Chapman University campus with its iconic Bertea Hall tower — Photo: Argyros Forum Chapman University

About

A yearbook is the only publication most people will ever hold that was made entirely by students. It's journalism, design, photography, and project management compressed into one deadline and handed to an audience that will keep it for the rest of their lives. We think that deserves more than a template.

Southern California Yearbooks Workshop is a three-day intensive built on a simple premise: the book your staff publishes this year will outlast every other thing your school produces. It should be made with the craft and intention that demands.

The workshop behind
the books that win awards.

Coverage plans. Spread critiques. Caption workshops. Typography fundamentals. Everything your staff needs to hit the ground running in August.

Venue

Chapman University

View Campus

Orange

California

Our 2026 workshop will be hosted at this esteemed university, known for its rigorous academic programs and vibrant campus life. It's the perfect setting for personal growth and learning, and we can't wait to welcome you to an unforgettable workshop.

Photo: Aerial View of Chapman University Campus

Faculty

Meet the people behind the pages.Our faculty are advisers, designers,photographers, and editors. They are experts who know how to finish a yearbook strong.

Get practical guidance you can use immediately: planning, coverage, writing, critique, visual direction, and team leadership.

Andrew
Young

(Faculty)

Middle School Track

Young, a recognized leader in scholastic journalism, has earned multiple honors, including JEA's 2017 Rising Star, 2018 Arkansas Adviser of the Year, and 2022 Special Recognition Adviser. His staffs have excelled in JEA, NSPA, ASPA, and Walsworth contests, with Woodland's 2022 Round-Up yearbook earning a CSPA Silver Crown and NSPA Pacemaker finalist spot. As President of the Arkansas Scholastic Press Association, he is dedicated to elevating junior high and middle school journalism.

Ash
Goodwin

(Faculty)

Editorial Layout & Design

Ash Good has been the design consultant for The Tower yearbook at Loyola Marymount University since 2009. During that time, The Tower has consistently earned top national honors, including ACP's 2024 Pacemaker and 2023 Best of Show Awards, the 2022 CMA Pinnacle Award, and multiple CSPA Gold Crown and Gold Circle Awards. Ash started on yearbook as a high school sophomore and has since built a 20-year career as an independent designer, typographer, and publishing consultant. They now work with universities, literary journals, magazines, and small presses—bringing stories to life through thoughtful design and powerful storytelling.

Charles
Erikson

(Faculty)

Photography I

CJE, has been teaching since 2006 and advising student publications since 2015. He teaches and advises the yearbook program at La Sierra H.S. in Riverside, California. Erikson has taught sessions at the NHSJC, judged student media competitions (regionally and nationally), and published articles in Communications: Journalism Education Today. He also enjoys hiking, traveling, photography, and musicals.

Ismael
Barraza

(Faculty)

Yearbook I

As a journalism adviser for 16 years in the El Paso Independent School District, I have taught yearbook, newspaper, and multimedia classes in my hometown. I taught at my alma mater for 11 years before moving to the "rival" school, where I now teach. As a border city, El Paso, Texas is uniquely diverse as it sits on the border of three states and two countries. The yearbook staOs that I have worked with have received gold medalists awards from CSPA and first class distinctions from NSPA, as well as placed in the Best of Show awards at multiple JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Conventions. Outside of the classroom I am a baseball fan, a Dodgers baseball fan.

Jim
Jordan

(Faculty)

Yearbook II

After 35 years advising the Decamhian at Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks, Jim Jordan is now a Special Consultant with Walsworth Yearbooks. In 1996, he was named the National Yearbook Adviser of the Year by JEA. He also was awarded the CSPA Gold Key, the JEA Medal of Merit and the NSPA Pioneer Award. In 2021, he received Linda S. Puntney Teacher Inspiration Award from JEA. In May 2022 the Decamhian was recognized as having earned the second highest number of Pacemaker Awards in the 100 year history of the organization – 20 Pacemakers and seven Pacemaker Finalists.

Rhonda
O'Dea

(Faculty)

Veteran Advisers

For over 23 years, Rhonda has been an integral part of Walsworth, bringing a wealth of experience and passion to the world of yearbooks. Her journey began as a dedicated yearbook adviser in Virginia Beach, VA, where she guided her students in creating award-winning publications recognized at local, state, and national levels. Beyond the classroom, she was an active judge and presenter for CSPA and NSPA, always eager to inspire and empower young journalists at workshops and conventions. Today, she continues to hire, train, and mentor representatives, sharing her expertise and enthusiasm for yearbooks through hands-on training and school visits. Her commitment to student journalism and education remains at the heart of everything she does.

Sonya
Singh

(Faculty)

Writing

Sonya Singh is a writer, editor, and photographer specializing in culture and music, with work featured in The Guardian, Los Angeles Magazine, Rogue, NME, Nylon, and more. She has photographed artists from small venues to stadiums, covered stories from inside maximum-security prisons, and interviewed figures ranging from U.S. ambassadors to Slash. A graduate of NYU and Pepperdine, she served as executive editor of The Graphic and later worked in London before launching her freelance career. Singh is now a journalism professor and director of Lancer Media Group at California Baptist University.

Stephanie
Perluss

(Faculty)

New Advisers

Stephanie Perluss is a Yearbook veteran that has published 18 yearbooks with her staff from West Covina High School. She is a Certified Journalism Educator and a new adviser mentor. She built her district's yearbook curriculum as well as helped other journalism advisers build their curriculums to get their A-G approval. Over the years her staff has won recognition and awards from NSPA--including an All American designation, Quill & Scroll, and the state and local chapters of JEA. In addition to Yearbook, she teaches English at West Covina High School.

Susan
Massy

(Faculty)

Editorial Leadership

Susan Massy built a powerhouse of student publications at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, with The Lair and Northwest Passage both earning spots in NSPA's Top 100. A leader in scholastic journalism, she received the Charles R. O'Malley Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2023 and CSPA's Gold Key Award in 2016. Named JEA's National Yearbook Teacher of the Year in 1999, she also earned NSPA's Pioneer Award (1997) and Kansas' Engel Award (1994). Now retired, Massy travels nationwide to teach and present at conventions and workshops.

They don’t just teach the craft.They model it.

Every session is built from real experience — from first issuesto national awards, from rebuilding programs to leading them.Our faculty have been where your staff is right now, and theyknow exactly what it takes to get there.

That’s what you take home: not just technique, but proof that the work matters.