Yearbook Timeline
Timeline by
MAY THE YEAR BEFORE
- Meet with editorial staff for the following year's yearbook
- Brainstorm theme, tone, organization, section titles, fonts, and colors.
- Try to select 1-3 possible theme ideas to explore later in the summer.
- Share the yearbook workshop dates, strongly encourage all yearbook editors to attend, they need to set the example for the rest of the class.
- If a summer yearbook workshop isn't offered through your yearbook company, plan a summer workday.
- Meet with senior section editor:
- Develop a plan for collecting information from parents over the summer.
- TIP: Set up a Dropbox (or similar) to send out to parents. Create a folder for each individual senior for parents to add to.
- Meet with the entire staff for the following year's yearbook.
- Order pizza, have lunch or enjoy some baked treats.
- Play some icebreaker games and get to know names.
- Introduce editor-in-chief(s) and editorial staff.
- Share the workshop or summer workday dates. Encourage all staff members to attend.
- Set dates with your school to add to the school calendar.
- Senior information due dates.
- School portraits.
- Club pictures.
- Athletic team pictures.
- Yearbook dedication ceremony.
- Set up theme of Pep Rally and Homecoming Dance.
- Discuss with Admin dates for each.
- Fill out appropriate building use forms.
- Fill out appropriate Fundraiser Request Forms.
- Discuss with Admin dates for each.
SUMMER:
- Attend your publishing company's yearbook workshop or your planned summer workday.
- Finalize tone, theme, yearbook organization, section titles, fonts, and colors.
- Design folio.
- Design yearbook cover.
- Collect senior section information:
- Professional casual headshots
- Professional formal headshots
- Baby pictures.
- Quotes.
- Parent letters (if included)
- Senior Ads (if included)
- Reach out to staff members:
- Express your excitement for the upcoming year.
- Ask them to bring a camera the first day of school, and start taking pictures from the beginning of the day to include in the yearbook.
- Reach out to editor-in-chief(s)
- Tell them to prepare a presentation on the theme to introduce to any students who couldn't attend the summer workshop. It should include all details already set in place for the book (cover design, folio, fonts, colors, etc)
- Have them map out the ladder and the deadline assignments for the year. (when each section needs to be submitted)
- Have them sketch out a rough set of guidelines (set of rules the students have to follow when creating modules, pages, and spreads. Example: Story font size and style).
SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER:
- First day of school:
- Hand out syllabus and staff contracts. They must turn them in signed by their parents next day for a homework grade.
- Play icebreaker games.
- Re-introduce each other and the editorial staff.
- Divide your class into "families" or "big, lil" groups. Each new staff member should be paired with a returning staff member. This is their point person for the year. Group sizes will vary based on individual class numbers.
- Dismiss the students to go take pictures for the rest of the class period for first day of school coverage. Encourage them to write down names,grades, and quotes as they take pictures.
- At least 10 quality first day of school pictures need to be saved to the "First Day of School" folder in the yearbook/ pictures folder. This needs to be turned in by the end of the week.
- Day 2: Introduce the theme:
- Collect signed syllabi and contracts. Check them off for a homework grade.
- Allow your editor-in-chief(s) take over the class. They should start filling the leadershop role from day 1.
- Have them go through their presentation and answer questions.
- Have staff help brainstorm ideas if anything still needs to be completed.
- Assign deadline 1 assignments:
- First, go through and ask the staff who is involved in what. It's easier for them to cover things if they are already there.
- Fill in any gaps.
- Brainstorm ideas for everyday stories, academic stories, and student spotlight stories.
- TIP: go ahead and divide up all assignments for the entire year. This makes students aware of all responsibilities they have, and they can get started on coverage as soon as the activity starts. They can also collect info ahead of time (coaches, team moms, field trip dates, etc.)
- Day 3: The Real World
- Pass out the interview and information collection worksheets.
- Students must fill one of these out and turn it in for every assignment they have to complete (each sport, academic, etc.).
- Have your editor-in-chief(s) explain how the process typically works and how information will be organized.
- Where to upload pictures for their assignments. Each athletic will have their own folder under and athletics folder.
- When they are ready to start adding information to the website, how to do it. Either design their own module or fill in a pre-designed layout on the website.
- Allow students to get to work on their assignments,
- They can leave class to talk with teachers, coaches, take pictures, and gather information. They just need to check in with you before leaving.
- make sure students are staying on task.
- Pass out the interview and information collection worksheets.
- Finalize guidelines.
- Have students apply for roles in the yearbook.
- Hold student interviews with teacher and editor-in-chief(s).
- Collect all senior information (end of September, beginning of October)
- Take all club pictures.
- Have students work on Deadline 1 assignments.
- SEPTEMBER:
- Have students submit an update on all deadline 1 assignments: photographs, drafts of stories, etc.
- Introduce ad sales: Explain requirements, how many ads need to be sold, etc.
- Have each marketing student brainstorm 10 businesses who might be interested, take out overlap.
- Have each marketing student reach out to at least 5/10 businesses about buying an ad.
- Have each student follow up with the 5 businesses they made first contact with.
- Design and submit end sheets.
- Finalize cover design.
- Begin Pep Rally and Homecoming Dance preparations.
- Graphic Designers should design tickets for the dance and hall posters for the dance.
- Tickets need to include date, time, time doors close, ticket price, code of conduct, and dress code.
- Ticket designs need to be approved by the principal.
- Marketers should be working on spirit week and signs and announcements.
- Posters should include examples of each day's theme.
- Announcements should be clear on what each day's theme is.
- Spirit week schedule need to be approved by the principal.
- Photographers will help with dance decoration ideas. Submit links to decorations desired for the dance.
- Tickets will need to be sold during lunch.
- Editor-in-chief(s) will be in charge of overseeing details of the dance and making sure everyone has assignments submitted on time.
- Journalists will communicate with admin about plans for the Pep Rally and Dance.
- Work on the agenda for the Pep Rally.
- Graphic Designers should design tickets for the dance and hall posters for the dance.
- OCTOBER:
- Have students submit an update on all Deadline 1 assignments: photographs, drafts of stories, etc.
- Class voting on yearbook dedication and senior superlatives (mock elections).
- Pep Rally
- Homecoming Dance
- NOVEMBER:
- 2 weeks before Deadline 1: all deadline 1 assignments turned in.
- Editorial staff: Edit their sections (photographer editor will edit photos and make sure names and photos match. Photos should flow nice with pages and stories. Journalism editor will check grammar, spelling, captions, quotes, and writing style. All stories and quotes need to be sited. Design editor will check page layout,consistency with plan for book and overall flow of pages).
- Editor-in-chief edits every single Deadline 1 page.
- 1 week before deadline: Faculty edits all pages.
- Have staff members fix errors as they come up.
- Teacher submits Deadline 1.
- Deadline 2 assignments are assigned, if they weren't all assigned at the beginning of the year.
- NOVEMBER-DECEMBER: Deadline 2
- Have students work on Deadline 2 assignments.
- Take winter team pictures.
- Have layout editor design all Deadline 2 pages (if applicable).
- TIP: Pre layout all pages as soon as possible. If you don't have a layout editor, divide the task between your editorial staff.
- Give modules to your regular staff to try laying out modules.
- End of November:
- Have students submit an update on all deadline 2 assignments.
- Have students turn in all interview/ data collection worksheets for Deadline 2 assignments.
- DECEMBER:
- 2 weeks before Deadline 2: all Deadline 2 assignments turned in.
- Editor staff: edit their sections.
- Editor-in-chief edits every single Deadline 2 page.
- 1 week before deadline: Teacher edits all pages.
- Have staff members fix errors as they come up.
- Teacher submits all Deadline 2 assignments.
- Deadline 3 assignments are assigned.
- End of semester grades are finalized.
JANUARY:
- Have students work on Deadline 3 assignments.
- Finalize winter team pictures, start on spring team pictures.
- Have layout editor design all Deadline 3 pages (if applicable).
- TIP: Pre layout all pages as soon as possible. If you don't have a layout editor, divide the task between your editorial staff.
- Give modules to your regular staff to try laying out modules.
- Mid-January:
- Have students submit an update on all Deadline 3 assignments.
- Have student turn in all interview/ data collection worksheets for Deadline 3 assignments.
- End of January:
- 2 weeks before Deadline 3: all Deadline 3 assignments turned in.
- Editor staff: Edit their sections.
- Editor-in-chief edits every single Deadline 3 page.
- 1 week before deadline: Teacher edits all pages.
- Have staff members fix errors as they come up.
- Teacher submits all Deadline 3 assignments.
- Deadline 4 assignments are assigned.
FEBRUARY-MARCH:
- Have students work on Deadline 4 assignments.
- All spring athletic team pictures are taken.
- Have layout editor design all Deadline 4 pages.
- Mid-February:
- Have students submit an update on all Deadline 4 assignments.
- Have students turn in all interview/ data collection worksheets for Deadline 4 assignments.
- End of February:
- 2 weeks before Deadline 3: all Deadline 3 assignments turned in.
- Editor staff: Edit their sections.
- Editor-in-chief edits every single Deadline 3 page.
- 1 week before deadline: Teacher edits all pages.
- Have staff members fix errors as they come up.
- Teacher submits all Deadline 3 assignments.
- Deadline 4 assignments are assigned.
MARCH:
- HAVE A BIG PARTY AT THE END OF MARCH! Celebrate the completion of your yearbook!
- Allow students breathing room to have study halls during class, watch movies, take a break in general for 2 weeks.
APRIL:
- Have underclassman fill out returning staff applications.
- Have each staff member e-mail 3 students (with staff application attached) to recruit them to yearbook staff.
- Select your editorial team for the following year.
MAY:
See top of timeline.