Let's remember and also make some history this year...
What is a yearbook? I've asked that question to new yearbook staffs countless times over 25 years. I hold up a copy of last year's book and say "what kind of book is this?" Let's consider...
It's a history book. Absolutely. Years from now when people want to know more about the 2024-25 year at your school, it's the yearbook they'll reach for first. Include key information about the year - number of people, statistics, sports records, and related information about the year that isn't directly about the schooo.
It's a picture book. Absolutely. Pictures are and will always be the #1 element of the yearbook. We're not writing a novel here. But what kind of pictures are you displaying? Just run of the mill snapshots - or interesting images that will make people think and remember?
It's a record book. Absolutely. Mentioned above - people like to follow numbers, lists, background info that is often overlooked. Your school and town will be a very different place 30-50 years from now. Including that information will really round out the coverage for now and for future readers.
It's a memory book. Absolutely. Students don't know how much they will forget after they leave school - because they haven't left school yet. Adults need to constantly remind kids that putting those memories down on paper and elsewhere will help them remember what they'll probably forget or overlook decades from now.
It's a storybook. And yes, ABSOLUTELY in all caps. This is the one that is overlooked nearly every time I've done that staff chat I mentioned above.
Journalism is nothing more than storytelling, something every human craves. Our job as yearbook journalists is to tell and remember stories - but how and which ones?
For years I've urged staffs not to do what nearly every yearbook staff does - just repeat last year's book with different pictures. It's the easy fallback - some staffs even use the same page designs and templates to make it even easier.
That's shortchanging your audience. One thing we really learned from the pandemic is that every year is unique, unlike any before or since. Remember remote learning, lockdowns, mask wearing, social distancing? Let's hope we NEVER have that again - but 2020 and 2021 were extremely unique years that needed to be remembered.
Things are much better now, but 2024-25 will still be a unique year unlike those others. We need to make our yearbook unique as well, starting with the different stories you will tell as part of this new effort.
What to do and how to get there? It isn't nearly as tough as you might think...
Make a story list. It all starts with this. Compile a list of story ideas that you want to cover in the book this year. And make it a LONG list. We mean LONG,about as many different aspects of your school and its people as you can.
To simplify, there are only two kinds of stories -big stories and little stories. Big stories are the ones that get covered every year - what did the football team do? Who was Homecoming King and Queen? What about the winter dance? The same stuff as usual, and important to cover and remember.
Little stories might only be about one person or small group - but those stories are important to those people, and they are part of our school. These are the stories that get overlooked, yet they will cover the bulk of your school audience.
Make that LOOONG story list, and perhaps you won't cover them all this year. But a very simple rule is - not just what stories will you cover but HOW MANY stories will you remember, in pictures and words. Recognize as many people as possible this year because everyone deserves to be remembered, not just certain people.
For Jostens schools using Yearbook Avenue to help create their book, the Page Ladder has a Topics tab. There you can enter that long list of stories, big and small, and then easily drop them on the pages where you want them to appear. We even have a pile of stock story titles, maybe just choose from some of those.
But remember that word "unique." Your school is unlike any other school out there. Find those unique, local, even quirky stories and add them to your long list. Then see where you can fit them on your pages.
Telling stories sounds daunting? You can tell someone's story with just a picture and a caption, that's it. At least one sentence, maybe two or three, describing who's in the photo and what's going on there. Do a few and you'll get the hang of how to do it quickly.
A great yearbook is all about the stories told, preferably with nicely designed pages (use ready made templates!,) good photos and some written elements. And you CAN make a great yearbook, anyone can.
So for many yearbook staffs, let's make history this year with a unique new book about a unique year, covering as many folks of your school audience as you can. Years from now those people will thank you again and again for remembering them, even if you don't hear it. THAT'S why we make a yearbook!
