Yearbook Chat with Jim

Monica Rodriguez – known to her students as M-rod – is the yearbook adviser at Gulliver Preparatory Upper School in Pinecrest, Florida. All of Monica's three staffs – the Reflections literary magazine, the Raider Voice news and and print magazine, and the Raider yearbook – received Crown and Pacemaker Finalist recognition in 2021. It's particularly exciting as this is the first time the Raider yearbook has earned Pacemaker recognition from NSPA. 

She took time to chat with Jim about her career as both a teacher and a yearbook sales rep, and what it means to see her students receive the recognition they worked so hard for. 

When NSPA announced the three 2021 recipients of their prestigious Pioneer Award and Jim saw long-time friend Leland Mallett on the list, he knew he wanted Leland to come on the podcast again.

In this episode, Jim and Leland chat about what this award means to Leland, how the yearbook world has changed over his 22-year career, and what the last two years have been like while they produced a yearbook during COVID. 

If you'd like to see some of the covers and spreads discussed in the episode, this year's cover, last year's cover, the shoe spread, and the giant type spread can be viewed on our website. 

When JEA announced their 2021 Rising Stars and three Walsworth Yearbooks advisers were on the list, Jim Jordan knew he had to get them on his podcast. His third and final interview was with Carly Gates, from Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out the previous interviews with Rising Stars Laurel Wicke and Joanna Chadwick. 

When JEA announced their 2021 Rising Stars and three Walsworth Yearbooks advisers were on the list, Jim Jordan knew he had to get them on his podcast. His second interview was with Joanna Chadwick, the yearbook adviser at Derby High School in Derby, Kansas. 

If you haven't already, be sure to check out the previous interview with Rising Star Laurel Wicke, and stay tuned for the third and final JEA Rising Star episode. 

When JEA announced their 2021 Rising Stars and three Walsworth Yearbooks advisers were on the list, Jim Jordan knew he had to get them on his podcast. His first interview was with Laurel Wicke, the yearbook adviser at Drake Middle School in Arvada, Colorado. 

Stay tuned this week for interviews with two more JEA Rising Stars. 

Karen Johnson, MJE, always knew she wanted to be a teacher and a coach. When she started college, she realized that social studies (which often seems to go hand-in-hand with coaching) wasn't really for her. It wasn't long before she switched to English, then added a journalism minor. Since then, she's been a yearbook adviser at tiny schools and at large schools. She's working on her sixth book at Kearney High School, and has helped build a strong program at the school.

In addition to this interview, you can learn more about Karen on our blog.

About your host, Jim Jordan: Jim Jordan is a Special Consultant for Walsworth Yearbooks. He is former yearbook adviser at Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks, California. Jim was the 1996 JEA Yearbook Adviser of the Year, and shares his expertise with students and advisers at workshops and conventions across the country. Jim is the lead mentor for Walsworth's Adviser Mentor Program.

Bobby Hawthorne is a master storyteller and journalist. He's well known in the scholastic journalism world, and can frequently be found teaching at journalism workshops and seminars. In this episode, Hawthorne and your host, Jim Jordan, share what it takes to be a good journalist and tell a great story in your yearbook. 

You can find more episodes of Yearbook Chat with Jim on the Walsworth Yearbooks website. 

Elizabeth Luna sort of happened into graphic design, then wanted more, and now she's the yearbook adviser at a school that just won its first Pacemaker. She shared their journey over the last several years, and what it's like being the adviser of a small yearbook program. 

You can read more about this Adviser of Note on our blog. 

Here it is! The official 50th episode! And what a great person to interview. 

Ronna Sparks-Woodward loves yearbooks. She knew while she was still in high school that she wanted to be a teacher, and specifically that she wanted to be a yearbook adviser. 

She has turned her passion for a yearbooks into a career, and shares the insights she's gained on this 50th episode of "Yearbook Chat with Jim." 

It's our 50th episode! Today, we're sharing a mini-episode to reflect on where this podcast has taken us since we launched in 2018.  Thank you to everyone who has been on this podcast journey with Jim and the Walsworth Yearbooks Podcast Network.