Organized Chaos

I am constantly changing how I organize and manage my publication staffs. What works for one year doesn’t always work for other years. I think constant networking with other advisers about what worked in particular situations is one of the biggest reasons I attend workshops and conventions as much as possible.

I have also had my publication staffs mixed within the same class periods. My first year as an adviser, I had one class 90-minute period of fifteen students. Within this group of fifteen students we produced two publications – an 8-page print newspaper and a 224-page yearbook. Some of my students produced content for both publications, editors focused on their product.


Despite have their publication staff split across two class periods, Robinson High School's yearbook staff creates time to bond and communicate goals during club periods and after school.

Over the past few years, the staff has split into two separate 50-minute class periods. This has created communication and staff management problems that we are always adapting and trying to remedy. I have some students that attend every day, while others attend every other day. My publication staffs are still both newspaper and yearbook. We also added an online publication this past school year.

Next year will prove to be the most challenging ever. I will no longer have a separate introduction to journalism class as I have for the past nine years. Next year, I will have three 50-minute class periods with journalism one and advanced journalism two through eight – all three publications mixed together. I will still have some students attending every day and others every other day.

The staff management strategies that we have shared at the Reynolds High School Journalism Institute will not only be helpful but vital in creating a balanced and cohesive staff next year at my school.


Jill Burns
Robinson High School
Tampa, Fla.