that work is easy. Follow the plan and you'll have another great book for 2021 that everyone will anticipate.
USE NEW YEARBOOK+ FEATURE: And here's another repeat - for Jostens high schools, while our new Layout Pro page creation tool will get a lot of attention in the coming weeks and months, it will be our new Yearbook+ digital tool that could really make an impact across your entire school, in or out of the building.
With Yearbook+ EVERY student in your school will have the chance to tell their own story in up to 10 pictures they upload during the school year, all moderated for appropriateness. Those images will be "linked" to their portrait photo in the book using any mobile device, and then those pictures can be recalled at any time in the future, along with other features.
No matter if you're in or out of the building, Yearbook+ will be a great way to keep everyone connected. When this great new feature is ready to launch we'll let you know.
CONSIDER CHRONOLOGICAL: This school year could be one mixed up mess if the virus shows up in your building. Perhaps instead of the traditional yearbook plan by section (seniors, sports, clubs and activities, student life, etc.) consider a chronological plan.
How does that work? Let the yearbook follow the school year, and it can be done several ways. You could have sections by season: fall, winter, spring, and don't forget summer. Or it could be by month - show and tell what happened in August, then September, then through the rest of the year. Some yearbooks have even done this by week - imagine a two page spread for every week of the year, with a separate people section for the headshots.
Why do it this way? Groups and events may be disrupted again; actually they already are. Instead of worrying about how to cover a team or club or activity, just tell stories in the book tied to a season, month or week.
Need resources to help you out with this? Just let me know, or for Jostens schools go to the Digital Classroom on Yearbook Avenue and enter "chronological" in the search bar there - a TON of materials pop up on the screen.
AND USE SOCIAL MEDIA: If your yearbook doesn't already have at least one social media outlet, IT'S TIME. This is now crucial not only to share stories and gather information with your school audience, it's also a great way for people to just stay connected during this insane year. With mental health issues rising and many students getting disconnected from school, again this is CRUCIAL.
And advisers, you have enough to do - I KNOW you have one or two students that would jump at the chance to be your yearbook social media coordinators. Get platforms started, always promote to everyone at school, then post something at least twice a week and maybe even every day. Trust me, the kids will know what to do here! Plus use our monthly Jostens social media calendars on Yearbook Avenue to help.
Think what you could do with an outlet: tell more student stories with a simple picture and a caption. Ask for images your group needs. Have fun with periodic contests. Share out survey or poll questions for responses. Give shoutouts to those who need them. Promote your yearbook and ads sale, and Yearbook+. Be a positive outlet for your entire school.
One hint: create both Facebook and Instagram outlets, both owned by Facebook and easy to push the same content to both platforms. Facebook skews to an older audience (think parents) while Instagram goes to a younger crowd (students.) Cover and stay in touch with them both!
A QUOTE TO REMEMBER: And one more repeat - I came across this one recently and it's hard to believe this is from Dr. Seuss. What a amazing guy...
“Life’s too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don’t and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it’d be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.”