Being yearbook editor-in-chief is the one thing I am most proud of to this day.
Managing a 70 person, intermixed staff across four class periods with my fellow EICs was a challenge I was ready to take on, even with challenges that unexpectedly arise. Having staffers work on different publications in the same class period can be difficult; but as a team, we have always been able to problem solve together for the better of our publications.
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Without my fellow editors and staffers, I would not be the journalist I am today. The team work, skills learned, and friendships formed have made my time as a journalist so much more worthwhile.
Fighting for First Amendment rights
Problems with AI and scanning our shared Google drive
After realizing the severity of how invasive these Gaggle scans were, a group of editors and I went to our district leaders to try to find a solution. We knew we wanted to protect not only our staff's rights, but also setting the example to our staffers that they can stand up for what they believe in, know their rights and prove that just because we are student journalists does not make us less qualified to fight these types of issues.
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Our ongoing goal is to find a solution with our district to remove the journalism staff from these scans. It is an ongoing process that we will get a timeline from our district after March 22.
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This is a photo of me and some of my fellow editors preparing to present to our district leaders about our issues of the First Amendment and Gaggle.
Middle School Media Fest workshop
In the fall, my editors and I planned and executed the second Middle School Media Fest to teach eighth graders about what classes they can take to get involved in the journalism program.
Last year, we hosted hosted the workshop for the first time with only minor issues such as scheduling or engaging activities. This year, we improved the design portion of the day, having students collaborate with me to make a mini version of The Budget newspaper that we printed off to distribute at the end of the day. We used the photos that students took on the photo rotation, and even used a few of the interviews from another station of the day.
The experience was intimidating but very rewarding in the end, showing just how impactful journalism can be, especially to middle schoolers.
What my fellow editors say about me
"A student publication, a publication of any kind really, isn't put together without sacrifice and undivided commitment. On top of that, the thing that separates a mediocre newsroom from a truly excellent one is the amount of genuine passion in the leadership of a staff. Maya Smith embodies these principles, putting every ounce of soul and focus into the brutal and grating practice we call journalism. Being held accountable, being supported and understood when you're struggling, Maya does these things for all of the staff regardless of the stress of own personal or academic situation. On top of being a role model and friend to everyone in room 306, Maya holds innate journalistic talent in all areas of the field from news and opinion writing, breaking news reporting, to her masterful organization and creation of the yearbook. Her work ethic and drive is clearly present in the stunning quality of her work at all levels. I am proud to call her a friend and colleague."
—Finn Lotton-Barker, social media editor-in-chief
"Maya Smith is a force. She possesses a remarkable ability to do extraordinary work under pressure. This year, she is driving the LHS journalism staff with the experience of a second year editor-in-chief – but somehow also with the pure motivation of a brand new staffer. The yearbook she led last year was just named a Pacemaker finalist, and her first reaction was to motivate our staff to do it again. The end of October this year provided a snapshot of her work this year that is telling: she wrote a moving editorial about hate speech that deftly dealt with issues of bullying and administrative ignorance. It won the prestigious Best of SNO award for excellence in student journalism. Right after she finished that difficult piece of writing, she worked fast to cover a gun threat at our school that she wasn’t even at school for. She recognized that her perspective was meaningful, and characteristically, she wasn’t afraid to jump in the deep end on a gun violence story. Just 48 hours after the event, we published the piece. It too won Best of SNO."
—Jack Tell, LHSBudget.com editor-in-chief
Yearbook Style Guide
At the beginning of this year, I knew I wanted to make designing yearbook pages as simple as possible for designers, especially the ones I didn't have class with. I made a quick style guide to help with fonts, what needed to be on a page thematically, even down to a step by step to show one of the more complex design elements. So far, this has helped immensely with pages being more consistent.
Editing Process
1. Trello
As a staff, we use Trello boards to organize publications, assignment flow, captions and more. I am known by my staffers and editors to be the most neurotic about our boards staying up to date (whether that's a good or bad thing). Below outlines what things I prioritize while editing as well as the flow of the board.
These three columns are where most assignments sit the longest. As an editor who edits design and writing, it is very important for me to keep up with making sure assignment cards are moved correctly and timely.
EDITING
'Please edit 1" is where I prioritize basic structure and grammar of a story. Mainly focusing on if the story flows well, if the story make sense, or is it complete. Checking for AP style is crucial to catch at this step rather than later.
'Please edit 2' and 'Final check' are columns of stories and assignments where I like to check for voice. Sometimes with simple yearbook assignments, it is easy for anyone to start to sound robotic about a topic they're reporting on. This is the step where I tend to give longer comments and explanations. I always like to end with telling someone they did a good job.
2. Leaving comments and giving feedback
While going through and editing, instead of only editing content, I like to give more thought out feedback to the writer. For designers, I do this in the form of a Webex message outlining what was great and what things need a little bit of fixing. I have found that people appreciate it a lot more and makes it seem as though you aren't just changing their work.
3. Deadline checks
Keeping track of each assignment's progress sounds like a tedious task, but in reality the magic of spreadsheets makes the process very simple.
On our assignment spreadsheet, we use a drop down menu on each staffer's row that soothes my brain's need for color coding. Ideally, halfway and at the end of the cycle the whole list will have some sort of color per each row, dictating who may need a little more help and who is on track.
4. Assignment cycles
Our staff runs on two week long cycles. Each staffer is assigned a personalized assignment to match their skills and wants as a staffer. On the Wednesday prior to the beginning of a new cycle (usually on a Monday to start off the week) is when us editors meet to fill in our staff list with descriptions, template links, and editors assigned to check in and edit content.
5. Ladder status
In terms of keeping track of yearbook assignments, the ladder spreadsheet is where I keep track of the status of everything needed for a page. We plan everything all on this spreadsheet and prioritize creating the most interesting forms of content we can. By planning it ahead of time, piece by piece, we can use reporting from throughout the year besides the baseline content of events, clubs and sports. By knowing where I have wiggle room, it has let me include things like local school closures, students who have amazing stories outside of school, even to something as simple as budget cuts in our building. The color coding aspect is my personal favorite part, since it makes it super easy to know the status of a page just by a color.
A tiny piece of the ladder. This shows the columns that show the design status, target deadline, notes, photo status and captions. I prioritize at least twice a week to comb through the current working pages to make sure we are as up to date as possible.
Staff Bonding and Team Building
While we are usually found working, as a staff we ensure to have some fun along the way. Not only do fun, seemingly silly activities start the semester off by building good morale, they also establish trust between us all. They give editors a chance to seem less intimidating than our titles may sound.
At the start of every fall semester, we have a staff wedding. We all get married to one another, promise to follow journalistic integrity, and be there for one another no matter what.
Another photo from one of our weddings, at the top of our building's atrium, completed with roses and Ring Pops.
Right before fall break, we have our annual staff fall feast. We all bring food that we would have at our own Thanksgivings, and it makes for a super fun way to go into break. We also have a turkey graphic design contest to add to the fun.
Family Feud is another long-standing staff tradition. It serves as a competitive team-building activity that helps everyone get to know each other a little bit more.
Toward the end of fall semester, a newer tradition is celebrating “Festivus,” since so many of us are Seinfeld fans. We have a feats of strength arm wrestling contest, and all air our grievances to go into the new year with a fresh mindset. This year, we even invited the superintendent to arm wrestle us to signify the end of finals.
As simple as it sounds, celebrating birthdays is one more way we become more trusting of one another. It helps ensure everyone is valued and recognized, and gives us all a reason to take a break for some fun.
Organization
Yearbook ladder
I have always been told I am a bit of an organization freak. The yearbook ladder is my favorite method of organization by far because of how much detail it can hold.
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At first glance it is very overwhelming, but it helps me and my fellow editors keep track of all yearbook assignments, photo and caption status, even to target deadline. Plus, with pretty color coding.
Leadership as an editor
Communication
No staff can thrive without communication. Our staff uses Webex for general messages as well as offering one-on-one communication with staffers. If something is wrong with an assignment, or I want to tell the staff an announcement, it is perfect to have outside of the classroom communication. It is especially cool to congratulate people for awards or achievements to help unify our staff.
Editor meetings
Every Wednesday is when we have a short editor meeting with as many who can be there as possible, but at minimum all of EICs. This is often where we discuss larger, long-term projects or draft what the next cycle's assignments will be. It gives us all a good chance to get on the same page frequently because we cannot all be in the same hour every single day.
Helping teach new leaders
One of the things I have prioritized throughout my two years as an editor is training the leaders of tomorrow for our staff. Not only the people who come into the program knowing they can be a leader, but also the people who may just need a few encouraging pushes to help them become a leader. Sometimes that means coaching someone through a story, or slowly teaching them editing skills throughout the year. Making sure the next year's leaders are ready is one of my key roles as an EIC. This can even look like simple encouragement because sometimes all someone needs is you telling them you believe they can accomplish it.
Positive reinforcement
Constructive feedback and compliments are a great way to motivate a staff, especially for newer members. I always work to give encouraging feedback to make sure people feel supported and appreciated.