Let's Have Some Fun. The Yearbook Is Done!

Awards don’t have to be fancy to be special. Joanna Burns, adviser at Thousand Oaks High School in Thousand Oaks, California, says the editors, secretly, create “Paper Plate Awards” for every staff member. They are handed out at a dinner held the evening following distribution day.

After the final deadline, every Fusion staff member reviews the entire book and nominates staff work for Best Spread, Best Photo, Best Story and a Best fill-in-the-blank category, which is usually journalistic, funny or shout-outs people who helped in some way. All nominations are printed on nice paper so they look great. Taylor says that at the year-end party, the nominations for each category are read, the trophies are awarded and everyone gets to keep their nominations. Editors at Thousand Oaks High School in Thousand Oaks, California, secretly create “Paper Plate Awards” for every staff member. The paper plates, while simple, are meaningful because they are thoughtfully made with each staff member in mind. These awards are handed out at a year-end staff dinner.

Monitoring hallway traffic after school, Blue Valley Northwest High School Athletic Director Kevin Gerke wears a 25th anniversary pullover given to him as a gift by the yearbook staff. Instead of waiting until May, the publications staffs have, for years, given the team apparel to the school secretaries, clerks, custodians and select teachers as gifts right before Thanksgiving. The students write notes to the adults thanking them for the extra work done on behalf of the newspaper and yearbook, and attach the notes to the apparel prior to delivery. Gerke has years’ worth of jackets, ¼-zips and T-shirts given to him by the publications staff.

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