MaRcH

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ONAL YEARBOO I T K NA

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L OF EXCEL

The 2014 spring winners of the National Yearbook Program of Excellence will be announced in just a few months. Jostens is looking forward to presenting recipients with a plaque for the yearbook classroom and a large banner to display prominently in their school. Schools with fall delivery books that meet the criteria will receive their awards at the beginning of next school year.
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As you work to complete your books and qualify for the award, weve got tips as well as advice from last years winners to help guide you to success. If there is anything you need to help accomplish your goals, your Jostens team is here to help. Go to the Excellence tab on Yearbook Avenue to check your current status today. We hope to see you on the 2014 winners list!
Review the Excellence criteria Page 7.

PR

A meaningful book for all students

Find out how one Excellence award winning staff uses theme selection and design elements to meet their coverage goals and highlight student achievements.

Pages 23

A book in every students hands

If you have unsold copies of the yearbook, the distribution event is the perfect place to sell them. Find out the best practices for giving non-buyers one more chance to get a copy of your amazing yearbook.

Pages 45

Effective project management

Clear goals, accountability and the feeling of family are the driving forces behind one Excellence award winning staff as they work toward their third consecutive win. Learn more about their system.

Page 6
CHEcK OUT THE EXcELLENcE TAB
on the home page of Yearbook Avenue today to see how you are tracking toward the National Yearbook Program of Excellence award.

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A MEANINGFUL BOOK

Creative ways to include everyone

It was great to see the kids rewarded for their efforts. With no time to meet during the day and only one after school meeting per week, the staff used a lot of their own time at home to get complete pages for deadlines. I know some of the kids worked late into the night to get their yearbook work and homework completed each night. Amy Smyers, adviser

Inclusive coverage begins with the right theme.

When it came time to decide on a theme for the 2014 yearbook, the staff at Bald Eagle Area High School in Wingate, PA considered two well developed, but very different ideas. The deciding factor came down to one thing which theme would best support expanded student coverage? We denitely consider the ease of student coverage when we select a theme for our yearbook. After all, those students are the people that are buying this book, said adviser Amy Smyers. Last years theme, Not Just Another Face in the Crowd, really allowed us to highlight some of the awesome accomplishments of students at our school, especially those achievements that are not so well known at school. This years theme, A Picture is Worth 2014 Words, is also ripe with clever design and photo possibilities.

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Advisers and administrators joined the Bald Eagle Area HS [PA] yearbook staff to recognize their 2013 Program of Excellence designation.

It was apparent very early on that our design templates would all include elements that relate to the word picture. Many of our designs include components that look like strips of lm from a camera or Polaroid pictures. We have also worked with the words part of the theme in our designs, too. For example, in the background of all of our dividers are words that could all be used to describe pictures in our book or students in our school, positively of course. There are not quite 2014 words used on those dividers, but it does help to develop the theme of the book, said Smyers.

A MEANINGFUL BOOK

Creative ways to include everyone

Use the Coverage Report on Yearbook Avenue to track who is in the book and whos not. Not familiar with how it works? Check out the Coverage Report video in the Page Creation section of the Digital Classroom video library. If you are using InDesign to create your pages, use the Coverage Report on the YearTech toolbar toget this information.
When it comes to coverage, this Yearbook Program of Excellence school has set an ambitious goal. Last year, Smyers said the staff featured 72% of the student body in the yearbook three times or more. This year their goal is to reach 100%. We really make it a high priority to nd those kids that arent involved in sports or extracurricular activities. In last years book, we utilized the photo bars at the top of the pages in the class sections for students that were not going to show up in team or club photos elsewhere in the book. Its the same situation this year; the photo strips in each class section are allowing us to include more students, said Smyers. Most photos used in the book are taken by staff members or the professional school photographer. That is not, however, without its challenges given the fact that yearbook is an after school activity. We are not fortunate enough to have a yearbook class at our school, so we have to rely on our staff members having study halls that they can use to take photos during the day. Most of my staff members have pretty rigorous class schedules and it can be difcult to nd time that theyre available to take photos at school, said Smyers.

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1) Words are used as a graphic element on the dividers as well as a lmstrip and snapshots aimed at expanding student coverage. 2) A lmstrip element carries through the theme and allows for additional photos on each page.

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We do reach out to our students and their parents for those moments that we just cant capture. One of the best examples of that would be the backstage photos from our drama club productions. We cant be in the way behind the scenes, but we have had some great shots of the actors going through pre-show rituals submitted by parents and students in the shows, she said. The staff uses the Coverage Report on Yearbook Avenue to determine who is in the book and who they still need to include. Smyers said it is the most efcient way of tracking student coverage, since the staff already has to tag each photo to create the index.

A B O O K in e V e R y S tu D ent s H an D s

Yearbook sales and promotion

C E l E B R ATIO N
G UID E

Distribution sales
If you have unsold copies of the yearbook, the distribution event is the perfect place to sell them. Those who didnt take advantage of previous opportunities to buy will be thrilled that they have one last chance. Normally, these copies are sold at a price slightly higher than pre-sold copies. Be sure to include the message that a limited number of copies are still available when you advertise the distribution event. You can also begin selling copies prior to the event.

celebrate

Pre-sale planning activities

Refer to the Celebrate Guide in the Yearbook Kit for distribution ideas. Set up selling locations and times for in-school sales. Make sure you have plenty of order forms and receipt pads.

You deserve a celebration. Well help you plan it.

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Make your distribution event something students enjoy and look forward to attending. It is also a chance to sell extra copies, usually at a higher price than preorders. You want as many students as possible to own this valuable keepsake.

Create buzz in school

Display Yearbook Kit posters or create your own. Display window clings on windows and doors. Create daily announcementslet students know there are a limited number of books available and how to buy. Create Youre in the Book cards and send to non-buyers that appear on the coverage report. Put an ad in the school newspaper. Additional ideas Update your yearbook Facebook page to share the news about the distribution event.  Create a staff yearbook commercial and post it on YouTube. Put the link on your yearbook Facebook page.

A B O O K in e V e R y S tu D ent s H an D s

Yearbook sales and promotion

A yearbook for every student.
YEARBOOK SALES GOALS Total Goal:
1
BACK TO SCHOOL
Campaign dates Sales goal Books sold
START END

Create buzz at home

Send a message home to parents by mailing a postcard or adding a letter or postcard to a parent mailing being sent from the school.

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% % SOLD
Mark your progress by coloring in each block.

FALL
Campaign dates Sales goal Books sold
START END

Put an article in the school newsletter. Put a notice on the school website. Communicate the sale using the schools phone messaging or email system. Put a Yearbooks on Sale message on the school marquee. Additional ideas Distribute a press release with details of the distribution and last chance sale. Place yard signs on front of the school promoting the sale.
2013 Jostens, Inc. Printed

LAST CHANCE
Campaign dates
START END

DISTRIBUTION
Campaign dates Sales goal Books sold
START END

IO N S AC T ITEM

Sales goal Books sold

AC T I O

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3. Schedule campaign dates.
Check out the Sales and Promotion Guide in your Yearbook Kit for detailed information and promotional ideas. Make sure each campaign reaches both students and parents: Generate buzz in school: Hang posters, make announcements, promote ReplayIt and ask students to upload their photos, create a Yearbook Facebook page, schedule fun activities.
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1. Set sales goals. 2. Upload a student list to Yearbook Avenue.

This will make it easier to track buyers and create easy follow-up promotions for non-buyers. Go to the video library in the Digital Classroom for step-by-step upload instructions.

4. Schedule a fun Yearbook Distribution/Signing event.

N AC T I O MS
ITE

This event can be large or small. The goal is to set aside a designated time for students to celebrate the school year and the arrival of the yearbook. The Celebrate guide in your Yearbook Kit has ideas and checklists for planning events of all sizes.

Generate buzz at home: Communicate with parents using emails, home mailings, signs in front of the school, displays set up at school events.

5. Celebrate your success!

2012 Jostens, Inc. 12-1067 (2490)

Sales Poster

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2013 Jostens,

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in USA. 13-0031

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13-0031 YBK

HD Yard Signs_PF.indd

2012 Jostens, 2013

Inc. Printed

in USA. 13-0031 12-0256

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Yard Signs

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2012 Jostens, 2013

Inc. Printed

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Wrap up
Enter sales into Yearbook Avenue. Update sales goal poster. Celebrate your success!

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E ffecti V e P R oject M anagement

The keys to deadline performance

Family atmosphere inspires staff achievement
Yearbook is more than a class at South Winneshiek High School in Calmar, Iowa. It is a family whose members share a passion for creating a great yearbook for their school. And this close knit group has a lot to be proud of in that regard theyve been named a National Yearbook Program of Excellence for two years running and have a great start on winning the award for the third time. It is an honor to be part of an award-winning staff and family. The staff worked hard every day, had fun and made many memories, said Brittany Shindelar, junior, during an all-school assembly recognizing the 2013 staff.
Students show off their We are family wristbands worn by the yearbook staff.

What is the secret to motivating a staff of more than 30 students to achieve their goals year after year? Adviser Bridget Adams said it all comes down to planning, timing and a little bit of luck. Your goals need to be specic and set at the beginning of the year. I host a yearbook camp in the summer where we start this planning process. The students need to be dedicated and have a passion for yearbook. I have been lucky to have students with that passion, Adams said.

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Yearbook adviser Bridget Adams recognizes her award winning 2013 staff during a school assembly.

There were 31 students on the 2013 staff including four editors and one business manager. Adams said each editor assumed the role of go to person for the other staff members and everyone was responsible for interviewing, photography, layouts, and proong. While meeting page deadlines is something many staffs struggle with, Adams has found the key for her is to set clear and specic goals and then train to those goals. Carefully planning the pages to complete for each deadline is also a key success factor. We set due dates for 1st drafts. Then editors and other staff members proofread the pages. After that, the students submit the pages to me and I do a nal run through, said Adams. We basically start with events and such that happen at the beginning of the year and those are the pages we submit rst. So far it has worked great for us to do it this way. To inspire her new staff members and help them develop a passion for yearbook, Adams turns to her alumni. It has helped me the last few years to have some of my veteran yearbookers come back and talk to my new staff. This has been a real motivation for the kids to keep getting better. I have been so lucky the last few years to have students on staff that have the drive and passion for yearbook, said Adams.

South Winneshiek High School [IA] yearbook adviser Bridget Adams and four of her staff members display their Program of Excellence banner.

C R ite R ia

The criteria for the National Yearbook Program of Excellence are broken down into three categories.
We want to help you create an inclusive book, generate school community engagement and manage your program. The National Yearbook Program of Excellence designation is an honor that recognizes yearbook programs for achieving the criteria in each of the three categories.

A Meaningful Book for All Students

A book that is meaningful to all students is a book that features a vast majority of the students. The yearbook is the story of the year and each student is part of that story. The more a student is included in the yearbook, the more relevant and meaningful it is. The criteria for achieving this category are:  At least 50 percent of your student body is pictured in your yearbook three times or more. You can utilize our Coverage Reports in Yearbook Avenue to easily track how many times each student is pictured in your yearbook.  Set your Distribution Event date and location by Dec. 1. Celebrate your hard work and great book with a distribution event! It gives the students a chance to share stories and signatures that make the yearbook an even more meaningful keepsake. You dont need to have all the details planned out by Dec. 1just the date and location. Then use the distribution tools in your Yearbook Kit (and your Jostens representative) to help you plan the details before the event.

A Book in Every Students Hands

You put so much effort, time and care into your schools yearbook. We want to help ensure that as many students as possible get to enjoy the masterpiece you have created. The criteria for achieving this category are:

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 70 percent of your student body purchases a yearbook OR a 5 percent increase in the percentage of students buying a book this year compared to last year. The status reports on your Yearbook Avenue home page as well as reports found under the Sell menu will help you keep track of your progress.  Reach home to parents at least three times with ordering information (how, when, where and why to buy). Use one of the Jostens selling programs (Jostens Direct Solutions or Yearbook Blitz program) to automatically qualify. If you like to handle your own sales campaigns, we can help with the selling tools weve provided in your Yearbook Kit and on Yearbook Avenue.

Effective Project Management

Meeting your yearbook deadlines is a very important part of the yearbook creation process and results in your yearbooks delivering on time and exactly as you want them. The criteria for achieving this category are:  Have your cover and endsheets submitted by Nov. 1 for spring-delivery schools and Feb. 15 for fall-delivery schools. Work with your Jostens representative and plant consultant to ensure you meet these deadlines and have cover and endsheet designs you love!  Meet all of your scheduled page deadlines. Work with your Jostens representative and plant consultant to create a fabulous book and ensure you submit your pages by your established deadlines.