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Update on the Topeka Plant
5/14/2012 - 11:20 pm
I have spoken with some of you over the phone and some of you by e-mail tonight, so I thought it was probably best to get some facts out regarding changes at the Topeka plant following some misleading news stories.
Several years ago a new state-of-the-art printing facility was built in Clarksville, Tennessee. I have never visited it, but I hear it probably one of the most 'green' and futuristic printing plants of its kind. About a year ago another plant went through much the same sort of consolidation - moving all the actual printing and production to the Clarksville Plant. However, all of the customer service folks, etc. remained at what became the newly formed regional service site.
Jostens is doing much the same with the Topeka plant. What will cease will be the actual printing production. However, what will remain is all of the customer service, art department, technical support and marketing services. So, for many of you, the voice on the other end of the line when you call Topeka will be the same as it has been before (Brandy, Betty, Vickie, Ce Ce, Roxanne , the Amys and so on). It will operate as a new regional support center.
All that being said, it is unfortunate that many people who worked behind the scenes and often unnoticed because they did their jobs so well, won't have a job after July 1. All of our books will be printed out of the new Clarksville plant.
Market and technology changes have been fairly radical in the printing industry, as you well know, and today's news was set in motion some time back, but that doesn't make the eventuality and finality for several Topeka families any easier.
The news became official to us earlier today. I was not certain how soon it would hit the news, but many of us wanted to allow some of the Topeka families impacted to have time to absorb some of the shock before we said anything to anyone else.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please let me know.
thane
Susan Gray wins Ad Astra Award
Susan Gray, the publications adviser at Wichita Southeast High School, has earned KSPA’s 2012 Ad Astra Award, which honors teachers who continually improve their journalism programs and make significant contributions to the advising profession.
Gray received nominations from two peer advisers, three students at Southeast and a former student who now majors in journalism at the University of Kansas. Gray has been teaching journalism for 17 years.
Joanna Hlavacek, now a sophomore at KU, wrote about Gray as a “did-hard journalist” who encourages students to cover even the most difficult stories on their campus. She also said Gray credits her students with whatever successes the program achieves.
“Mrs. Gray is the most selfless, caring, intelligent and hardworking person I have ever met,” Hlavacek wrote, “and I could not think of a single person more deserving of the award.”
Two other students wrote about Gray’s teaching of the First Amendment and the Kansas Student Publications Act as vital lessons in her journalism classroom.
Southeast’s newspaper in 2010 earned its first All-Kansas award, and then followed that with another All-Kansas in 2012.
Gray will receive the Ad Astra Award at the KSPA State Contest brunch, May 5, at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
Congratulations to Mary Patrick and the Maize South Middle School staff for winning a Gold Crown from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for the 2011 Stampede book! Also, congratulations to Ashley Perkins and the staff at Kapaun Mt. Carmel for winning a Silver Crown from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for their 2011 Crusader!
Yearbook Camp - July 30-August 2
Check-in starts at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, July 30. Allow time to get settled in your residence hall room. The Opening Session begins at 10:00 a.m. The workshop will end at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. All participants are strongly encouraged to stay through the Closing Session to be eligible for the prizes and awards given out.
Fees
Workshop Fees for each registrant are to be paid in advance by July 13, 2012. School purchase orders are acceptable in lieu of advance payments. Any refund, minus a $95 administrative fee, will be available until July 13, 2012. The fees include all meals.
All registration is done on-line at www.bcjpworkshop.com!
Equipment
This is a hands-on workshop, so each participant is required to bring a school or personal computer with Adobe InDesign® CS3/CS4/CS5/CS5.5 (Desktop Publishing users) and Adobe Photoshop® installed. Yeartech Online® users require a computer with internet accessibility (wireless preferred) and Flash Player 10 (Mac OS 10.4 min) installed. No “extra” computers will be available. It may be necessary to install software at the workshop, so make sure you have the administrator names/passwords needed for your computers. Each participant also needs ready access to a digital camera with a method for downloading photos from the camera (cable, card reader, etc.).
Click here to download the brochure!
Creative Last Chance Sales Campaign
This is a very creative last chance yearbook campaign created by students in the Pine Island school yearbook class.
Fall One-Day Workshops Announced!
Once again I am scheduling 4 Free One-Day workshops this September to help your whole staff get 'on the same page' for yearbook production this fall.
Tuesday, September 4th, Bethel College, North Newton, KS
Wednesday, September 5th, Hutchinson Community College, Hutchinson, KS
Thursday, September 6th, Southwestern College, Winfield, KS
Monday, September 10th, Neosho County Community College, Chanute, KS
New On-Line Survey Tool!
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To learn more about the new on-line survey tool - click here!
ReplayIt! (login required)
To learn more about www.replayit.com - click here!
To learn about your updated YTO Image Library - click here!
To learn more about the ReplayIt! pages supplement option - click here!
National Yearbook Program of Excellence!
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Several of you have been asking about this new exciting program which will recognize you and your staff for all the hard work and extra efforts you are making. By default you are enrolled in the program. You will see an additional tab at the top right of the home page to help you track your progress. There are three criteria to meet to receive the award. In YTO the coverage report will now include a new blue "i" icon. Clicking this icon will allow you to see images this person has been tagged in and also the pages the image is located on. Clicking the image will take you to it in the image library. Clicking the page will take you to the page in the designer. Also, when you export information from the coverage report, you will see current purchaser information.
To learn more about this program, click here!
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