The yearbook has been put to bed. Yes! The newspaper has only two regular issues and the senior graduation magazine left. Yippee! My introduction to journalism students have completed their newspaper and yearbook projects. Whew!

As much as I enjoy my job, I have to admit that each spring — usually by mid-April — I find myself with a renewed energy and a little spring in my step. That light at the end of my tunnel is visible and getting brighter each day.

The major deadlines and projects are behind us, and my students are excited to create the senior slide show, plan the yearbook release party, publish the glossy grad magazine and see things come to a close in the publications department for the year.

Planning summer camps and activities is now on my agenda, and I think I am going to hold a journalism boot camp right here at my own school this year. Tentatively planned for the week before school begins in August, it will be a chance for kids in both yearbook and newspaper to sell advertising, learn from a professional photographer, create designs and plan themes and get to know one another while having fun. Bringing in professionals to work with the students while have the luxury of not having to drive 7 hours each way to yearbook camp or fly to a newspaper workshop in places like Texas or Iowa is a relief. Next year maybe we’ll choose to travel. A photo field trip to Glacier Park is on the agenda, and students will be writing articles and opinion pieces to go with the photos they take. I hope to have them publish their camp work — at least online.

To everyone out there who has finished deadlines or who is almost done, congratulations. Advising publications is not an easy job, and I believe advisers rarely get thanked for what they do. So, thank you. Enjoy the rest of your school year and have a restful summer.