Final edition of the newspaper was delivered this morning and distributed at our senior assembly.

Yearbooks had been under lock and key for about 12 days, and were distributed last Thursday. What a hectic event that turned out to be. But it’s over with, and I have only received one email from a distraught parent. I’m sure there are more to come. Hey, it comes with the job. It’s an imperfect publication where perfection is expected.

That said, it can also be an entirely different beast in good and bad ways. I like the visual creativity yearbook allows both in photography and graphic design. Plus, designing the book (via Jostens YearTech program) is actually quite easy and makes it a little less daunting for students (and advisers) who are not necesssarily hip on InDesign.

The bad of yearbook rears its head via prolonged deadlines, handling the in-class workload (which can go from complete nothing to complete chaos in the matter of a week) and getting students to buy into the validity of summer workshops. I know this last bit isn’t necessarily a problem for some schools, but I’m finding it difficult to kindly coerce students into spending three days in Greeley, CO, to help design our 2009-2010 yearbook.

And next year’s book is a big one for Ralston Valley. It will be our 10th year, and I expect big things and a great book from next year’s staff and myself. I’m thinking of a theme heavy on 10′s. Top ten lists throughout, a 10-year retrospective, etc..I just need to nail down a catchy slogan using something with TEN! Any ideas???

It’s amazing how much I’m looking forward to next year’s book despite the fact that this year’s book will be delivered tomorrow (April 29) and distributed on May 14. One year into advising, and I know I can do such a better job and produce a much more well-rounded book for Ralston Valley. And after 10 years of yearbook mediocrity, the school deserves my best.

Much like previous conferences, the sessions were informative, interactive and worthwhile. Of course, there were some sessions that need to be reviewed and perhaps eliminated, but I’m sure the folks in charge understand they’re going to put out a dud or two.

It’s unfortunate when one of the biggest flame outs of the convention just happens to be one of the keynote speakers. However, that is the way I felt about Mary Beth Tinker.

Obviously, I commend and respect her highly for the stance she took in 1969. It’s just that her experiences didn’t translate very well orally. Provided an hour to address those in attendance, Tinker spent far too much time on trivial bits of information and did not save enough time to discuss her own situation and how things really went down that day some 40 years ago.

I wanted to hear her story, and how her experienced changed the face of student expression the first amendment. I was disappointed.

Hey, it happens.

Another quick downfall of Tinker’s address was the hall in which it was held. On the whole, the new Phoenix Convention Center is wonderful. But the room where Tinker spoke was dingy, concrete, had poor sound quality and obstructed views. Two years ago, in Denver, keynote addresses were held in the beautiful Wells Fargo Theater. Yes, it was too big, but it was appropriate. Last year, in Anaheim, the room was carpeted, sound receptive and aided by the presenter appearing on big screen televisions.

Here’s hoping Portland can put together a couple better keynote speakers, and a wonderful environment for the presentation. I am already looking forward to the event. I have never been to Portland, but admire the beauty of the pacific northwest.

Well, it’s back to work. Research in English 9, feature writing in journalism, a yearbook supplement and our final edition of the RV Xpress newspaper.

Now, how many more days of school?

So far, so good.

After landing this morning in Phoenix, and checking into the Downtown Phoenix Hyatt, we hit the streets and the ball  yard. Accompanied by three of my RV students, we grabbed a bite to eat at TGI Friday’s. Big deal, you say. Well, you’re partly true. Except for the fact that this particular TGI Friday’s overlooks left field at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix. Sure, it would have been a lot cooler if a game was actually being played, but to me, there is something peaceful and serene about an empty ballpark.

A quick jaunt up the street we took an hour-long tour of the Arizona Republic building. It is nine stories of news rooms, editorial boards, televisions, computers and much more. It’s a little slice of heaven. The Republic has mastered this whole online news medium and prides itself on being a communication delivery system in every form imagineable. It was a little slice of heaven for all the journalism geeks in attendance.

Phoenix is a great place, and a city I called home for three years. And dinner provided a terrific opportunity to revisit some of my time spent here. We met up with some former students from Mountain Ridge High School. It’s good to see them happy and knowing I had something to do with that.

Tomorrow we have a day full of geeky journalism sessions, and I am excited about what’s out there. What geek wouldn’t be?

Last week, we hosted a terrific Yearbook workshop sponsored by Jostens. Visit their site at www.jostens.com and click on the yearbook link. If you’re not a Jostens customer, I’m sure you have your reasons, but I could not be happier. The yeartech technology supplied combined with a hands-on approach by Jostens and its representatives is unbeatable. Dana Weiss serves as our school’s representative/liason and she’s terrific. The workshop held at Ralston Valley was broken into three sessions: a photoshop session was provided for more advanced, photo savvy staffers, a creative session was instructed by Rock Canyon’s Kristi Rathbun and Jostens provided an on-sight artist to help design and develop cover ideas for 2009-2010 books.

Next up for yearbook…Jostens Yearbook camp this summer in Greeley, from June 23-25.

So, last week was a four-day teaching week for me, and this one (April 13-17) has me in the classroom for only three days. I’m taking three newspaper students down to Phoenix for the JEA/NSPA Spring Convetion from April 16-19. I hear numbers are down, but I’m looking forward to the opportunity. I really want to focus my time by sitting in on some on-line publication sessions. That’s the way we’re headed, and I need some more knowledge.

On a personal note, I’m mixing in business with fitness pleasure by taking part in the fifth annual Pat Tillman run in Tempe. It’s 4.2 miles and ends on the 42-yard line inside Sun Devil Stadium. Tillman wore No. 42 for ASU during his playing days. If you don’t remember the name, Tillman gave up the riches of football, and joined the Army Rangers. He was killed by “friendly fire” while serving in Afghanistan.

I come back to RV for another three-day teaching week as we have ACT testing on Wednesday and no students on Friday.

And then it will be May, and the summer is just a blink away. Can’t wait.

Now that we’re back, it’s time to get back in touch…The extended break didn’t work well with our staff’s intention to “go live” with our newspaper website on April 6. However, we are still earnestly moving forward, and “breaking” stories will start to pop up periodically on the site. That setback aside, I am proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish, and things are only going to get better as we learn more about the digital medium.

Next, our yearbook is complete and I’m trying to figure out ways to keep everybody involved. We do have a 24-page supplement to take care of, but it’s simple stuff that can be taken care of easily. My only question…Why in the world do we publish a supplement? It’s a big waste of money, and something that will cease to exist after this year. Working closely with the best yearbook representative in the state, Dana Weiss of Jostens, we have absolved supplements for future issues of the Stampede Yearbook, changed our deadline strategy and plan on making the 10th Anniversary edition of the Stampede (2009-2010 school year) the best book in the history of the school.

Outside the world of advising and teaching, did anybody else catch Seth Rogen on SNL? Hilarious! He’s a down-to-earth, level-headed actor who basically steals every scene he’s in, whether as the movie’s star or as a supporting actor. Same things with SNL…

In the sporting world, I’m actually quite happy about the Jay Cutler trade. Dude is a whiner who threw too many interceptions in the endzone or that were returned for TDs. His 4,500 yards last season was contextually whack, and he’s bound to throw 15-20 picks a season no matter how much he matures. I like the two first-round picks; I don’t mind Kyle Orton…

Hard to believe that the Nuggets may actually lock up the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Most picked them to finish outside the playoffs, but the trade for Chauncey Billups was a superb move. Also, dumping Marcus Camby, while most thought inane, was actually one of the best moves the team made. It has allowed Chris Anderson to shine as a true defensive gem, and he doesn’t demand the ball. It allows for the ball to move more freely between Billups, Melo and JR Smith. That said, I’m totally leary of a first-round matchup with Utah.

Love opening day! It coincided with my birthday, so that was a great present in itself.

Times short, and I gotta run like Adrian Peterson!

Oh yeah, did I mention the brand new Adobe Creative Suite that is installed on my computer? Yes, we (well, just me at this point) are rolling InDesign/Photoshop CS4. Uh hmm, take that Rock Canyon. And you call yourself the best high school newspaper in the state of Colorado? We know for a fact that you only roll CS3.

I may only have a hand up on my students for a day or two, as our entire lab will be transformed prior to spring break, and our April issue will fully be utilizing the CS4 software.

Publications life is good at Ralston Valley.

That said, thank the good lord for the youth of our country, especially the students I’m fortunate enough to have in my newspaper class at Ralston Valley.

Knowing the world of print newspapers is going quickly by the wayside, and with our budget circling the drain, I wanted to start a website for our high school publication. Not only will its creation save us money, but it will better prepare these students for the journalistic world in which they’ll live and work.

So, after a week or so of debate and locating a suitable web host, we dove in head first. And within a week, we have a functioning web site that is growing class period by class period. It’s astounding the progress the class has made in developing the site, and I could not be more proud of these kids.

Another benefit from my end…I’ve learned how to blog. And it’s fun!

I hope to share my thoughts about advising, both newspaper and yearbook, while dabbling in other issues including the world of sports, the world of parenting and, well, the world at large.

Check out the RV Xpress at www.rvhsnews.com!!! A link is located on this blog site!

Because I worked in journalism for four years prior to becoming a teacher, I made many contacts within the profession, and I can now utilize them in the classroom.

Sure, I can tell my students about my “past life” as a journalist, but they can’t see it. They just see me as a teacher who, like most teachers, hasn’t really done anything they talk about.  Seriously, how many science teachers have actually ever split an atom? How many history teachers have made their own history?

That said, it’s always nice to bring in some real world perspective to the classroom. Students get a tangible reflection of what the real world is like, and how they may fit into that realm.

Supplementing our unit on photojournalism, today’s class was privileged to have Boulder Daily Camera photographer Cliff Grassmick on hand to discuss the evolution of his profession while sharing images from his massive photographic portfolio.

Cliff and I worked together from 1998-1999 when I served as the editor for the Buffalo Sports News. Cliff is legendary in Boulder and can be found at just about every University of Colorado sporting event. He worked as our primary photographer and supplied some great images.

It was great to catch up with Cliff. He is an awesome photographer, an honorable journalist and a good friend. To check out some of Cliff’s work, visit his website at www.cliffpix.com.