How to Build a Project Team to Develop Student Yearbooks

At the start of the year, creating a student yearbook can seem like a daunting task. For some, the school yearbook project is carried by a single person, which makes the yearbook a mammoth undertaking.

This article attempts to explain how to build a project team to get the job done simply and easily, thereby removing the stress and making it a pleasurable process for teachers and students.

Here are some of the tasks you need yearbook team members to perform:

Project Manager/Yearbook Chairperson

• Oversees the entire project
• Recruits yearbook team members and assigns duties and tasks
• Establishes the project timing (with help from MSP Photography if required) and ensures deadlines are met

Finance Manager

• Controls payments and incoming revenue for yearbook purposes
• Oversees yearbook order process
• Ensures outgoing payments are made

Editor(s)

• Reads and edits stories submitted
• Checks accuracy of names, captions and headlines
• Proof reads all text, signing off each page
• Checks final proof prior to print for final approval

Photographer(s)

• Takes photographs throughout the year
• Ensures special events (ANZAC Day march, school fete, sports carnivals) are covered
• Sources additional images from students
• Ensures captions for photos are collected and correct
• Selects images to accompany articles

NOTE: it is great to get students involved. Assign classroom photographers, or ask school leaders to take on the role at special events. The yearbook belongs to all students, so where possible make sure each student appears in the yearbook at least once!

Contributors

• Gather information and write articles for different sections of the yearbook
• Ensures special events are covered
• Provides photographs where possible, including captions

NOTE: students, parents and teachers can all contribute articles to the yearbook. The more involved the school community is with the yearbook, the more they will want to see, and own, the finished product.

Sponsorship and Marketing

• Organises and places sponsor advertising
• Creates the sales campaign to increase yearbook sales
• Organises fund-raising activities
• Compiles the ‘sales toolkit’
• Creates yearbook promotions material (ads in the school newsletter, posters around school)
• Regularly communicates with students, parents and the local community about the yearbook

NOTE: yearbooks are a great fundraiser!
Read more about MSP Yearbooks.

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