Can a large school succeed with Jostens Renaissance ideas? YES and in this episode we talk to Laura Tobias, principal at State College High School in State College, PA. Her large school began using Renaissance ideas in the summer and fall 2023 and it's already made a HUGE difference in their building while also achieving the Renaissance Platinum Sc…

It's roughly halfway through another school year - and for many schools ROUGH is a good term to use again this year. That goes with another key word, CULTURE. Schools everywhere - and many yearbook staffs - are struggling through another year. One man who knows all about good yearbook and school culture is veteran adviser Mitch Eden. Now retired af…

We're back and talking about one subject that many yearbook staffs avoid - writing. Photos will always be the #1 element of the book, but writing is a close #2, filling in the information that the photos miss. And that's a LOT of information. Listen for great ideas and advice from veteran adviser Sharon Kubicek from Texas as she shares the importan…

It's a new school year, new energy, but eventually one same struggle will rise again. That's page designing - GOOD designing, never random or haphazard. Is your staff designing or just decorating? Listen to a great conversation with veteran adviser Brenda Field, a former JEA National Yearbook Adviser of the Year from Illinois, with ideas and advice…

As we go into a much needed summer break, what about yearbook and next year's effort? Those who plan early often have a smoother time of it - but a lot of yearbook advisers and staffs had a struggle this year. It's time for a TRANSFORMATION. Listen for tips and ideas from former top middle school adviser and current Jostens Education Specialist Kri…

For yearbookers it's time...for the BIG FINISH. The end of the school year is approaching and there's plenty to do, for both now and looking to the future. Distribution, organization, student leadership, planning for next year, etc. New Jostens Ambassador Marci Pieper, a recent JEA Lifetime Achievement Award winner, goes over many ideas and strateg…

Continuing our theme episodes this season we'll call this The Motivation Report. Many advisers report kids just not working hard this year, and in some cases it may be the adviser! What to do to get your group doing their best work? Listen to a conversation with yearbooking legend Margaret Sorrows, now a Jostens Ambassador and the former 36-year mu…

Your yearbook staff is probably very busy with page designing right now. But WHAT designing? HOW are you designing? and WHY those choices? Listen to a fact filled interview with Rick Brooks of Jostens, a nationally known design concept expert. Be ready to take notes as Rick offers ideas, advice, trends and inspiration on the FEEL of a yearbook them…

It's the PHOTO Episode with great ideas, advice and inspiration from veteran freelance photographer and photo instructor Mike McLean. This one goes a little long because Mike has so much great information and stories to share, all tied to improving your photography this year. Get ready to take LOTS of notes...…

Welcome back to a new school year - and we're ready no matter what challenges may come. Are YOU ready? This episode will help you get there with great advice, ideas and inspiration from guest Sarah Nichols, one of the top student journalism advisers in America and president of the Journalism Education Association (JEA.) Listen for thoughts on effec…

Happy End of School Year and Summer Break! But it never quite ends, does it? And active use of social media is one easy way to stay in touch with your audience all year long from wherever you are. Listen for great ideas and insights from Kristen Johnson of Jostens Social about WHY to use social media, HOW to use social media and all the basics. Plu…

We're all looking ahead to the end of this challenging school year - but then we're concerned for the future, not of yearbooking but for education in general. Students and teachers are struggling, and schools may need years to rebound. What to do? This episode feature comments and insights from Sara Sausker, Jostens yearbook pro who recently became…

What does the future hold for education, and for yearbooking? Especially - WHO will handle the effort, advisers or students? And WHERE can these people be found? The issue of recruiting for next year and the future is a key one for every yearbook staff. Listen to a great conversation with Jostens Creative Accounts Manager Lizabeth Walsh who offers …

It's halfway through the school year but not too late to try some new creative design ideas with your yearbooking effort. Get ready for a LOT of them with insights from Jostens Creative Design Manager Rick Brooks. What's hot and trendy, how has the pandemic affected design, what are some new cool cover treatments, and much more - you'll be taking n…

In a year of continued challenges, covering people and getting student reactions to news happening around them can be two big keys to a successful yearbooking effort. Yearbooks are always about telling stories, and this episode of TYR features great ideas and insights from veteran adviser Mitch Eden from Kirkwood HS in Missouri. Hear how his staff …

Now that school is rolling everywhere, has your yearbook staff come up with a new theme for this year's edition? Maybe you've never tried to develop a theme before? Listen to a great conversation with veteran adviser Jess Hunziker from Castle Rock, CO as she describes the steps in really working a theme on the inside of the book, why coming up with…

Welcome back to a new school year, and probably another challenging start to a school year. Many yearbook advisers and staffs struggled last year - will it happen again? How to avoid this? The start of Season 4 of the Report features adviser Emily Hockenberry from Towanda, PA. Last year Emily was a rookie adviser who took on the challenge of not on…

To wrap up the most challenging school year EVER and the third season of the Report, TYR did something new: we talked to three excellent yearbook student editors about how they dealt with this year, the difficulties they faced, what they learned from it, and some advice for next year's yearbook staffs. The round robin conversation shows the resilie…

As we approach the final weeks of this school year (YAY, finally!) this is a great time for yearbook advisers and staffs to begin some advance preparation for next year's effort. What to do? What to handle? HOW? Listen for some great advice and ideas from award winning adviser Ava Butzu from Grand Blanc HS in Michigan. Better have a pad and pen for…

We're back - and in this episode we're looking back but also looking forward with repeat guest Erika Lin Payne. Erika appeared last August in our episode about leading a staff remotely from 2,000 miles away which she's been doing since BEFORE the Virus That Shall Not Be Named showed up. After seven months of this situation this school year, what ha…

As yearbook staffs navigate this very challenging school year, what are the technology tools that keep Jostens schools ahead? And how did they come about? Listen to a fascinating interview with Jostens Product Director John Dalke as we talk some tech, find out more about some great yearbooking tools and look to the future.…

It's a new year but the same problems - how to make a great yearbook during a crazy pandemic? In this episode we talk with a true award-winning yearbooking legend, Jostens Ambassador and retired adviser Margaret Sorrows. The conversation goes from tips on great yearbook making and motivating kids to do good work to dealing with stress in this insan…

Whew, what a year. Many folks are essentially stumbling into the holiday break. This month Scott has a special edition filled with tips, ideas, advice and more for yearbook advisers right now and some just for educators anywhere. Is your school or yearbook staff considering these ideas? How can teachers get re-motivated? How can struggling students…

As we head into holiday season in the most bizarre year ever, many yearbook staffs are beginning to create their page layouts for their historic 2021 book. But how to do that well? Get lots of great tips, ideas and inspiration from Jostens Creative Account Manager Tina Cleavelin in this month's episode, along with some great advice for rookie advis…

What's it like to be a yearbook cover artist? This month Scott talks with Jostens artist Dylan Rush on a series of art topics - what's it like this challenging year? How is work different? What should a yearbook staff do to prep for their cover session? Are you born with artistic talent or is it learned? Hear some interesting insights on one of the…

In this craziest school year ever, what to do with your yearbooking efforts? This month Scott is joined by Jostens Creative Accounts Manager Jeff Moffitt, a veteran yearbook journalist who shares lots of ideas and inspiration for any yearbook adviser and staff during this tumultuous year. Listen also for some thoughts about the future of education …

Welcome back to a new school year. and perhaps the most historic school year EVER. With all of the challenges facing teachers and students this year, how can a yearbook adviser lead their group if they're not all together? Listen for some great advice from adviser Erika Lin Payne of The Rock Academy in San Diego, CA, although for the past year she'…

Here's a second SPECIAL summer edition of the Report as yearbook advisers and staffs prepare to take on storytelling in what will be the most disrupted school year EVER. And instead of just the spring, this time it could be the entire school year. Rookie advisers could be overwhelmed by the challenges, while veteran advisers will hit problems they'…

It's a special edition of the Yearbooking Report as host Scott Geesey talks about this continued crazy situation we're in and looks ahead to the new school year, one that will be like no other. Could the disruptions to school happen all year long? Scott shares some laughs, some views, insights and ideas on how yearbook staffs can handle this new en…

WE MADE IT to the end of the most historic school year ever! As we conclude our season and school year listen for some great ideas and tips from veteran adviser Matt LaPorte from Las Vegas, NV. Probably one of the "coolest" advisers around, Matt shares some great ideas for any staff but we also take some time to look to the future - what will schoo…

This is a special episode of the Report, an hour long segment with Scott sharing ideas, insights, opinions and predictions about this now historic school year 2020 and a look to the future - what happens now? Grab a pen and paper for plenty of notetaking and see if you agree with some of Scott's thoughts...…

Welcome! Hear the latest news and notes, including dealing with the coronavirus shutdown. And listen to an informative interview with Jostens soclal media specialist Jordan Weber with many ideas and insights on using social media for yearbooking and how to get started. Few yearbook staffs use social media, yet it could make a huge difference in you…

Along with news and insights for late winter, listen to the views of Jostens Creative Accounts Manager Lizabeth Walsh, a former veteran award winning adviser and now a Jostens national workshop presenter and instructor. Grab a pad and pen for some notes on questions ranging from organization to the importance of yearbook to any school. It's a great…

Welcome to a new calendar year! Halfway through the school year now, do you and your staff do a good job of yearbook promotion? Not just book sales but also letting your school know about all the hard work you do every single week? Do you do ANY promotion at all? Most yearbook staffs DON'T. If not, it's time to start - listen to some great views fr…

Let's face it - everyone has a smartphone in their pocket. How can that little item be used as part of any yearbooking effort? Check out this episode with comments from Penn State University associate professor John Beale, also an experienced veteran photojournalist who teaches a course on smartphone usage for journalism. Pick up a bunch of tips on…

How's your yearbook page making going? No matter where you are, listen to this episode for a LONG list of great advice and tips from Jostens ambassador and yearbook legend John Cutsinger. John has been helping yearbook staffs for decades to improve their look and design with cutting edge ideas like freeform design. Listen to see what we mean! And J…

It's our October 2019 episode, and get ready for some great thoughts on what should be the chief reason for making a yearbook - storytelling. Everyone at school has some story to tell, and everyone WANTS their story told. Listen for great ideas and wisdom from Casey Nichols, recently retired as the outstanding adviser at Rocklin High School in Rock…

In the September 2019 episode of The Yearbooking Report, hear some good ideas on staff organization with top adviser Kristen Scott from Kealing Middle School in Austin, TX. Kristen helped to write the Jostens Yearbook Adviser Guide and has one of the top middle school staffs in America, a book that rivals many high school efforts. Listen for tips a…

Welcome to a new school year! Check this our first episode of the new year with thoughts on building your new yearbook team with veteran adviser Kelly Shearer from South Williamsport HS, PA. Building a great team will mean ultimate success for your effort. Also be sure to listen for lots of other ideas and tips from Kelly, along with news on a new …

To wrap up the school year, hear a great interview on the importance of student journalism with Sarah Nichols, president of the national Journalism Education Association (JEA) and one of the top yearbook advisers in the country. Sarah leads an outstanding media group at Whitney HS in Rocklin, CA where trained students do the reporting and decision …

Welcome back! With the end of the school year approaching, your distribution day should be one of the most important days on the school calendar. But at most schools, it goes by without any fanfare. You've worked hard all year and then...nothing. Let's change that! Listen to an interview with Maddi Hallock, adviser at Bradford Area High School, PA,…

It's March and SPRING! It's also about time for spring yearbook schools to wrap up their book work, and a popular question for them is "book's done, now what?" This month we talk with adviser Savannah Cajka of Loyalsock Township High School in Williamsport, PA on what she does with her staff once the book is completed. Last year's staff won the Jos…

Having trouble motivating your students to do their best work or maybe even to WORK? In the February episode of The Yearbooking Report podcast listen to veteran adviser Mitch Eden of Kirkwood HS, MO as he shares some great advice and ideas to help any adviser get the best out of their staff. EVERY journalism adviser needs to listen to this intervie…

The January 2019 episode of The Yearbooking Report has some great discussion on yearbook promotion, something that most yearbook staffs frankly don't do all that well. We interview Ava Butzu, veteran adviser of the award winning Echo yearbook from Grand Blanc High School in Michigan. Have your note pad ready for a long list of great ideas and tips …

The December 2018 episode of The Yearbooking Report is all about yearbook production - how is a book really produced? Why have deadlines and why are they important? And you get an audio visit to the best yearbook production plant on Earth, from Jostens in Clarksville, TN. Production manager Jennifer Gee gives us the tour with lots of information an…

We're back, and this month's interview is all about writing, one thing that most students really struggle with. Acclaimed writing instructor Bobby Hawthorne (The Radical Write) shares some fascinating insights on how writing is taught, along with some tips and ideas to change your writing game. No more inverted pyramid? For advisers, perhaps ask yo…

In this month's update we look at yearbook design, probably the toughest part of the yearbooking experience for most staffs. Need some advice? Listen to many great ideas and tips from Rick Brooks, veteran Creative Design Manager for Jostens and a 2018 recipient of the prestigious Pioneer Award from the NSPA. You CAN create a beautiful yearbook that…

Welcome back to The Yearbooking Report! No matter what new technology comes down the line, pictures will always be the key element of any yearbook. But most yearbook images are rather dull and uninspired. This month we talk to veteran photojournalist and instructor Mike McLean about taking great photos for your book - starting right now!…

Welcome to the new Yearbooking Report podcast. I'm Scott Geesey - journalist, 20-year Jostens representative and JEA Certified Journalism Educator. I plan to have some fun once a month with great interviews and information about yearbook storytelling (what I call Yearbooking,) and this is for ANY yearbook adviser and/or staff, not just Jostens part…