The theme for the 2008 Oxford Middle School yearbook was ‘Our Time to Shine?, and it’s been that way for the past two years for staff who puts it together.
For its yearbook production, the OMS staff recently received two awards’the Walsworth Regional Excellence Award and the Michigan IPA Silver Award.
The WRE Award, received this fall, is a showcase of the finest middle school yearbooks in America’s Midwest and recognizes schools that have ‘comprehensive coverage, innovative layout and design, creative use of theme and outstanding photography.?
The MIPA Silver Award, received earlier this year in the spring, is given for ‘unifying concept, coverage, writing skills, design, graphics, typography and photography.?
This marks the second year in a row that OMS’s yearbook has received the Walsworth award. Last year, the yearbook received the MIPA Bronze Award.
The editor for the 2008 OMS yearbook was Sara Ruch, who’s now a freshman at Oxford High School.
Stacy Blaskowski, who teaches eighth-grade language arts and serves as yearbook and newspaper adviser for OMS, said that the yearbook’s success starts with properly teaching students the ways to write, take photos and put it onto a page.
‘We teach appropriate journalism skills and how to write a story,? she explained.
This includes laying the foundation and building with writing skills, taking photos, writing captions and layout design.
Blaskowski also said when teaching how to put together a yearbook, she actually shows students both ends of the spectrum?-poor examples and good. The idea is to show what not to do it and then use that to emphasize the right way.
‘This way, we steer them down the path so they see how it’s done,? she added.
From day one, Blaskowski likes to hold students to high expectations. Anything that’s not journalistically appropriate is not published.
The advisor sees yearbook and newspaper as a growing process, especially since last year there was the now-resolved concern of not having enough computers for the kids. Also, yearbook was an after-school activity where this year, it’s an elective with a grade.
Getting graded for their work teaches the kids to be responsible in journalism, she said. This year, there’s a new computer lab and things have become digital and web-based.
Blaskowski said she and her students were very surprised to win the Silver Award.
‘MIPA is a journalism guru, and they have high school standards,? she said. ‘It’s great that they thought our yearbook was up to high school standards.?
Likewise, Blaskowski was pleasantly surprised by the Walsworth award.
‘The kids last year were energetic and worked well,? she said. ‘Sara went above and beyond.?
Ruch said that she was surprised to win the award but was very happy to win it. ‘We knew we did a good job,? she said.
Besides winning the award, Blaskowski hopes working in yearbook and newspaper will present a lesson to her students as to how newspapers and other publications are run in the real world. ‘It presents a good life lesson. If you don’t meet deadlines, you lose money,? she said.
Blaskowski has taught yearbook at the middle school for eight years and is in her first year advising on the newspaper, titled ‘Paw Print?. She has 20 yearbook students and 15 in newspaper.
Will this year’s yearbook win awards also? With a theme of ‘Lasting Impressions,? it would be fitting if it did.