Prepare your yearbook for success in the year ahead!
July 19-23, 2026
$560 — for MIPA members; $610 — for non-members
Add $75 for registrations after June 15
This is an-person, residential program.Space is limited.
Last day to register: July 1, or while seats remain available
Last day to request a roommate: July 1
About This Course
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.
This is an in-person, residential program. Participants will stay in an MSU residence hall with at least one roommate. Meals are provided in a residential hall cafeteria. Workshop sessions are held in MSU classrooms, which may be a short walk from the residence hall.
This workshop course is open to youth participants entering grades 7 through 12. Recommended for yearbook program leadership teams to take together.
Cody Harrell
Instructor
Cody Harrell is a journalism and English teacher at East Lansing High School, where he advises the award-winning Ceniad yearbook and Portrait newspaper. He is a graduate of the Michigan State University School of Journalism and serves on the MIPA Executive Board as the 2024-2026 president.
Supplies & Equipment
- This course is scheduled to be held in a computer lab. Access to a laptop to work on assignments outside of class time is optional.
- Google/Gmail account to use Google Classroom, Docs and other services
- Access to your online yearbook software and files
- Notebook to take notes
- Pens and pencils
- Audio recorder or smartphone, if available
- Dictionary, thesaurus and AP Stylebook (optional)
- Good attitude, desire to learn, ability to have fun
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 ask@mipamsu.org 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.
Workshop Schedule
All times are in the Eastern time zone. Schedule is subject to change.
Sunday Schedule
- 2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. — Check in
- 5-6:30 p.m. — Dinner
- 6:45 p.m. — Opening session
- 7:30 p.m. — First class meeting
- 8:15 p.m. — Keynote
- 9 p.m. — Recreational activities
- 10:45 p.m. — Floor meeting
- 11:15 p.m. — Bed check
- 1 a.m. — Lights out
Monday-Wednesday Schedule
- 7:15-8:45 a.m. — Breakfast
- 9-11:30 a.m. — Workshop class session
- 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. — Lunch
- 1:30-4 p.m. — Workshop class session
- 4-5 p.m. — MIPA Cup Tournament activities
- 5-6:30 p.m. — Dinner
- 7 p.m. — Evening session (speakers or project work time)
- 9 p.m. — Recreational activities
- 11 p.m. — Participants must be on assigned floor
- 11:15 p.m. — Bed check
- 1 a.m. — Lights out
Thursday Schedule
- 7:15-8:45 a.m. — Breakfast
- 9-10:45 a.m. — Workshop class session
- 11 a.m.-Noon — Closing session/Awards ceremony
- Noon-1 p.m. — Check out