Ask Mike

In this episode, hosts Mike Taylor, Jim Jordan, and Sabrina Schmitz emphasize cultivating strong relationships among yearbook staff, administration, parents and the community. They share insights on team-building, communication with administrators, engaging parents and seeking mentorship from industry experts for journalistic excellence. Available on YouTube and podcast platforms.

Welcome to That Yearbook Podcast, the series where yearbook experts Mike Taylor, CJE, Jim Jordan and Sabrina Schmitz, CJE, take us on a delightful journey through their connections to yearbooks and the fascinating world of student journalism. The trio shares their unique stories and experiences that have shaped their perspectives on creating amazing yearbooks. To watch this podcast, visit our YouTube link! 

We’re close to the end of the year now, and yearbook editors are preparing to hand over the torch to the next generation. In the latest episode of the Ask Mike podcast, host Mike Taylor chatted with Yvette and Gabbie, soon-to-graduate yearbook editors at Patricia E. Paetow High School in Katy, Texas. 

Both editors have been on yearbook staff since seventh grade. They call each other their best friend. And they, along with adviser Sara Gonzales, have helped create a supportive yearbook environment that allows their staff to thrive. 

On March 29, thousands of high school students flooded the University of Missouri campus at Columbia for J-Day at Mizzou. J-Day is an annual tradition for the Missouri Interscholastic Journalism Association.  

In this week’s episode of the Ask Mike podcast, you can get a peek at what went on. Host Mike Taylor, CJE, interviewed scholastic journalism students from all over the state of Missouri.   

In addition to the life snippets from students, Taylor dropped some gems throughout the podcast. He shared his exuberance for the teaching profession with some advice. “Respect your teachers! And learn something!” He also shared a little bit about what it’s like to live in the same neighborhood as one of the most famous football players in the world.  

And be sure to listen all the way through the podcast to hear Mike swap dad jokes with his interviewees.  

Cortney Wood is in her first year of advising yearbook at Chisholm Trail High School in Fort Worth, Texas. She’s new to advising but has experience working on yearbook staffs in high school and college. Copy editor Sydney Hawkins also joined the conversation. In this interview with host Mike Taylor, CJE, Cortney and Sidney share their experiences creating a yearbook in the 2023 school year. 

As Anna, Halle and Gabby work to finish their yearbook, they're also preparing for a significant absence. Host Mike Taylor sat down with the three editors from Minnetonka, Minnesota, to discuss their roles in the yearbook team, their interests, and how they fill their time outside of yearbook. They share the the highs and lows of yearbook photography, event coverage, learning new software, and dealing with deadlines. The conversation also touches on the good relationship the yearbook staff has with the school administration and how they have earned their trust.

In this episode, taped live from Elite Weekend in Orlando, Mike sits down with the editors of Boone High School to discuss their yearbook. 

In this episode, Mike chats with Faith Parksinson, Editor-in-chief at A. W .Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. Their chat comes fresh off an Elite Weekend they both attended, and Mike and Faith discuss what was learned in the busy three days in Orlando. 

This week, Mike Taylor is in a different part of North Carolina as he continues his interviews from all over the country. In this episode, Mike speaks to Adviser Lynn Bare and the staff of the Southern Alamance High School yearbook. The Southerner’s Editor-in-Chief Noel, Assistant Editor Kinley, Sports Editor Lexie, Business Manager Emma, and staffers Xander, Abigail,  Maddie, Giselle, Adriana and Lexie chat with Mike about all kinds of things. They share how they try to bring as much of their school culture and “what makes us us” into the book every year, like coverage of the strong FFA program at their school. They discuss challenges they’ve faced in recent years. Their business manager discusses selling books, senior tributes and business ads, connecting with the community, and dealing with the occasional difficult customer. And they share their favorite teambuilding activities – and one involves marshmallows and spaghetti. 

Ask Mike is traveling the country this season! The last episode was from Maine, and for episode two Mike traveled south to North Carolina to talk to staff members from Athens Drive Magnet School. Co-editors-in-chief Zoe and Greta and Head of Design Nevaeh shared their thoughts on creating a yearbook for the 2022/2023 year.