Yearbook Heroes

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook adviser tips and tricks.

The understatement of the year: the pandemic has drastically changed things for many people, especially for teachers and their students. Teachers re-created their pedagogy. They worked to not only remain positive for their own mental health, but also as a example to their students. And then there were the ongoing uncertainties. One yearbook adviser modeled a semblance of normalcy through her yearbook program.

Meet Joy Halverson, a P.E. instructor at Aliso Viejo's Journey School, a public charter school for grades K-8 in Orange County, California. Joy has been teaching at Journey School for 20 years, and her kids attended there too. The school has always been a unique, art-centered school that prides itself on its students’ contributions to creating a more sustainable world. With the pandemic, though, many students did schoolwork completely remote or only came in a few times a week.

Joy was eager to find a way to capture the year in an environmentally-friendly and memorable way and did so through a customizable yearbook via Treering. Below are tips about how Joy captured this non-traditional year in Journey School’s yearbook.

How did the pandemic affect the yearbook advising process for Journey School?

With so many students working from home, there were changes that needed to be made in order to truly capture their lives this past year. I’m a creative person at heart, so I wanted to ensure that the yearbook reflected the many ways our students pivoted, showed grit, learned, and still managed to have fun.

Fortunately with Treering, I was able to continue making the yearbook from home. The book captures each student’s memories from this past year so that years from now, they’ll look back and see all that they accomplished despite the obstacles thrown our way.

What advising tips do you have for getting creative in capturing student memories in the yearbook?

For starters, I took 1,600 screenshots of each student to build out their portrait pages. Needless to say, I really perfected the art of taking screenshots! Parents also submitted events from home that were taken throughout the year, such as their kids in Halloween costumes, knitting projects, and more.

As a P.E. teacher and the owner of Circus Joy, it’s in my nature to want to find ways to keep students moving, even if it’s through a screen. During my typical in-person P.E. classes, I would often teach juggling to my students. So when transitioning to teaching juggling through virtual learning, it created some pretty unique opportunities to capture fun screenshots for the yearbook.

While it’s not always easy to learn new P.E. skills through Zoom, it’s still possible if you have the right attitude. And my students truly persevered this year.

At the end of the day, the memories the students have of this past year deserve to be documented. And I find it so fulfilling to help make this yearbook possible for them.

What do you hope students have learned from this past year and how is that reflected in the yearbook?

This yearbook will be a true reflection of the school year. So many unique moments were captured, including students wearing “we’re on mute” and “oops, you’re frozen” printed t-shirts. From the circus classes we captured on Zoom to the many fun screenshots, I know that this book will hold so much value for years to come. The K-8 students will eventually grow older and have their own families. This book, although different from any other year, will showcase all they’ve done. And that makes the yearbook making process worth it.

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks. 

As an elementary student, Yearbook Hero Arinna Fang volunteered for the yearbook team as soon as the opportunity opened. Publication design became a form of self-expression. The future English teacher served as an editor for her middle school yearbook, where she became the youngest winner in the Treering Spread Design Contest.

What did it mean to have your design win national recognition?

It was quite unbelievable. My teachers were really supportive, and my yearbook adviser showed the whole class.

What advice do you have for other students getting started in yearbook design?

Everything starts with a vision. For my spread, it began with the Einstein quote. I wanted the design to flow from there. If it were a math spread, I would have kept it more organized and angled.

When my classmates get stuck, I help identify the problem and fill the need. Sometimes there’s no inspiration; sometimes no flow.

Music is a help. I have playlists that I cycle through to get inspiration. I use the emotions in the music to pull into my designs.

How do you organize your yearbook team?

My adviser let us be like adults. My co-editor and I directed the design. My adviser let us be like adults, and my co-editor and I directed the design. I always think 400-something people are buying these yearbooks, and I don't want to let them down.

Regularly, we did Yearbook Updates, a slideshow with everyone’s current spread status. This helped us examine the entire book. Everyone benefited from the responses because we taught them how to speak in uplifting ways by emphasizing the positive with “This is what we want” and coaching others with  “This could be improved.” 

We validate each others’ voices by creating a safe place to share ideas.

How did you develop your theme visually?

We didn’t have a style guide. Everything we used came from the power of communication. When people would submit their spreads, my co-editor and I would add theme elements if warranted. This enhanced and honed the design and made it part of the overall look.

What’s the best way to get a quality quote from a middle schooler?

The biggest thing is to take a chance. I tell people to start interviewing their friends before approaching others. Ask questions about feelings. People love what they do and love to share.

Additional Middle School Yearbook Resources

(In case you don’t have a student leader like Fang...)

• Running a Yearbook Club
• 60 Yearbook Bell Ringers
• Yearbook Job Descriptions

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks.

For months, Mykel Estes was just a cool teacher we followed on X. Known in Dallas ISD for innovation and student engagement, the former Teacher of the Year (2023-2024) created a bracket so students could vote on their favorite yearbook theme. Estes revealed the theme at Longfellow Career Exploration Academy's first yearbook signing party in a decade.

A reading and language arts teacher, Estes became the yearbook adviser after a staffing change. Instead of taking the proverbial reins, he rewrote the book.

How was your first yearbook a reboot for the school?

There are some things that they've always done, and this is a new iteration of the yearbook. We switched to Treering and even changed photography teams. Everything was new. And since I did take it on solo, I needed that. I needed that ability to streamline. 

The previous books felt like a faculty and staff heirloom, when really, this is for students.

How do you keep the yearbook student-centric when you’re a solo adviser?

I started with a bunch of y'all's resources: the ladder, dos and don’ts, and Camp Yearbook. And I gave the sample package I received to the outgoing eighth-graders and told them, "Look through here."

It reminded me of those old school toy catalogs. They marked it up. I told them nothing was off the table. 

Their suggestions became the collective basis for how I started the book. It was all over the place. The themes constantly changed, and that's when I had the “This isn't my yearbook” moment. 

The March Madness-style "Theme Throwdown" bracket was how I ensured the theme would resonate with current students. What I like, and what older students liked, may not resonate with our current students. This was one way to get buy-in.

What happened when the students at Longfellow received the yearbook before school was out?

The yearbook's a really exciting kind of moment in a student's academic year, and from the pandemic on, the yearbook never arrived before the students left. There was a palpable disappointment in the students not being able to have that shared experience of looking for themselves in the yearbook and signing one another’s.

We do a big eighth-grade celebration week to commemorate the last time the cohort is together. (We feed into roughly 20 different high schools as a magnet school.) I really leaned into that nostalgia.

The eighth graders got them first. Again, leaning hard into that's their last time here. They get it first. Then we subsequently rolled it out to the lower grade levels.

What’s next for the yearbook?

We are a career academy. We have a journalism class coming up. We have a photojournalism class coming up. Those two classes will eventually marry in a year's time or so and be the production team for the yearbook. 

Until then, I want to add student voices through quotes and make sure every kid is in the book. Every kid should at least be in the portraits. I want to expand that to a classroom and activity photo.

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks. 

Long-time Treering editor Janet Yieh from San Francisco, CA started gifting yearbooks when her high schooler son was in elementary school. She added a fundraiser to the cost of the yearbook so every promoting fifth-grader received a free yearbook. Now, as the Family Partnerships Coordinator at Presidio Middle School in San Francisco, CA, she ensures every eighth-grader who wants a yearbook leaves with one. 

This year you gave away over 100 books. How is that possible?

In August and September, I push for early sales so parents can get the best price and I can earn free books from Treering. On September 30, I use the fundraiser to buy as many books as possible with the 10% discount. Then, in October, I do the same thing.

Almost two-thirds of the graduating class purchases a full-price yearbook and I try to give away as many as possible by creating a contest. It susses out students who might not be able to afford a book and don’t want to ask for a free one.

How do you advertise?

I’m consistent with marketing: during the daily bulletin in homeroom, teachers show the tiny URL to register for the contest. In parent newsletters, there is an ad saying, “Hey, your kid could win a free book!” When parents hear about the book contest, some still purchase the book.

I also strategically reach out to teachers to see if they know any students who want to win a free book. It’s actually hard to get students to fill out the form.

What other tips do you have?

The students in the yearbook club received their books a day early. This created excitement and I sold out of the extra yearbooks I had on hand.

Brandon Sumner, President of Sumner Photography, wrote this month's "Picture Perfect Partnership" article. Sumner Photography is a California-based school photography company dedicated to capturing and preserving memories for educational communities. Through partnerships with platforms like Treering, Sumner Photography supports schools in creating exceptional yearbooks that serve as historical records and creative expressions of their unique identities.

In the world of school photography, few moments feel as good as seeing your partner schools get recognized on a national level. Recently, three schools that Sumner Photography works with, Coronado Middle School, Reilly Elementary, and Ladera Ranch Elementary, became finalists in a nationwide yearbook cover contest. This achievement shows not only their creative vision but also what happens when photographers and yearbook teams work well together.

How the partnership started

When I first partnered with Treering ten years ago, I was drawn to their excellent customer care. This fits perfectly with Sumner Photography's commitment to serving West Coast schools. What started as a shared goal to preserve memories has grown bigger than I first imagined.

School photography and yearbooks share the same basic mission: capturing and preserving memories for a lifetime. But our collaboration has grown beyond just taking pictures. Today, we're actively helping yearbook teams with their creative process, knowing that all the logistics and details involved in making a yearbook can overwhelm the very people trying to create those lasting memories.

The more we can make these processes easier—or remove roadblocks entirely—the more time yearbook teams have to focus on what really matters: telling stories, being creative, and making memories. This idea has become the heart of our partnership with Treering and the schools we serve.

Three great covers, three great stories

Each of the three finalist covers from our partner schools tells a different story about their community and creative approach:

Coronado Middle School had a fantastic color scheme that immediately captures the unique vibe of their coastal community. Having spent time in Coronado, I can tell you, this city has a special feel. Their yearbook cover captures that perfectly. The design choices show not just good taste but a real understanding of their school's identity and place in the community.

Reilly Elementary showed amazing attention to detail in their "Dive Into Learning" theme. Every element, from the biggest design pieces to the smallest details, works together beautifully to bring their concept to life. This kind of thoughtful design is what makes the difference between good yearbooks and truly memorable ones.

Ladera Ranch Elementary impressed me with student-created artwork that shows the incredible talent within their school community. The expressive eyes in their lion mascot design—created by student artist Fiona—show the real creativity that comes out when young people get the platform and tools to express themselves.

What this means for the future

These three covers represent something bigger than individual school wins; they show the range of creative possibilities available in yearbook design today. What gets me most excited about yearbooks' future is how they're evolving beyond simple documentation into true creative outlets.

Yearbooks do two things: they store memories and give people a platform for artistic expression. The finalists' covers from our partner schools show how art and design can bring up feelings that readers connect with the memories captured in photos. This emotional connection turns a yearbook from a simple record into something people treasure.

The Treering platform plays a huge role in this creative evolution by making sophisticated design tools available to yearbook teams without extensive publishing backgrounds. 

Something you can hold

In our increasingly digital world, there's something special about holding a yearbook or photograph in your hands. This physical interaction requires intention—you have to choose to engage with it, to turn the pages, to pause and remember. This hands-on experience creates a different connection than scrolling through digital images.

I'm excited to see how yearbook teams and students continue to capture our ever-digitizing world in physical form. The challenge and opportunity are in translating the richness of digital experiences into formats that can be held, shared, and treasured for decades to come.

Looking ahead

The success of Coronado Middle, Reilly Elementary, and Ladera Ranch Elementary in this national competition shows the incredible potential that comes when photographers, yearbook teams, and technology platforms work together smoothly. At Sumner Photography, we're committed to supporting the creative process while handling the technical stuff that can distract from the artistic vision.

These three finalist covers are just the beginning. As we continue to partner with schools and support their creative work through our collaboration with Treering, I look forward to seeing how the next generation of yearbook creators will push the boundaries of what's possible in preserving and presenting their school memories.

The combination of photography, design, and storytelling in yearbooks creates unique opportunities to capture not just what happened, but how it felt. That's a mission worth pursuing with passion and excellence.

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks.

Every year, Laura Dauley writes her kids a letter. Part recap, part encouragement, these letters get tucked away in a treasured collection. This year, the mom-of-two switched things up and added it to the yearbook. And entered it in a design contest. And won said contest. We asked Dauley, as the K-8 division winner of the Memory Marvels 2024 Custom Page Design Contest, to share her tips for creating an authentic, memorable custom page design… that won’t embarrass.

How did you come up with your design?

Harper’s moving on to high school. I wanted to commemorate 11 years at the same school, from first days to playground memories. Digging through photos from the same time every year was emotional. I included our dogs and her brother, who’s been with her every step of the way, to remind her of all they shared.

It was a fine balance to not select a pic she wouldn’t be embarrassed over. There are many memories and experiences, so I also didn’t want it to be chaotic. 

What does it mean for your daughter to have space dedicated to HER in her book?

What’s cooler than your eighth-grade yearbook? 

This was in the context of something she was already excited about: her friends, and her memories. And I got to tack on to that. Only she had this. When they pass around the yearbooks, she has something special and unique. Her custom pages allowed me to make an emotional connection with her.

She also thought it was cool that her pages won. She’s always been proud of me making things for her along the way.

You’re a designer by trade. What advice do you have for parents getting started with their custom pages?

Less is more. Keep it simple. Focus first on what you want to feature and then add graphics. Don’t start with flashy, arbitrary graphics. Here’s the process for Harper’s custom pages:

• Images first
• Then the letter
• Then years, color scheme, and typefaces

It could be a daunting task. Even if you don’t know design, you can make a really cool page. I told all my friends to go online and start with the Treering templates. I was surprised with the flexibility and that I could create something from scratch.

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks. 

In our first-ever parent contest, Treering Yearbooks asked parents to capture and share their child’s unique POV. Elementary winner Tawanna Edwards from Cantonment, FL loves to play on words and used the first letter of her daughter Amani’s name to guide her design efforts.

We love how you organized your custom pages around your “A Moments.” 

You’ve got to always bring your A-game! This year has been a year of many firsts and I created our custom pages to celebrate our activities, accomplishments, and accolades! 

Talk us through each spread.

Activities: We have SO much fun participating in activities, whether it is schoolwide, or classroom-driven, Ammani wants to be a part of it all. A highlight has been the Bottle Biography Report on Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathematician who loved to count and helped change the world with numbers that soared astronauts to the moon and home safely. Ammani is great with her hands, and it has been amazing to see her little mind at work to create a masterpiece. 

Accomplishments: We love our school and have cub pride in everything that we do! From spirit wear to fundraisers, we support every cause and do our part.

Accolades: Ammani has been on Cloud 9 with all her accomplishments, especially the yearbook cover contest, so we are embracing this accolade and sharing this moment with every student on the front cover of every yearbook this year.

Clearly, you had a plan for your custom pages–how do you begin to organize an amazing year like Amani’s?

Action speaks louder than words! Every picture chosen was "A Moment" that focused on what this year truly meant to us. Those actions captured the essence of success from many different angles. 

I choose pictures of activities that Ammani is amped to be a part of and those that have us attached at the hip. Life is too short, so I try not to miss opportunities to show my support, whether it is Polka Dot Day coloring circles on her face or Running Club Relay with a 5K race and coming in LAST place. 

What’s your favorite part about the process?

I am the Author! Being a quality engineer by day and a Treering page designer by night, I can create and give existence to anything my heart desires. The amazing part: I have access to graphics that look like me! Treering took the time to add that special touch to make me feel important, like I was part of the process.

What advice would you give to another mom who is just getting started?

Activate your creativity! Take the time to explore all options available to you before you customize: from backgrounds to layouts to text fonts to graphics. 

Have F.U.N. (Fully Understand Newness). When I started this journey, I had no idea there was so much to choose from that I did not take the time to truly learn the process. It can be a bit overwhelming, but each year I learn something new that can be used to make my custom pages stand out better than the year before. 

There is no right or wrong way to customize your pages… create your own F.U.N. (Find Ur Niche) and have fun at it!

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks. 

In our first-ever parent contest, Treering Yearbooks asked parents to capture and share their child’s unique POV. Homeschool mom Kirsten Megaro from Netcong, NJ created a spread to celebrate the growth in all areas of her three kids' lives: educational accomplishments, deepening friendships and family relationships, creative projects, and current hobbies and activities.

How did you decide what to include on your custom pages?

Our homeschool co-op offers a mix of core and extracurricular classes. We love how our yearbook documents the classes and field trips we enjoy with our group each year. The custom pages allow us to see a wider view of our year.

I like to include a casual portrait of each kid from the year as a focal point, then use larger text boxes to give an overview of the main activities we participated in during the year. I fill in the rest of the spread with some of our favorite photos with captions to share the accomplishments they had, hobbies they pursued, important people in our lives, and field trips we took throughout the year.

The judges loved the color scheme as well as the repeating elements of the rounded rectangles.

I love playing around with layout: moving pictures, adding frames, making it organized, but just a little quirky too. 

How do your kids help tell their stories?

We take so many pictures that it’s hard to narrow them down. I usually start by choosing my favorites that give a good overview of our year, then ask my kids what information and pictures they want to include to remember for the future.

What advice would you give to another parent who is just getting started?

Start simple: use a template for your layout—there are a lot of great options! Drop your pictures in and add a few captions. Add a creative touch here or there to start, and each year, you’ll get more and more confident and capable of showing your personality and style through your pages. 

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks. 

In our first-ever parent contest, Treering Yearbooks asked parents to capture and share their child’s unique POV. Self-described Band Dad Paul Nisely from Charlotte, NC entered the senior tribute he created for his son, Jason.

Paul featured his son’s involvement as a trumpet player in both the marching band and the school’s band as well as the friendships he’s built and maintained throughout 9-12 grade. On the right-facing page, he created the show-stopper that had us all choked up.

How did you decide what to include on your custom pages?

I have been taking a first day of school photo of my son in the same spot in front of our house every year since kindergarten and wanted those memories on one page. I have seen this done many times before.

In addition to seeing the changes in your child, you can also see the changes in the background scenery. We had to remove the brick edging because it was a fire ant nest which we realized after a photo. The different hairstyles, clothes, and backpacks show how much he has changed and how quickly the years go by. Every time I look at that page it makes me tear up.

Paul, let me tell you, there was a lot of emotion from the parents on the panel after seeing your spread. A reverent hush permeated the meeting, and then we read your story.

I love telling a story and getting emotional reactions with my photos. I was a newspaper photographer and went to school for photography and absolutely love seeing “visual moments” and documenting them. When the marching band season is finished I love putting together the photo book for that season. Even though my son is graduating I have already told the band directors I would love to keep taking photos of the band and making more keepsake photo books for the kids and their families.

Since you’re also a professional photographer, will you share some tips?

Take a lot of photos! You can’t run out of film: it's all digital now. Be there for the moments that are important for your child and capture them. Be patient with your child and be patient when taking photos. Then tell a story with those photos.

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks.

Yearbook Hero Amy Windsheimer transformed a yearbook program on the chopping block into a thriving journalism class. After a year of co-creating Brush Middle School's book with a colleague, they opened it up for students. Windsheimer wanted the class to focus on both visual and oral communication skills. And she nailed it.

You truly collaborated with your whole community. Tell us what you did.

We used some of our yearbook fundraising money to purchase two cameras, and a local photographer came in and showed the kids how to use them. The kids really got into it.

At the end of the school year, I reached out to news and media outlets because I wanted to take them to a newspaper printing place. We toured Townsquare Media, which has three different radio stations in Windsor, CO. The kids recorded a radio intro and outro. They played with the green screen.

A couple of the DJs taught us how the morning show works and shared their career path. We learned about their college experiences and about radio advertising, which was a cool 360 because that’s how we started the year: Our secondary school sells ads together. For a field trip, I took my yearbook class out into the community to do in-person sales.

How did you make selling ads in-person less scary for middle school students?

One unit of my yearbook class focused on public speaking. We talked about professionalism and public relations. The kids spent a week crafting and practicing an ad pitch for local businesses. 

First, they went around and told any adult in the building who was interested in listening and sold them yearbook ads. Then, we had some simulations to prepare them to get turned down. I actually had one of the principals tell them, "Nope, I'm not interested," or “Well, I don't want to go as high as that route. What about this route?" 

When we went out, they had matching T-shirts. There was a process for receiving and depositing funds in the activities account. The kids also worked with the business to create the ad.

We have a restaurant in town that purchased an ad from a pair of girls and said, "Well, do you guys want a cinnamon roll?" They had cinnamon rolls the size of a small plate. A family-owned bowling alley gave the middle and high school staff an hour of bowling to close out the day.

How many pages of ads did you end up with?

We filled nine pages. Our town has many awesome businesses, and they are so supportive. 

How else do your students create the book?

It took us a while to decide on our the theme of our yearbook. They came up with five options, and they had to limit it to three, and then they finally decided on one. I told them to choose whatever style they wanted to make. Make it fun, make it creative, make it their book. And they really took off. 

We broke the ladder down into fall sports and activities. I assigned two kids per page. One kid would sit there dictating, and the other kid would be working. 

I rolled out a big touchscreen TV on a cart daily. Somebody would use it to work on their page. The best part about that TV was that it was big enough to see the layout easier, and it was more kid-friendly. 

We’d also use it at the end of our deadline: I would make them all go through and proofread and edit and make sure that there weren't any pictures with inappropriate signs or anything that could not be school-appropriate. Then, I would see if there were any other pictures that we could add to it.

We had four mini deadlines: October 31, another one at Christmas, at the end of the third quarter, and then, of course, our yearbook had to be in by the end of April. It was a mad rush in April to get everything done.

I don’t see many middle school books with captions. How do you do it?

Creating captions is really hard, especially when the yearbook kids don't know all of the other kids. I'd encourage them to go speak to a specific teacher and see if they can help out. We used all our resources. 

You equipped your students with public speaking, design, and sales skills. What else?

We have these big screens around campus that play a slideshow. I shared the Google Drive folders our students use to compile pictures of each activity. It’s as much real-time as we can possibly get. I watched kids stop and watch the pictures, and it's huge. 

They're like, "Oh yeah, that was a fun picture to take." Or, "Oh, yeah, that was a fun activity that we did. Oh, that was funny." And there are these moments somebody posed and didn't know they were posing, and we got it on camera.

Adding marketing to the list.

When they go into high school, I feel like many of them who wanted to be in the yearbook class will take what we learned and take it to the next step of what the yearbook looks like.

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks.

In San Mateo, California, a group of remarkable students has embarked on an extraordinary journey. Led by their passionate social sciences teacher Cristina Gutierrez, the diverse group at San Mateo Union High School Bridge program (SMUHSD Bridge) is not only learning English and striving to complete their high school education but also making history by creating their school’s inaugural yearbook.

What made you decide to start a yearbook program this year? 

We started the program so our students could have something physical to remember all the unique memories and memorable moments in our Bridge program. As they move on in life, I want them to be able to hold onto that joy. 

Our students face challenges above and beyond most high school students. Most are unaccompanied newcomers from Central America: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico, and many come to the U.S. to flee violence or to reunite with a family member. Students range in age from 16 to 18, and 95% also work full-time to support family in their home countries. We wanted a way to empower them to showcase their experiences, culture, and dreams. 

What activities, events, and programs did you cover in the 2022-2023 yearbook? 

Every day at Bridge is different and exciting, so we tried to showcase all our diverse activities in our yearbook. We covered the fiestas we held, Independence Day for some students' home countries, Halloween, various award ceremonies, field trips, and English Learner Development classes. Our soccer league even won the championship in May! And, of course, we covered the people who make up Bridge: our staff and students. We honored our graduating seniors with recognition pages. They deserve all the accolades! 

Our school’s philosophy and teachings are grounded In Lak’ech pedagogy, a Maya affirmation that roughly translates to “you are my other me,” it focuses on prioritizing our relationships and responsibility to one another to foster a supportive learning community. We included In Lak’ech in our yearbook to memorialize our learnings. 

How did the students participate in creating the yearbook?

Our independent studies students worked together to create the yearbook. Treering’s crowdsourcing made it easy to grab photos from across the school. Working on this project was a hands-on way to teach students valuable skills like graphic design, storytelling, and photography to use later in life. It was also great to see students reminisce about our different events in the past while creating the yearbook. 

What is the most memorable thing about your yearbook?

Our program is constantly growing in numbers, and throughout the year, we are continually adding new students to our Bridge family. It’s never too late to join the program. We captured much of our year with Treering’s later deadlines, but even students who arrived in the last month of school were still thrilled to receive a copy of the yearbook and hold on to those memories. Their excitement shows how powerful a yearbook can be - it keeps students excited for future years’ memories and gives them a physical treasure to take home. 

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks.

Few educators willingly take on the yearbook. Greg is one. As a member of the House of Slytherin, he used his resourcefulness to find Treering Yearbooks and make us work for him, not the other way around. He left his previous yearbook companies, frustrated with diminishing print quality and leftover books. Now, because the books arrive before school lets out, Greg’s working to build a yearbook culture at Apprentice Academy.

How do you define yearbook culture?

Building a yearbook culture is difficult. Our old publisher delivered them late every year, so there was never a signing day. This year, I have the first-ever yearbook class. It restored my passion for yearbook. 

The theme was a hit; the cover looked like an iPad. The students reported on more than portraits and sports. There were spreads devoted to style, music, pop culture, and siblings. They used the yearbook to define what makes an Apprentice an Apprentice. They captured the CTE essence of our school culture. 

We still have a ways to go. Mainly middle schoolers and seniors bought yearbooks. I want to get more books in the hands of freshmen through juniors.

What did you do to make your first in-school distribution special?

All the seniors received their books at Senior Breakfast. And one of the seniors that was with us for four years came up to me and said, “Thank you, Mr. Carpenter. We've never got a book before the end of school.”

My son was also a senior this year, so it was cool for him. They all sat around at breakfast, looking through the books, laughing, looking at the pictures, and seeing the superlatives—that made me feel amazing.

I want kids to have access to their year. Something I’ve done for years is a Video Yearbook. It’s a slideshow of behind-the-scenes footage. Students came in and we handed out popsicles while they watched it. The yearbook staff introduces each section and students see photos from their book. They also see outtakes. It is really for the kids who cannot afford a book. They watch it with their friends. I hand out autograph sheets, so if they order a book after the deadline, they can slip it in the back.

How do you structure your staff?

We have a semester system at our school; the kids end up with eight classes a year. So I said, let's do Yearbook 1 in the fall and Yearbook 2 in the spring. It worked out really well. I feel like it's one of the best teams I ever advised, and the website was very straightforward. I use the Treering curriculum modules; with the quizzes at the end, it’s easy documentation for the district CTE.

How else does Treering help?

I should be stressed, but I’m not. Treering handles the trifecta of yearbook stressors: money, minimums, and ad sales. The cool thing about Treering is there are no high-pressure sales, and there is help when I need it. I didn’t need to negotiate a contract because pricing is upfront and haggle-free. It’s like CarMax. Before switching, I had additional cost centers I never saw until the final invoice. 

Treering even gives families two pages.

Let’s talk about that. Some high schools do not offer custom pages to their students.

We look at it like it’s a free ad. Our parents loved the custom pages and bought more after their first two free. It was crazy. They love them. I sent emails home and taught the students how to customize their books. Even the school staff helped and shared them.

I briefly review custom pages because our name is on the cover. It’s also a safety lesson: I remind the students this will be somewhere on the internet. Yes, I can see them. People from Treering see them. Never post anything anywhere that you would want anybody else to see.