EHS Publications was able to attend the JEA/NSPA conference this fall for the first time since 2019.
EHS Publications was able to attend the JEA/NSPA conference this fall for the first time since 2019.
me :)
EHS Publications was able to attend the JEA/NSPA conference this fall for the first time since 2019.
LEAdership
I have a clear memory of sitting in the yearbook room during my freshman year. The two seniors who were editors-in-chief at the time were working on the cover, or maybe it was the first page of the book, and they'd just finished mocking up their first design. And even though I was quiet, and one of the only three freshmen on staff --- even though they could have easily ignored me --- I still remember how earnestly they asked for my input on their work. I had one comment, I think, nothing major. But they listened, and I could tell they were honestly thinking about what I'd said.
The inside of the publications classroom was one of the first places where I got the confidence to speak up. I knew that it was an environment where my thoughts would always be valued, and where the work I produced was something I could always feel good about. It's because of people like those two editors, who helped teach me that journalism is a field where everyone's perspective gets a chance, that I fell in love with this program.
Now that I'm the one designing the covers, I try to do the same as they did. I've made a point of getting to know many of my underclassmen staff, offering help while trying to encourage them to grow into leadership roles. I graduate from EHS in just a few months, and I'm confident that the students I've seen rise to become fellow editors will keep this program thriving after I've left it behind.
organization
As an editor, I think my most important jobs are staying organized and communicating with my staff. Sure, copy editing, designing and writing are important, but none of it really matters if no one knows what they're doing. I try extremely hard to make information accessible to everyone involved in our publication. There are group chats for the newspaper and yearbook staff, including a separate chat for our editorial staff to strategize. And at the heart of my editorial organization pursuits, my dearly beloved spreadsheets.
(While, on most of this site, I've made an effort to blur out names in photos, I've left these photos unedited because they contain only first names and blurring them would impede one's ability to see how these documents are used.)
I make one of these spreadsheets to plan each issue of The Claw so that each member of staff can know keep track of what they're writing, how many pages their story will take up and what spreads they're responsible for designing. I have spaces to jot down ideas during the brainstorming stage and to leave comments about each spread while we're producing the issue.
I fill out this template every week as members of staff send me their ideas for that week's update of Tiger Times Online. All of the tables are kept in one Google Doc so that, as writers are thinking of ideas, they can make sure they're not over-covering an issue we've written about in the past or accidentally copying an idea from one of their classmates.
I've embedded this behemoth of a spreadsheet because it can't be captured in an image. This is our yearbook ladder, which includes assignments for all of our staff, a column for comments from editors and a full checklist for each page.
If the Google Drive embed doesn't work, try to see this beast here.
team-building
To me, "team-building" has two different, but independently important meanings when it comes to being an editor. On one hand, I try to make sure everyone on staff is having a good time, which means balancing the roles of editor and friend. On the other, it means making sure every member of staff feels like they're being listened to.
In the past two years our program has seen the return of in-person journalism events, which you can see in the big photo at the top of this page. My classmates and I had the chance to attend IHSA state journalism last year, and the NSPA/JEA conference in St. Louis just a few months ago. These events are a great opportunity to learn, but they're also a unique way for our staff members to get closer.
HAVING FUN
When being an editor gets to feel like a full-time job, I have to stop and remind myself that I choose to be a part of publications because it's something I enjoy, and I should try my best to make it a good experience for myself and everyone around me. The small size of our staff means that we have a chance to be closer, and it means that inside jokes spread quickly. While I try to maintain a level of professionalism inside the publications classroom, I'm still a peer to my staff. In my two years on AJC, my classmates and I have gone out to lunch around town, dominated our school's trivia night scene and kept the meme-creation culture of our class group chat alive and well.
One (strange) way the culture of our class has manifested is through posters like these. Especially last year, I made a habit of turning absurd and funny quotes from my classmates into questionably-inspirational posters. I'd also make posters to honor previous years' editors, whose wisdom I wanted to learn from as I grew into leadership roles. One design I made, a parody of Taylor Swift's "Reputation" album cover featuring a tiger, was so popular among my classmates that it became our team shirt design for that year's IHSA competition.
In yearbook, outside of giving underclassmen a ride home and advice on classes, our editorial staff makes a point of keeping a positive environment on a staff with members from every class year. At a few points this year, that mission has found me at WalMart the night before important meetings, buying snacks to encourage staff to attend. This year's editorial staff has continued the tradition of giving staff awards during deadline meetings, thanking a designer and a photographer for all of their hard work during that season.
Here's the (in my opinion, very fancy) template we use for our designer/photographer of the deadline awards this year. Each member of our editorial staff and both of our advisers sign the award, and at the deadline meetings we briefly explain why we chose each recipient, citing things like how much they've grown as a staff member since joining us or how consistent their work ethic is.
BEING HEARD
One of the most memorable things about my early years with EHS publications was having editors who listened to and valued my input. Staff communication is vital for student-led productions like our journalism and yearbook programs. All of my AJC classmates and yearbook staff can reach me via GroupMe at any time, and I'm usually able to respond quickly to questions, problems or input.
For our yearbook staff, which is about twice as large as our newspaper staff, I try to make communication as efficient as possible. One way I make sure each staff member has an opportunity to tell editors how they feel is through deadline feedback forms. I make a point of sending out an anonymous form to all of our staff members at the end of each deadline, so that even our shyest members can have a platform to share their opinion. I've attached one of these forms here to provide an example.
If the Google Drive embed doesn't work, try to see the document here.