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.

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

LITERAL

A ) “I, Elijah Garcia, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 31 hours of work.”

B ) The following sources helped me in the completion of this independent component:

• Dodd, Julie. "7 tips for starting your own magazine." ThoughtsOnTeaching, 20 Jun. 2013. Web.

• Newell, Susan. "How to Start a High School Newspaper." schooljournalism.org. ASNE's Youth Journalism Initiative, n.d. Web.

• Strand, Shawn. Mentor.

C ) My Independent Component 2 Log can be found in the sidebar of my blog, or by clicking this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14sU5AIA8UI23SbV8Ku4E95j5MSeMrKp00dYnnbcYhmg/edit#gid=0

D ) I have founded and run IPoly’s first student-run magazine (well, first to my knowledge). I have recruited a staff, developed the artistic and journalistic vision for the publication, designed spreads, and managed the staff in general as we worked towards the completion of each publication. By the time I submit this independent component, my staff and I will have completed two issues of “Ink&Paper” Magazine, one issue for March and another for April, but  The magazine staff has received club certification, and is set up in a format that would allow for this club to continue after I graduate, for years to come.

INTERPRETIVE

It isn’t easy to create, manage, and publish a journalistic publication. It takes time to gather a staff and to generate content that is both unique and meaningful to the target audience, which is the IPoly student body in this case. Once the content has been created (all of the interviews have been documented, copy has been written, photos have been either taken or, if found, properly attributed), then all that’s left is to design the spreads and cover. Designing takes an especially long amount of time, because photos must be arranged in a visually appealing manner, and copy must be placed in a way that makes it readable yet interesting. Once everything is actually complete, the publication must be reviewed by the staff and analyzed to ensure it’s safe to be published.

I have posted a link to the Ink&Paper account on issuu.com, which will serve as evidence of the 30 hours of work.

APPLIED

This independent component looks at my EQ, “What is the most effective method of managing a yearbook staff, while promoting morale and the success of the book?”, from a different angle. While I wasn’t managing a yearbook staff, I was managing the magazine club staff. The objectives of both are similar, in that they set out to produce a journalistic publication focused on students. The difference with this independent component is that my staff of 8 others, plus my co-captain Maylon, all had to put in special effort into joining. This isn’t for a grade or for pay, they joined because they wanted to make a great magazine (I’ve yet to tell them that Strand will be rewarding them with community service hours). The motivation and dedication of my staff serves as reinforcement of my first answer, “A successful editor-in-chief develops a shared vision with his or her staff, using the philosophy of employee engagement.” My staff and I developed this magazine’s format and agreed on what we would cover in the content sections. Since everyone was equally involved and had an equal say in how the magazine was run, nobody really shirked their work. There haven’t been any personal conflicts that have needed resolving, unlike in yearbook. Also, everyone already in the fields they chose to work in, so dealing with my third answer (which has to do with training) wasn’t an issue. The designers already knew how to work with InDesign, and our photographer has had ROP experience. They were all dedicated, and though we haven’t advertised the magazine as well as we could have, we created a product that we’re all proud of. That checks off “promoting morale” and “success of the [product].”

Thanos Imperative: The Big, Bad Final Deadline

Here we are. The final deadline of the yearbook. The home stretch. If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll remember that in I’ve given nicknames to each deadline, and that these nicknames are all based on major Avengers villains. Deadline 4 is named Thanos. Don’t know who Thanos is? I’ll give you a quick lesson: Thanos is an egotistical, overpowered, psychopathic cosmic titan/demigod who seeks out the six Infinity Gems, which will grant him ultimate control over all planes of existence, in order to wipe out half the population of the universe (as well as most of the Marvel superheroes) and please Death. In other words, Thanos is a tough guy to beat.

Hulk, Spiderman, AND Wolverine? Thanos is one baaaad mamma jamma.

The story of Thanos and the Avengers is relatively parallel to that of this final deadline and my staff. A good two-thirds of the staff are upperclassmen. Juniors have been busy with the higher volume of project work they’ve been assigned, and senior schedules have been jam packed with mentorship, projects, and otherwise preparing to take on the beast that is life after high school. The middle of second semester always gets heavy at IPoly, but this year the timing is especially rough on yearbook.

The thing about this last deadline is that if we’re late at all, the production of the yearbook gets pushed back. That means students get their yearbooks at a later date than they would’ve, had we been on time. This is always a tense time for the editor-in-chief, because when people get anxious or frustrated about waiting to get their yearbooks, it’s always the editor-in-chief who bears the brunt of the anger. I’ve been sure to crackdown hard on the staff the past few elective days, since this is the most vital deadline of the year.

This is the most EIC-like picture of me that I have. Note to self: need more of these.

However, do not fear! The Avengers and company DO manage to defeat Thanos and prevent him from destroying all sentient life in the universe. Just as my staff and I will complete Deadline 4 on time. And might I just say, it’s shaping up to be excelsior.

As the amazing Stan Lee's famous catchphrase goes, "Excelsior!"

Blog 18: Fourth Interview Questions

1. What would you consider to be a key factor in determining a “successful” yearbook staff?
2. How do yearbooks win Pacemakers/other yearbook awards?
3. How do schools sell enough yearbooks for the yearbook to be considered a commercial success?
4. Which kinds of Editors-in-Chief have you found to be the most successful, and why? (Charismatic, stern, etc.)
5. What methods of staff training do you find to be most effective?
6. What would you consider to be the most difficult aspect of managing any staff/group of people?
7. How would one organize a large staff in the most efficient way possible?
8. What is the importance of staff morale?
9. Would you consider morale to be more important than productivity? Why or why not?
10. How would maintaining a shared vision with the staff benefit the outcome of the book?
11. How does a hierarchical structure benefit a group’s organization, in general?
12. What role does the editor staff play in keeping a staff organized and in check?
13. What yearbook staffs from recent years strike you as having been successful? Why?
14. What one aspect of the Editor-in-Chief’s duties is the most important? Why?
15. How should an Editor-in-Chief go about dealing with a staff that lacks motivation?
16. What is the best way to deal with conflict among the staff?
17. How best can one lay the groundwork for future staffs?
18. How best can an Editor-in-Chief manage deadlines and ensure a timely submission?
19. Is it possible to properly balance staff morale and the success of a yearbook?
20. Ultimately, which would you consider more important: a successful yearbook or a happy staff?

Blog 17: Third Answer

1. My essential question is, “What is the most effective method of managing a yearbook staff, while promoting morale and the success of the book?”
2. My third answer is, “A successful editor-in-chief implements a consistent system of training in journalistic skills.”
3. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.
1. An individual cannot perform a job well if they don’t know how to perform said job.
1. If you’re in a band and you’re about to play a concert, you wouldn’t pull a random person off the the street (who has no musical experience) and tell them to play guitar for your band.
2. Training allows staffers to work even when they’re not instructed.
1. A photographer who knows the rules of photography, and what kind of photos are wanted for the yearbook, can keep their camera on them to capture spontaneous moments. Instead of waiting for a story to be assigned, they take the initiative since they know what is expected of them.
3. Part of training is leading by example, which sets standards for the staff.
1. Teachers who tell the students not use their phone in class, yet use their phone... in class... set a bad example for the students. The students begin to think this sort of behavior is acceptable, or write off orders to stop this behavior due to hypocrisy. It’s a psychological form of training.
4. Pettinato, Minot. "Staff Training Ideas." EHow. Demand Media, 28 Mar. 2011. Web.
5. I’ve had this answer in place since my first lesson, but it didn’t seem strong enough. Now that I’ve thought it through more, I’m confident in this as my third answer.

Ink & Paper: An Ironic Tale

“Ink & Paper” magazine is I-Poly’s premier student-driven magazine. Despite its title, this magazine will be a digital publication (so it’ll involve neither ink nor paper). My second independent component is off to a slower start than I would prefer, but I’ve been busy with the yearbook deadline and Rivas’s board game project, so I’ve had to juggle my time.

Title typography drafts for Ink & Paper. Still deciding on the tone we want for the magazine.

Maylon Day is my second-in-command, since it was brought to my attention that she was also interested in starting up a student newsletter. Maylon and I go way back, since she’s one of my sister’s longest and closest friends (Maylon is practically my adopted sister), and I’m the one who introduced her to I-Poly. Maylon and I have gathered a staff of nine people, including ourselves, to act as editors for the magazine. Jason and Madee Doctor are also on staff, who are already trained in journalism thanks to their time on the yearbook staff. So far, we have content ranging from typical pop culture fare (movie and album reviews, healthy living) to topics that may spark controversy (student political opinions, technology outlooks). I personally think we can grab the interest of about 75% of the student body, given the variety of content we’ll have to offer.

This is Maylon.

My goal for the magazine is to put out a total 3 or 4 issues, one each month until the school year ends. Ideally, I’d like “Ink & Paper” to continue next year, and become an ongoing fixture in I-Poly. The magazine club, as it may soon be called, will be like the “club attachment” for Yearbook. Drama and Debate are both electives with non-elective club memberships, and it’s about time that Yearbook had one as well. This magazine will be another element of the legacy I leave at I-Poly.

I am not one to leave without leaving an impact.

Boom. Legacy. Impact. Inspiration. Much waow.

Blog 16: Answer 2

1. My essential question is, “What is the most effective method of managing a yearbook staff, while promoting morale and the success of the book?”
2. My first answer is, “A successful editor-in-chief develops a shared vision with his or her staff, using the philosophy of employee engagement.”
3. My second answer is, “A successful editor-in-chief organizes his or her staff using various media and a hierarchical staff structure.”
4. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.
1. Organization establishes clear deadlines and goals.
1. A successful magazine company knows when certain stories are happening, and when their publishing deadlines are.
2. Proper hierarchical organization and delegation outlines what role each member plays in the staff.
1. In government, every level of senator and official and leader has a certain, specific job they must accomplish. One person can’t maintain government spending, deal with foreign affairs, handle internal scandals, and city infrastructure issues all at once, so the work is delegated.
3. Communication, especially when utilizing various media, allows for the staff to be up-to-date and constantly aware of dates, deadlines, and stories.
1. When you have a group project, you always need people to communicate. Then, the group will know when meetings are, whether or not someone can make it to the meeting, what work needs to be done, and similar group project happenings.
5. "MAESTRO METHOD: Building Successful Staff Teams." Editor Handbook, pg 44. 2014. Herff Jones. Print.
6. "Tips for managing flexible working employees." flexible-working.org. Cornwall Development Company, 2012. Web.
7. Bring on the final tradeshow, because I am ready. Not entirely ready, but I’m confident in my answers and my senior project as a whole.