As one of my many past duties, I was in charge of the school yearbook. Although it was time consuming, I really enjoyed my extracurricular job. The yearbook allowed me to be creative and take pride in my school. While being the yearbook creator, I learned many valuable lessons to help make the yearbook process easier. In this article, I would like to share some of the secrets I found to making a great yearbook.
Make a lot of pictures. This sounds very simple and logical. However, one would be surprised how easy it is to get to the end of the year and need pictures. Most yearbook creators make plenty of pictures of the major events. One must also remember to make everyday snapshots. When I first took over the yearbook, I asked teachers to call my classroom and let me know when they needed to take pictures. I received very little calls and the yearbook did not have many classroom snapshots. I found that it worked best to distribute a ‘throw away’ camera to each classroom teacher. The teacher could then make pictures of special happenings within her own classroom. This allowed me to get pictures without having to leave my own classroom. Distributing classroom cameras worked much more efficiently. I think most teachers forgot to ask for the school camera or felt it was too much of a nuisance.
Organization is also important. I found that it worked well to place the pictures in envelopes. I marked each envelope with the title of the event. For example, I had envelopes marked awards day, first grade, field day, etc. Each time that I had a roll of film developed, I added the pictures to the envelopes. When it came time to put the yearbook together, the pictures where already in order.
Another important component of a great yearbook is a theme. Most companies have a book of themes that you can use. However, I found it much more personal to choose my own theme. I created a cover by using a print shop program. I then added clipart and titles to match the theme. Tie everything together by writing captions that accompany the theme.
Yearbooks can be a very exciting way to remember the school year. However, they can also be very expensive. Our elementary school yearbook costs about $25.00. The yearbook is hard cover, personalized, and in color. A cheaper version can be created. It may be more practical for larger families to purchase only one yearbook each year and alternate which child gets to make the purchase.
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