Idea File Fall 2024

18 | Five Simple Ideas

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| CULTIVATE YOUR | CLASSROOM CULTURE

Tripp noticed that the classroom environment and energy around the yearbook play a huge role in attracting and engaging the right students for your program. In fact, it’s what attracted him to yearbook. “I was on the yearbook staff all four years. People would say, ‘You must have been pressured to be on the yearbook staff,’ but it was actually a choice I made. I went to a school where the yearbook reveal party was a really big deal. Some of the guys I looked up to were on the basketball team, the golf team and also on the yearbook staff.

They were cool kids, but they also had a really strong presence in our community, which I thought was extremely important. So, I joined yearbook as a balance between academics and athletics. I developed a passion for photography, so I worked hard and became photo editor my senior year.” Part of that classroom culture includes letting your students take ownership of the book, even when it can feel like it might be easier to do it yourself as the adviser sometimes. Tripp stressed that teaching these journalism skills sets

students up for success in the real world, whatever their chosen profession. “What makes a successful yearbook is the kids doing it. Students being cross-trained, remaining open to feedback and having strong communication, collaboration, teamwork, everyone being on the same page and striving to achieve the goal of creating a yearbook are the main things that help build a good culture in the classroom. That’s contagious. It’s like having a manifesto of the whole school spirit captured in that yearbook.”

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| ALWAYS REMAIN OPEN TO FEEDBACK | AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Yearbook becomes very personal with how much of yourself you pour into the publication, which can sometimes make feedback feel intimidating, but Tripp explained how the most successful programs are always learning and building upon what they’ve done in the past. “Having a mindset of continual growth and learning – being open to change and wanting to learn new things – it’s huge. In our current culture, if you’re stagnant and stuck in your ways, you’re going to get passed. If you’re open to

strategic change and are a continuous learner, you and your program will benefit,” Tripp said. That’s not just an observation for Tripp – it’s a life and business philosophy. As a company, Walsworth also continually works to incorporate new and better ways to help our customers have the best yearbook experience. “There are so many new ideas, new ways to design spreads and new ways to incorporate things into your yearbook. With Walsworth’s resources,

you can see what the new trends are. If you’re focused on the same trends as 15 years ago, your book could potentially be passed up for journalistic recognitions. I always think it’s important for you to set that culture of continuous learning, and that’s because your students need to be continuously learning for them to be successful – in the yearbook room but also outside the yearbook room. You might not be taking advantage of everything Walsworth is doing to make your job easier.”

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| BUILD MEANINGFUL | YEARBOOK CONNECTIONS

Tripp recognizes that being a yearbook adviser is a unique role not everyone can understand. That’s why it’s so important to build your community of support with other yearbook advisers and your Walsworth family. “Having people around you makes a huge difference so you feel like you’re part of a network. You can bounce ideas off each other. You can talk about what you’re struggling with and what your challenges and success stories are. I think the whole Walsworth network is extremely valuable because we’re going

to hold your hand and be there with you throughout the yearbook process. The last thing you want is to feel like you’re stranded on an island because, as a yearbook adviser, not many people in your school know how hard it is to make a yearbook. Only other yearbook advisers and your students know,” Tripp said. Tripp has seen the value of yearbook connections in his visits to schools, and their significance cannot be overstated. “The number one resource is your sales representative. I was talking to an adviser

in California and asked them, ‘Why have you stayed with us for 35 years?’ And she replied, ‘It’s the people and the resources.’ It’s all about that networking community. As a school or yearbook adviser, you are not a number; you are a person. We understand that the school year will present a lot of challenges. There will be some highs and lows, and we will be right by your side. We’re in this together. That’s why the sales reps wear so many hats. They have to be there for you. The school year is challenging, and there are many curveballs. So let’s figure out how we can manage this together.”