What should we cover in our Academics section?

It's the reason your school exists:

Academics

It's soooooo boring. Do we have to cover it?

Yes. Yes we do! And it can be high-energy coverage if staffs approach it non-traditionally. Academics is often under-covered because it’s viewed in the same tired way year after year. Tradition is not a bad thing, but tradition at all costs — general, boring, same-old summary coverage — is a terrible reason for short-changing academics.

And we’re not accurately telling the story of the year if we cut down on academics coverage. Consider this: the number of participants vs. the number of spreads in the book. Do the spreads in your sports section outnumber the spreads in your academics section? Why? After all, every student in your school takes classes while generally a third of your student body participates in sports. Your coverage should reflect that.

Cool academics coverage requires a paradigm shift. What if the section…

• covers students, not just subjects?
• is approached from a human interest angle and not from a class perspective?
• features a variety of aspects of school common to all classes?
• pictures multiple classes on the same spread for visual variety?

So, where do we start? Stop and listen to hallway chatter. Kids talk about school all the time: how tiring the state tests are, the stench of the dissecting lab in science, the kid in the previous class who leaves bizarre doodles on the desk, extra credit movies, procrastination, group projects, reading assignments, technology nightmares, difficult classes, how much the English class books weigh, study habits, the cool posters in a particular classroom, test stress, field trips, alternative schedules, kids whose parents work at school (and know everything that goes on!)…this list represents but a small part of the true story of academics at not only your school, but schools everywhere.

These snippets of school talk become the great stuff of academics coverage that accurately reflects the year. Take a topic, use it as a spread theme, and find stories from various departments to layer information. Just be sure to keep track of coverage so all departments are represented. Finding all kinds of kids from all kinds of classes to tell their stories keeps the coverage fresh.

Academics coverage that truly reflects the students who sit in the classrooms will take this section from woeful to WOW!

Academics by grade level
Log, Columbus (IN) North HS
In addition to many other kinds of academic stories, the staff created a spread presenting a cohesive look at each year of high school. From graduation requirements and college applications to special traditions, this senior coverage brings the final year to life. The senior project at North consumes the year, keeping seniors busy with proposals, research papers, job shadowing, community service, the project itself, the portfolio and the presentation. Covering these challenges from the varying points of view of those who lived them brought the year to life.

Academics by department
Saga, Rowland HS, Rowland Heights, CA
Departmental coverage was combined with spreads on specific classes in this thorough section. So spreads on single classes like Gourmet, Forensics, Auto Repair, Broadcasting and Child Care merged with spreads like this one on science, which showed and told the tales of an array of related courses. Secondary packages detailed personal memories like making flavored lip balm in Chemistry and doing dissections in Anatomy, while the main body copy included several students’ input on a Physics assignment that involved creating protective packaging for eggs dropped from above.

Academics by topic
Paragon, Oakton HS, Vienna, VA
Another section with several coverage strategies, this staff did some spreads on specific classes/programs like drama and student media, some departmentally like art, drama and technology and others on topics that allowed them show more than kids sitting in desks (new teachers, honors, academic survival and classes that relate to real life). On this field trips spread, they included an Oceanography trip to an aquarium, trips to World Bank, Capitol Hill and the Newseum and the inspiration photo students found on their day at the zoo.

Academics combined with clubs, people
Northstar, Northside HS, Roanoke, VA
Acknowledging that academic departments and concerns are connected to other coverage areas, this staff linked related coverage on departmental umbrella spreads. On this Languages spread, coverage of why different people take foreign language classes, a senior who tutors kindergartners in Spanish and conversations with several students who are bilingual support the main story on the German Club’s fund-raising efforts for a trip to Germany.

Academics by courses
Caledonian, Campbell Hall, North Hollywood, CA
Not everyone has the opportunity to cover the curricular program course by course. Rather than a single art spread, here there’s a spread for Ceramics, one for Printmaking and another for Photography. On this Painting spread, students of different levels discuss and are shown working on a variety of assignments. To cover the younger students in this K-12 school, each elementary grade has a spread of academics coverage featuring several layers of supporting coverage.

by Kim Green, yearbook adviser
Columbus (IN) North HS
Yearbook Discoveries Volume 16 Issue 3