Coverage from one year to the next needs to be fresh and inviting. The goal of the staff is to make each yearbook distinctive and tailored to the unique activities and events of the year. While we must cover the same areas and some of the same ideas every year, we can challenge ourselves to uncover unique aspects and angles that will make stories interesting.


Lifestyles


yearbook lifestyle picture

Glenbrook South High School // IL



collage yearbook lifestyle

Glenbrook South High School // IL



Lifestyles coverage ideas

  • Spontaneous collections in the car (taco bell hot sauce packets/ parking tickets)
  • Family-related stories (going to school with parents/siblings; responsibilities at home)
  • Unique aspects of working (interviewing, getting hired/fired, working for parents)
  • Things you personalize (backpacks, cars…)
  • Cliques and on/off-campus hangouts
  • Health and fitness
  • Garage bands/out-of-school music interests
  • Interesting, unusual jobs
  • Life at school before the first bell
  • Events such as homecoming, prom, special dances (look for unusual)
  • Unexpected days off (snow, hurricane…)
  • Weekday afternoon schedules
  • Saturday and Sunday activities
  • Holidays/birthdays and family celebrations
  • Shopping (brand names versus thrift store)
  • Favorite foods and places to eat
  • Nutritious eating vs. Junk food
  • Transportation or lack of/driving (driver’s ed, road rage, cars, road trips, parking)
  • Fads, fashion and accessorizing (guys and girls)
  • Money (earning, saving, spending habits)
  • Personal technology (communication: cell phones, on-line chats, in-person)
  • Television viewing (trends, personal tv)
  • Movie entertainment (theatre versus home)
  • School dances (formal vs casual)
  • Music (concerts, genre, favorite artists)
  • Rest and relaxation (sleeping)
  • Community (local and state elections, local involvement in national politics)
  • Travel (to relatives, domestic, with family, abroad, alone)
  • Dating vs. Single life

Academics


yearbook academics picture

Edmond Santa Fe High School // OK



yearbook academic picture

Edmond Santa Fe High School // OK


Academics coverage ideas

  • Straight A students and what they sacrifice
  • Courses with a common denominator (food: family living, foreign languages, yearbook)
  • Teamwork-requiring activities
  • Activities that demand a leadership role
  • Group work dynamics (those who do and don’t)
  • Courses that have a practical application
  • Students whose parents work at the school
  • Special projects and field trips
  • Tutors and those who are tutored
  • Extra credit
  • Performers and productions (music, drama, art)
  • Experiments in science/less obvious courses
  • Favorite website resources
  • Secret/quiet study places
  • On-line chat study sessions
  • Procrastination (what happens when you wait too late, preferred activities)
  • Strange teaching techniques and study habits
  • Rules and regulations (dress code disruptions)
  • Progress reports and report cards
  • Motivations and rewards
  • Students as teachers and teachers as students
  • Substitute teachers and student teachers
  • Evaluations (quizzes, AP exams, chapter, semester and standardized tests)
  • Alternative lessons (out of seat, outside)
  • Excuses
  • Impact of technology
  • Books, handouts, school supplies
  • Passing notes and text messaging
  • Fun courses versus dreaded classes
  • Subject area coverage (science, math, technology, language arts, etc.)
  • Daily schedules
  • Open house and parent/teacher meetings

Organizations


yearbook organization picture

‘Iolani School // HI



yearbook organization picture

‘Iolani School // HI


Organizations Coverage Ideas

  • Fund-raisers (those that are fun & those that are a pain, investment versus profit)
  • Recruiting and morale-boosting techniques
  • Leadership vs followership
  • Starting a new club and reviving an old one
  • Members who join community organizations
  • Elections; running for office
  • Out-of-town conferences and conventions
  • Club t-shirt or other apparel and who designed
  • Food traditions of the club
  • Academically-based clubs
  • Competitive activities and events for clubs
  • Dues/rules and regulations
  • Multi-club members
  • Resume padders and other reasons for joining
  • Social aspects/holiday pals
  • Club member friendships
  • Routine and unusual meetings
  • Sponsors and their interest in the clubs
  • Decision-making and life skills learned in clubs
  • Recognition and celebrations
  • Group volunteering in school and community
  • Sacrifices club members make
  • Productions and events behind the scenes

 

Sports


yearbook sports picture

Green Valley High School // NV



yearbook sports spread

Green Valley High School // NV


Sports coverage ideas

  • Playing the first and/or last game (of the season, of middle or high school career)
  • Learning from other players
  • Uniforms and numbers
  • Injuries and recovery
  • Unsung heroes (managers, trainers, unlikely “cheerleaders”)
  • Motivations for playing (love of sport, parents, peer influence)
  • Equipment details and insights (costs)
  • Post high school aspirations and scholarships
  • Non-school sports (club teams, gymnastics, horseback riding, self-defense)
  • Team rituals
  • Player superstitions
  • Game day: at home and road trips
  • Pre-school, two-a-day practices
  • Daily practice routines
  • Locker room talk (before and after the game as well as at halftime when winning/losing)
  • Play definitions
  • Position explanations
  • Sports briefs that describe a particularly memorable play or game
  • Individual and team statistics vital to the season’s history
  • Team cheers and chants; bonding moments
  • Favorite and least favorite warm-ups and drills
  • You know coach is mad/glad when…
  • Multi-sport athletes
  • Pre-season predictions vs. Post-season record
  • Game officials
  • Facilities
  • Fan support (official and unofficial; parents, family and friends; school and community)
  • Balancing academics and athletics
  • Playing on a team with a sibling
  • Arch rivals
  • Parent as coach and child as player
  • Summer sports camps (as a participant or as a “little league” coach)
  • Mascot/school colors/school song
  • Team captains
  • Starters vs. Second/third string players