KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI — The yearbook staff at Niles High School honed their skills at a two-day summer workshop for yearbook students.

Adviser Nic Hawley and staff members Bailey Bickel, Kortney West, and Angelina Pena attended the Midwest Yearbook Workshop, which took place June 21 to June 22, at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Sessions at the workshop enabled the students to learn about theme development, design, coverage, copy writing and other aspects of yearbook so they can create their book telling the story of their school during the 2018 to 2019 school year.

Yearbook staffs worked with a professional artist to create a yearbook cover and received a one-on-one consultation from an award-winning adviser. In addition, they met other yearbook students from more than 20 other schools and universities.

The workshop was hosted by Valerie Tanke, yearbook sales representative in northwestern Indiana, southwestern Michigan and northeastern Illinois for Walsworth Yearbooks and Saint Mary’s College, Blue Mantle yearbook staff. Among the teachers were yearbook adviser David Zinsmeister from Manchester High School in North Manchester, Indiana, Kris Hemry, Mary Slater, Stephanie Streicher and Michelle Brosemer from Walsworth Yearbooks.

Walsworth Publishing Company is among the 50 largest printing companies in the U.S. The company is among the top three yearbook printers and is the only American- and family-owned publisher of yearbooks. Started in 1937 by Don Walsworth, current leadership is under the second and third generations: Don O. Walsworth, CEO, and his son, Don Walsworth, president. The company operates from administrative offices and printing and binding facilities in Marceline, Missouri — a prepress facility in Brookfield, Missouri, a sales and marketing office in Kansas City, Missouri and a printing facility in St. Joseph. Additionally, Walsworth owns the Donning Company Publishers in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a specialty book publisher, and The Ovid Bell Press in Fulton, Mo., a printer of journals and magazines.