The Dust Has Settled

It’s done.

The Yearbook has been submitted.

The Avengers have defeated their enemies, and all is once again quiet and peaceful in the world.

But my work isn’t over yet. Just as a fire crew must train to be ready for the next fire, just as a team of superheroes must sharpen their powers and teamwork to be prepared for the next supervillain, so must I train my staff to be ready for next year. Now that the book has been submitted, it’s spring training time in the Yearbook world. Our Herff Jones representative, Mimi Orth, has several workshops and teas/lunches that are meant to train editors and staff members. You may be wondering, “But Elijah, if the yearbook’s done, what the snozzberry is everyone doing during the elective?” I’ll happily answer that question, Willy Wonka.

We, the Avengers, have defeated Loki, H.Y.D.R.A., Ultron, and Thanos (Deadlines 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively).

Currently, the staff is deep into Fakeline training. Fakeline is a genius little project, and it is what it sounds like. It’s a fake deadline (former EIC Elissa Fultz coined the term), and it simulates what editors go through during yearbook camp, except Fakeline is much more gracious and spans about a month (unlike yearbook camp’s 5-day length). Malorie and I divided the underclassmen staff into three groups (the seniors get to sit back and relax). The three prime candidates to succeed me as Editor-in-Chief are in charge of these groups. Each group has to create their own theme packet, and basically brainstorm an idea for a whole new yearbook. They have to create a theme that IPoly students would be able to relate to, something that embodies the IPoly spirit for that year. They also have to create a cover, opening spread with opening theme copy, three content spreads, endsheets, and ideas for alternative coverage modules. At the start of each block, I give a lesson to help the Fakeline groups in developing their themes, and sometimes Strand takes the opportunity to help here too. Elective blocks have been structured as follows: Theme/copy/design/photo lesson for 15 min., Fakeline worktime and check in on all the groups/offer feedback, then for the last 10 min. I have a classwide recap. The most creative and most viable theme packet wins, and the group gets... something. Haven’t really decided what the prize will be yet. But it’ll be awesome.

This is team leader Madee Doctor, with the yearbook resident artificial plant, Robert Plant.

This is also the time of year where we do more staff bonding activities. Every year, we always try to sprinkle more ice breakers and fun activities throughout the year to keep things like, but with our small staff elective times almost always end up being work blocks. The editors and I are working on planning a staff laser tag day, we may go bowling, and we’ve even been able to do more fun ice breakers.

My reign as EIC is coming to an end sooner than I thought. As I train my staff, I see innovative, bright, fresh minds, who I feel safe leaving the yearbook legacy to. We have some promising underclassmen on staff. The future of yearbook is bright.

The Avengers have assembled. And we're ready to take on tomorrow.