With one year of advising the yearbook class under my belt, I felt a little less overwhelmed this time around. I had ten students and we had about 18 weeks to finish our files.

I kept the same class structure as last year. We discussed publication design and I taught them the basics of the computer programs during the first four weeks of class. Since we had less than a semester, I set the graphic styles and created a design template. Students then made mock ups, wrote and edited articles, and edited and placed photos. We used Gmail and Google Docs throughout the entire process. I constantly referred students to my Spread Assignment Sheet for page numbers and due dates. We used a very specific file structure on the school server, and I graded everything up until the end on the computer.

Our yearbook is a full-color, 125 page hardcover publication. We used Scribus to layout spreads and Gimp to edit photographs. Some students worked in Inkscape and Blender to create vector artwork. We use a local print company. I can’t believe their turn around – just one week!

This book was extra special because this year is the tenth anniversary of our school. The students decided on the theme “Perspective.” I had all of the kids create a cover option and they voted for their favorite. A senior designed this year’s cover. Our school is built around an atrium. This is a view of the ceiling and the flags we display for each home country.

The full cover:

Title page:

Table of contents:

Letter from the director:

Every grade had a mugshot page and a feature page:

The seniors were highlighted in their spreads:

Most extra curricular activities had one-page spreads:

Sports teams had two-page spreads:

A couple of students were creative with cutouts:

Two students wrote a fantastic article about the beginning of our school. Our director provided information for a timeline:

Year favorites spread:

I have all but one yearbook in the library. It’s exciting to see Volume 10 join the shelf!

The kids did a great job and I’m so proud of them and their finished product. We’ll distribute them on Monday. I can’t believe there’s only two half days of school left!

» Read about last year’s yearbook here.
» Download my Spread Assignment Sheet resource here.