The beginning of the school year brings various challenges that advisers have to navigate. Things come up whether you are a new adviser or a seasoned one! We know how critical it is to problem-solve and have your yearbook needs understood. At United Yearbook, we aim to understand your individual needs and problem-solve when there doesn’t seem to be any solutions. Here are some critical topics to keep in mind during the beginning of the year that offer some flexible insights and curated solutions.
Project Management
The ultimate goal for any adviser is to give your staff the freedom to create a student-led yearbook. Project management is crucial to ensure students have flexibility and a goal as they work together to complete the yearbook. At United Yearbook, we offer a software program called PLICbooks. We understand that some advisers feel more comfortable using programs such as Adobe Illustrator or even Canva to design the yearbook. We offer yearbook advisers full flexibility to use those software programs, however, we also suggest advisers use PLICbooks. PLICbooks can double as a project management tool! It allows you to assign certain pages to students, upload photos to folders, store important page spreads, and allows for a multi-user experience. We offer flexibility in allowing advisers to use the software they are most comfortable with while also offering the solution to utilize our software in a unique and integral way.
Flight Checking
The final outcome of your yearbook is a culmination of all the work you and your students have put in throughout the year. Flight checking the yearbook is critical because things slip by! Students should be a vital set of eyes throughout the year, but partnering with a fellow staff member who can look at your yearbook with fresh eyes is also important. Reach out to someone on the administrative team or a fellow teacher who would be willing to glance over your page spreads as they are finished. An adviser we met with recently explained how (before joining United Yearbook) his yearbook was printed with some notes he had scribbled on one of the page spreads. He ended up having to get a sticker to cover every single yearbook! It was a hassle that shows the importance of reviewing often and having multiple people reviewing it too. At United Yearbook, we flight-check your publication and act as an integral set of eyes. Whether it be an obvious mistake like unwanted text or something a bit smaller like a corner of a picture being cut out, we’ve got you covered. We also understand that maybe there is a stylistic choice to include certain uncommon features, and we offer that flexibility too!
Problem-solving is Key!
The yearbook is the perfect opportunity for your students to be introduced to real-life scenarios and learn how to problem-solve in those less-than-ideal situations. We’ve recently talked to different advisers who are facing very unique challenges. One adviser was worried about his final yearbook deadline because he had a few important sporting events that would happen after the deadline that he would still like to include in their book. United Yearbook’s solution? Supplement pages! We did not want the adviser to 1) miss out on those important events, and 2) be charged extra, so we advised him to reduce the regular yearbook size by 8 pages so that the supplement pages would come at no extra cost. He loved the idea that they would still be able to capture vital events, while not pushing back the final deadline.
We met with another adviser who will be entering his first year ever as an adviser. He is currently waiting to learn whether the yearbook will be a class or a club and is very limited on the number of students who will be a part of it. We tried to ease his nerves by giving him some suggestions and helping to problem-solve some of the big issues he is facing. We suggested getting students involved in yearbook by offering varsity lettering opportunities for those who join. Students love those! We also suggested different awards that look good on resumes to draw students in and offer them new opportunities. We walked him through our orientation instructional guide to give him some key pointers he will need during those first few weeks of instruction with students, and he felt such relief.
The yearbook is all about your school and the unique legacy you’re leaving behind. The challenges you face and the different needs that will arise are individual to your school’s story. Our goal is to truly understand each of those needs, problem-solve those tricky situations, and walk alongside you every step of the way.
United Yearbook values the fundamental work of the first couple of weeks of the school year. In addition, there are resources such as curriculum and year-round workshops on this and other areas. Make sure to subscribe to our blog and our newsletter, and visit our website at www.unitedyearbook.net & our resource store to learn more! Use this link to schedule a one-on-one consultation with our representatives and find out all the design options that are available to you. United Yearbook is available to assist you throughout the school year.
Copyright © 2024. TSE Worldwide Press. All Rights Reserved.
Editor: Donna Ladner obtained a B.A. in Education and a minor in English from California Baptist University, and a M.S. in ESL from USC, Los Angeles. After she married Daniel, their family moved to Indonesia with a non-profit organization and lived cross-culturally for 15 years before returning to the U.S in 2012. Donna has been working as an editor and proofreader for TSE Worldwide Press and its subsidiary, United Yearbook since 2015.
Contributor: Jessica Carrera, Associate Editor at TSE Worldwide Press and Marketing Manager at United Yearbook, holds a B.A. in English with a concentration in writing from Biola University. She aspires to touch the lives of others through her words.
Comentarios