Yearbook curriculum

• Don’t be one of those unorganized clubs that meets at irregular or sporadic times. Create a weekly or bi-weekly meeting, same day and time, and make it known that everyone needs to attend. The most accomplished clubs are the ones that set rules and expectations up front, so people know what is coming and there are no surprises. Create a contract that each committee member will sign when they join. It can be a simple document clarifying that being a part of yearbook committee is a commitment, and they will need to put in the work. You don’t need to come off like a dictator, you can keep it light and even humorous… but everyone needs to know that you mean business.
• Create an organizational chart to facilitate a chain of command. People shouldn’t feel like there is a pecking order, but there does need to be structure. Illustrating this diagram will show connections within the group – who will be working with whom, who will have the final say, and more. To keep things diplomatic, you can hold it to a vote when assigning team leaders. There could be a leader for each part of the yearbook, such as: photography, writing, design, layout, and so on. While there may be smaller groups, make it clear that you are one entity, and make sure to bring everyone together at the weekly meetings.
• It’s important to keep everyone busy and feeling like they have something to do. The moment someone gets bored or feels undervalued is the moment things start to unravel. This can have a chain reaction, and you may start to lose focus from the entire group. People may even start to drop out of the committee. Therefore, make sure that roles and responsibilities are clear. Similarly, when people are working hard without acknowledgment, their work can start to deteriorate. Always take an interest in what each person is doing and provide positive, sincere encouragement.
• Keep attitudes in check. The only thing worse than boredom is negativity or arrogance. This book is supposed to be fun, so don’t lose sight of that. There should be no tolerance for people copping bad attitudes with one another, trying to steamroll others, or becoming bossy. This will bring the whole group down and can bring the whole yearbook down, too.
• Create a culture, not a cult, within your committee. It’s okay for people to have wild ideas or become very passionate. That shows that they care and are committed to the cause. It’s guaranteed that your committee will have some pretty lively personalities, so let them shine. What one person sees as a crazy idea might just spark some insights within the rest of the group, so keep the creative ideas coming. This can help ideas flow, and ultimately lead to a supreme yearbook. Encourage friendship and teamwork within the group. Hold a “secret Santa” during the holidays, order in food for the team on Fridays (taking time to eat together can boost your bond and make members feel appreciated), take a field trip, etc. This will help create commonalities between the committee members and will foster bonding, which can only help your end product.
• Try your best for retention. Not everyone in the committee will be graduating seniors, so when you find a good group, try to hold onto them. Boost participation from year-to-year. Use strong committee members as a source of marketing material. Word-of-mouth is very popular in school, so encourage them to tell their peers about yearbook. Hold a meeting toward the end of the school year where you personally meet with students and talk about yearbook committee. You can make it more of a “party,” pass out food, prizes, play music… keep it interesting and fun.

Here are the yearbook challenges you can solve just by filling these yearbook committee positions:

Capturing the spirit of a school year within the pages of the yearbook is an art form, and like any craft, it requires a carefully constructed framework. The good news? It doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Let’s break it down into three easy steps: 

Yearbook Planning Step 1: Assemble your A-list

By nature, the yearbook creation process is interactive and collaborative. “Resourceful recruitment” is essential to building a cohesive team that highlights individual strengths. Whether you’re canvasing the school with “help wanted” posters or handing out yearbook staff applications, be sure to cast a wide net and consider these five specific personality types while curating your dream team.

Once you have staff members in place who are committed and excited to get started, you’ll want to elicit the best from each to maximize potential. With clear roles and responsibilities designed to cater to each group member’s expertise, you’ll allow for better overall communication and conflict resolution while enhancing individual growth. The outcome is a yearbook that shines as brightly as your star-studded team.

Yearbook Planning Step 2: Leverage Your Ladder

Imagine your yearbook ladder as the “visual Post-it note” guiding your narrative. This blueprint outlines the content for each spread and serves as a compass for your team. Use it to determine the book’s length, prioritize ideas for sections and stories, allocate space, and track - or change - the deadlines you’ve set for yourself. Even better, your ladder doubles as a reminder of your yearbook’s ultimate vision.

So gather the school calendar and past yearbooks, and embark on a ladder-constructing journey with your team. You can download a free one right here! 

Yearbook Planning Step 3: Calculate Your Page Count

Determining your yearbook’s page count is something important that you can quickly check off your to-do list (and doesn’t that feel great?). Schools typically rely on two methods to determine this: enrollment statistics (here’s a helpful guideline) and the yearbook ladder. We generally advocate for the latter as it offers a more nuanced approach tailored to your school's unique character. Additionally, schools that partner with Treering can increase or decrease their page count as the school year evolves. 

Laying the groundwork using these three steps will help kick off a successful yearbook experience each year while making the process streamlined for everyone involved. And lastly, don’t forget our unofficial, but equally critical, Yearbook Planning Step 4: Put the “Fun” in “Fundamentals.” Keep class engagement high by fostering a sense of lighthearted joy. Sharing laughs = happy staff!

-       Broad light, like that from a window, will produce a softer light.  This will create less shadow, but will also reduce contrast and texture.  If you are looking to use a window as your light source, position the student in front of one that doesn’t receive direct sunlight.

 -       Soft light will also come the closer the subject is to the light source.  If you are using lamps to light the set, position them in a manner that will be close enough to fully light your subject, but not wash them out.

-       If you are looking to achieve that soft light, but your source isn’t providing it – diffuse.  A cheap solution for windows is using a sheer white curtain.  If you don’t have a scrim for lamps, use gauze or some type of translucent, textured material.

 -       You don’t have to shine the light directly on your subject.  You can bounce it off of a wall or piece of white poster board to reflect and diffuse the light.  If you want to add some sparkle, crumble a sheet of aluminum foil, pull it out, and wrap it around a piece of poster board… then bounce the light off of it.

 -       If you want to achieve a darker background and really bring the attention to your subject, use a window to front-light the person and keep them as close as possible to the light source.

-       Keep in mind that front lighting will understate texture.  If you want to emphasize the texture, light from the side or from below.

-       Light from above, below, or to the side will cast shadows on your subject… and this isn’t a bad thing.  If you are going for a more dramatic portrait, position a light high above, slightly off-center of your subject, and then tilt it down.

-       Dawn will give a blue-light effect, and not cast any shadows.

-       Sunrise will cast long shadows of warm color, adding interest to the picture.

-       Morning light is very neutral and good for shooting until midday.

-       Midday is the worst time to shoot as the sun is high in the sky, and will cast dark shadows on the subject – sometimes even making people’s eyes look black.

-       Afternoon shooting is similar to the morning, but with warmer colors.

-       Sunset is okay, but must be timed just right as the best light does not last long.  It is, however, great for silhouette shooting.

-       Dusk will offer rich colors – transitioning from blues and purples, to orange and brown.

Where to Focus Your Yearbook Recruitment Efforts.

• Social media – They’re going to be on it 24/7, anyway, so why not reach out to students through what they love most: the Internet. Create a committee-recruiting page on Facebook, follow students on Twitter, and post pictures of past yearbooks on Instagram. You can even have some fun teachers help you create a quirky Vine video to spark interest. The more you are out there, the more buzz you’ll create throughout the school.
• Posters – Even with the rise of social media, nothing gets students’ attention more than a good-old-fashioned poster on the school walls. Create bright, colorful, straight-to-the-point posters and plaster them all over school. Write a call-to-action for the students, and encourage them to bring their creativity and leadership to the yearbook committee.
• Host an open house – Host an open house in the yearbook room. Put out past yearbooks, candid photos, and play graduation videos – getting people in the nostalgic mood. Once you have everyone there, you can talk more about the goals of yearbook and how valuable an experience it is to work on it. And don’t forget to advertise that there will be refreshments – people will do most anything for free food!
• Ask the staff – Email teachers and staff with some specific qualities you are looking for. Ask for recommendations of students they think would be good candidates for the committee. It's always helpful to have a team keeping an eye out!
• Target promising prospects – Flattery is everything, so find those students that are excelling in English, photography, graphic design, and more. Speak to each student personally, and explain that you have been impressed with his or her skills, and think they would make a great addition to the yearbook committee.
• Hold nominations – Alternatively, ask the student body to make anonymous nominations for those peers that have hidden talents. This way, students won’t have to be shy about coming forward themselves. They will be called upon by popular demand.
• Make presentations – Find other clubs or groups that possess skills essential for the yearbook – such as FBLA, spirit squad, newspaper staff, and art club. Ask to make a presentation at the next club meeting, and plead your case for why they should join the yearbook committee.
• Focus on Freshmen – Students new to high school are looking to find their footing in a new building, and a place they can call their own. So, what better way than joining what reflects the school most – the yearbook? Pitch to freshman classes and tell them all of the benefits to joining yearbook – they will meet new people, possess a voice in the school, and have a creative outlet.
• But don’t let Seniors slip away – A major portion of every yearbook is dedicated to seniors. So, pitch to every senior class that the yearbook is a reflection of them, and that their voice should be heard. If that doesn’t work, remind them that colleges love to see extracurricular activities on an application.
• Expand on the typical committee – A yearbook committee doesn’t have to be made up of student volunteers. Encourage students to do independent study in journalism, photography, graphic design, etc., and have yearbook be their credit for the course. Also, recruit staff members and teachers to the committee, and seek parent volunteers.
• Sweeten the deal – Bring out the swag bags! Hand out personalized school-themed tokens, such as pens, buttons, notebooks, and canvas bags. Get people excited about the school, and encourage them to be a part of it through yearbook.
• Don’t go it alone – Find at least one person that you think would be good at recruiting people. This could be “Miss School Spirit” or the next in line for Editor-in-Chief. Whoever it is, everything is better in pairs – so grab the right person and get them on your team.

Getting Involved

Teaches Crucial Life Skills

Provides Writing and Journalism Experience

Provides Creative Experiences

Great Addition to a Portfolio

Have you ever wondered about yearbook photography laws and whether you can take pictures somewhere? Fun fact: photographing the Eiffel Tower is legal during the daytime, but things get more complicated at night. Learn what is okay and what's not in our list of photographers' rights.

Everyone has a camera in their pocket these days, don't they?  It’s good to know that we can capture the moments that mean the most to us. But few of us think about or even know our rights or limitations in being able to do so.

I didn’t either until a store manager approached me one day. I was attempting to take a picture of my daughter and her friend in front of a display in the middle of the mall. The manager nicely explained that their store carries a stringent "no photography" rule and I would not be allowed to post my photo anywhere online.

I immediately complied with the manager for a few reasons. First, I didn’t consider it to be a big deal. It was just a posed photo - and I had taken a dozen more that day - so there was no importance to that particular shot. Also, I didn’t want to make more of a scene in front of the kids than had already occurred. And lastly, I needed to familiarize myself with yearbook photography laws and my rights as an amateur photographer.

To prevent finding yourself in a similar situation, read up on your rights to take and publish photographs. You can use this information to determine what is acceptable in your school's yearbook.

THE LAWS

Not all "no photography" signs are clear, so always be on the lookout.

The general rule is that if you’re in a public place and can see it, you can shoot it. So, if you’re at the park or beach, whatever you see is open for photographing. Taking pictures on government property is mostly considered okay but prohibited on military bases and inside government buildings. (So, photos at the Washington Monument are fine, but taking pics inside your local courthouse isn’t.)

The line blurs a bit regarding what is called expected privacy. You’re not allowed to take pictures on public property if there is an expectation of privacy. For example, public restrooms are off-limits from photography. Similarly, taking photographs inside someone’s windows while standing on the sidewalk on public property is unacceptable.

When you’re on private property, the rules are more defined. The property owner can dictate what you are and aren’t able to photograph. You can be cited for trespassing if you do not adhere to these rules.

You can take pictures of strangers in public places without their consent. However, you cannot sell them without their knowledge or permission. For example, you can’t snap a picture of a stranger walking past you on the street and then sell it for profit as an advertisement to Coca-Cola. But, when you take a picture of someone at the science fair, publishing it in your yearbook is okay.

ERR ON THE SIDE OF ETIQUETTE

Many public places like zoos and museums have photography rules posted directly on their website. But if you’re out on a school trip and can't find information about the photography regulations, ask someone who works there. Some locations allow and even encourage photography. Others allow photography as long as you don't use flash. Still others prohibit all photography, whether you intend to publish it or not. In the case of banned photography, management can ask you to leave the premises or, in extreme cases, have the authorities called. Again, save yourself the hassle and ask an employee.

When photographing other people, especially children, even though it’s legal to take their pictures in public, it’s still better –and more polite– to ask first.

At the beginning of the school year, students should receive a photography waiver for their parents to complete and return. This form allows families to decide whether their child’s photo can be taken and placed in school publications such as the yearbook. Make a list and keep it with you to avoid cross-referencing later.

The ACLU also recommends carrying this printable pocket guide of photographer’s rights with you in case someone approaches you despite being within your legal rights. Had I had such a document when that store manager spoke with me, I could have politely explained that malls are open to the public and I was within my rights.

HASSLE-FREE YEARBOOK PUBLISHING

Educating yourself on what is and isn’t acceptable in the world of yearbook photography laws can save you a lot of headaches when creating your yearbook. You’re already using Treering to make designing and publishing your yearbook easier, so following these simple rules will ensure you spend time on the fun aspects of yearbook creation rather than time-consuming hassles.

Are you still wondering what's up with the Eiffel Tower? The twinkle lights that come on at night are considered their own art installation and are still under copyright. Want the full coq au vin? Click ici.

Please note: this is not a legally binding guide. Photographers should always check the rules and regulations of all establishments and with parents before taking pictures.

Create A Yearbook Company

Organize By Editor Type

Chief Editors

Design Editors (2 Students)

Text Editor (2 Students)

Staff Editors

• Sports Editors
• Class Editors
• Activities Editors
• Club Editors

Nurture Your Team

Give The Students Ownership

Whether you just inherited the yearbook or are a seasoned adviser, the need to streamline processes is very real. We collaborated with middle and high school advisers, copy editors, marketing pros, and PTA officers to create free, editable yearbook templates to help you stay organized in your yearbook program.

Yearbook Planning Templates

Yearbook Ladder Template

Think of your ladder as your yearbook itinerary: it’s where you’re going to go and when. Using the school calendar and last year’s yearbook (or a few prior years’-worth), chart what will go on which spread.

We like to take our ladders and create a content calendar from there. Is the Turkey Trot scheduled for November? Well, so is Mrs. Jimenez who volunteered to take photos. Are track and swimming beginning in February? Then Jayne knows to contact the coaches in January.

Does pre-planning equate to inflexibility? No. It just means you’re ready for whatever comes your way.

Editable Yearbook Syllabus

From course objectives to parent acknowledgment, we have you covered. We’ll walk you through how to make it your own. And if you’re using Treering’s free yearbook curriculum, we’ve already aligned it to the national CTE standards.

Yearbook Staff Application

How do you separate the wheat from the chaff? An application helps. Staff recruitment might be the second-most important planning piece.

Yearbook Grading Templates

Spelling out exactly how your students will be assessed is a really important part of establishing expectations for the upcoming semester. A yearbook grading rubric is a perfect way for teachers to give students the grades they earned as well as the feedback they need to make a better yearbook. There’s no guesswork for them and your expectations are clear.

We made two rubrics for your yearbook class (heads up, they are in the same spreadsheet).

• Design Rubric
  You might be tempted to break the elements of design into a handful of granular rubrics (one for photography, another for layout: you get the picture, pun intended). While there’s nothing wrong with doing this, ensuring that the individual elements work in concert is as important as the quality of those elements in their own right. Your end product is a spread, therefore, it’s graded as such.
• Copy Rubric
  By assessing the writing on each page, you achieve two things. First, you give your students a tangible grade for their hard work. Second, you can vet the copy on every page of the book, which gives you an idea as to how everything fits together tonally and whether the book as a whole adheres to your established style guide.

Yearbook Marketing Templates

Because everyone needs to see your yearbook team’s work, you need to get the word out. Marketing the yearbook is not just about sales: we have two templates below to help you get books in the hands of your school community and get more assistance in building an inclusive yearbook.

The Only Yearbook Sales Flyer You’ll Need

Yes, you should have a table at registration, parent conferences, and any all-school event with laptops or iPads so parents can shop on the spot. Many parents have yearbook sales as part of their back-to-school to-do list.

For those who don’t, we’ve heard year after year: this is the greatest flyer. It assures buyers they are in the book. Pair this with custom yearbook pages that print only in your copy of the book, and you truly have the story of your year.

Social Media Calendar

To market your program, you have to—to (mis)quote Ariel, “Be where the people are.” Use our social calendar to market to parents on Facebook and Twitter and pump up students on Instagram and TikTok.

We hope these customizable templates help propel your program to the next level. Keep it simple and happy yearbooking!

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