Best Theme Ever at the MIPA Summer Journalism Online Workshop

Best Theme Ever

About this class

A great yearbook theme is more than a title for your book. It is the driving force that inspires new stories, and the vehicle to tell the same stories differently. It’s a historical marker of your school and community (and our world) this year. A great theme inspires design decisions that highlight storytelling and photos that tell stories in unique ways. A great theme will keep your staff engaged and energized all year, because it creates a cohesive focus and can be explored endlessly.

Our approach will include completing the following steps to a great yearbook theme:

• Choosing and testing a theme for versatility and feeling
• Drafting, revising, and editing opening copy to tell the story of the book with style and specificity
• Adding verbal layers with an exhaustive list of synonyms, idioms, and feature page/story ideas
• Developing a list of theme-driven interview questions to inspire story angles
• Choosing fonts, experimenting with combinations, exploring font family behaviors, and designing headline packages
• Developing a color palette and experimenting with combinations that work and don’t work.
• Designing a font and color style guide
• Designing a cover and revising as needed, as theme develops
• Creating a library of module ideas for design and theme focus
• Working through how to organize the book logically with the theme and to infuse new theme-inspired storytelling opportunities in the book.

Instructor

Ava Butzu

Ava Butzu teaches yearbook at Grand Blanc High School in Michigan and is a 2018 H.L. Hall Special Recognition Adviser. Her yearbook staff produces a nearly 400-page book with extensive coverage/design. Her staff has earned awards at multiple levels, including CSPA Crowns and Pacemaker nominations. Butzu’s interest in approaching yearbook as a complete journalism and entrepreneurship team-building experience has encouraged her students to pursue design, writing, journalism, photography and marketing careers. She believes there is no greater honor than working with students who capture the moments and people at their school in meaningful, creative ways each year.

Schedule

• Session 2: July 20-31, 2020
• Daily schedule (subject to change):
  • Live instruction: 10 a.m. to noon EDT
  • Office hours to meet with instructor: Afternoons
  • Independent time needed to complete assignments
• Last day to register: Friday, July 17

This online summer workshop course runs two weeks. Expect to meet with the instructor each weekday for LIVE instruction. Instructors will also be available to meet with small groups of students during daily office hours. You also will have a daily activity to complete independently and will receive feedback on all assignments.

In addition, MIPA will host opportunities throughout July where participants can connect with each other via speakers, virtual trivia events, a talent show, our workshop awards program and more. We can’t wait to have you join our summer workshop!

Participants will receive a welcome packet with a full schedule and information on accessing our online platform prior to the start of their course.

Supplies & equipment

• PC or Mac desktop or laptop, Chromebook or tablet on which you can write, edit and participate in online activities, including video conference class meetings
• Google/Gmail account to use Google Classroom, Docs and other services
• Internet access
• Access to your school’s yearbook software
• If possible, please send a copy of your most recent yearbook (even if it’s from 2019) to the teacher. (MIPA may already have a copy of your book from our annual contests! Check with us.) This will help the teacher understand the culture of your school and program, and offer suggestions to open up space for fresh coverage ideas.
• Notebook to take notes
• Pens and pencils
• Audio recorder or smartphone, if available
• Dictionary, thesaurus and stylebook (optional)
• Good attitude, desire to learn, ability to have fun

We’re sorry, but MIPA is unable to provide equipment or Internet service access to participants.

Special needs & accommodations

MIPA is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and activities. Accommodations for persons with disabilities may be requested by contacting Jeremy Steele, MIPA executive director, at 517-353-6761 or mipa@msu.edu at least 10 business days prior to the start of our program so that we have time to make necessary arrangements. Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible.

Register for this program

A nonrefundable deposit of $40 is due at the time of registration to hold a spot in one of our classes. Registrations after June 10 are subject to a $30 late registration charge and are only available if seats remain in a course. The registration system closes for this course at 11:59 p.m. July 19. Participants will receive an email with information about how to access the online course. Students will not be allowed to participate in workshop activities until all fees are paid in full.

If you wish to only pay the deposit at this time …

1. Select a ticket below. As you checkout, you must choose “Check payments” or “Request an Invoice/Pay via Purchase Order” as your payment method. Complete the checkout.
2. You will receive an email confirmation.
3. Go to https://mipamsu.org/payment to pay the deposit or to make any additional payments.

If you have raised money via SponsorMe …

1. Select a ticket below. As you checkout, choose”Request an Invoice/Pay via Purchase Order” as your payment method. Complete the checkout.
2. You will receive an email confirmation.
3. Our staff will review your order and will apply money raised via SponsorMe, our fundraising platform. We will provide occasional updates of any remaining balance due.
4. Go to https://mipamsu.org/payment to make any additional payments.

Refund Policy: We will give full refunds until July 1, minus a $40 nonrefundable deposit. After July 1, refunds of 50 percent are available if cancellations are received at least 24 hours prior to the first meeting of the course. If for some reason you cannot come to the workshop, you may transfer your registration to another person.