Testimonials | Yearbook Elevation

TRINITY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

Jason,
Thank you so much for your assistance this school year in helping our students create our first Josten’s yearbook! Our students are so proud of the book they produced and that has so much to do with how YOU and the Josten’s team supported our young students.

You were incredible at listening to their ideas and chatter, reviewing their mood boards, and critiquing their spreads. You helped their ideas come to life!

The school is so impressed with the book! From its cover to its structure to “just the way it feels.” It is impressive. Jostens did a beautiful job producing our book!

Thanks again for your support of me and Lauren. We asked a million questions! Your responsiveness, encouragement, and expertise gave us the confidence we needed to finish our first yearbook!

Blessings on your summer!
-Joni and Lauren
Trinity Christian School, Fairfax VA

FROST MIDDLE SCHOOL

“When I took on the role as yearbook adviser, I had absolutely no clue how to create a yearbook. Jason walked me through the Jostens Yearbook Avenue website and showed me how easy it was to navigate and create our yearbook. He is always quick to answer my questions and offer his help. As a result, we have produced yearbooks that students will cherish for years to come.”

-Debbie Metzger
Frost Middle School, Fairfax

CHARLES E. SMITH JEWISH DAY SCHOOL

“When I first started advising yearbook four and a half years ago, my needs were very different than they are now. I feel like Jason has helped me grow from a true rookie to a strong adviser. He truly supports the program, wherever you are. In this short time, I’ve gone from just surviving yearbook to truly loving it.”

-Jessica Nassau
Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, Rockville MD

BRIAR WOODS HIGH SCHOOL

“Jason has proven himself to be invaluable. His expertise in the on-line software and other tools such as Photoshop have enabled him to help train my staff and to provide support when needed. He is willing to work with our team during workshops, has helped us through summer training at various locations, and provided advice and insight on themes, designs and content. More importantly perhaps, my students look forward to his visits because he is a genuine person and treats them as the young adults they are, valuing their thoughts and ideas. He encourages them, and he listens to them. This past year, my students really wanted to have a yearbook cover that stood out from their past ones. Jason understood, and helped them brainstorm ideas, working with the plant to ensure that they had a book they were proud of.”
-Cristina Mai
Briar Woods High School

Ashburn, VA

CARL SANDBURG MIDDLE SCHOOL

My name is Eric Underhill and I am the principal at Carl Sandburg Middle School in Fairfax, Virginia. I am reaching out to share some positive feedback regarding our transition to Jostens, and our work with our partner, Jason Baranowski. I have previously worked in schools that were supported by Jostens, but was truly impressed by the work that was done in my former school district at North Stafford High School. I had the opportunity to see first hand how Renaissance can transform a school and worked closely with Dr. Daniel Hornick, Principal at North Stafford, and a former Jostens Renaissance Educator of the Year, Andrea Marra. Ms. Marra became my assistant principal at Shirley Heim Middle School where we worked on implementing activities and programming that were rooted in Renaissance and were able to see improvements in our school.
Upon my appointment to the principalship at Sandburg in 2022, I immediately saw the opportunity for school transformation and began working on transitioning our school from our prior vendor to Jostens. In this journey, I connected with Jason, who did and continues to deliver, phenomenal service and support to our school. He walked us through the rebranding process where we engaged our stakeholder groups in defining what it means to be a Sandburg Panther. As Panthers in Pursuit, we worked with your SchoolMark Team to develop new artwork, signage, and logos to define our distinctive brand. He has been instrumental in our transformation process and we could not have done any of this important culture building and foundational work without him. We discussed student organization and he immediately partnered us with Meridian Planners to provide our students with a tool that helps them organize their schoolwork and assignments.
Most recently, we were discussing school pictures and he is connecting us with JPix portraits to explore options for the upcoming school year. We hope that this transition will yield even greater efficiencies in our yearbook process. Lastly, he is collaborating with our leadership team on signage through Seven Twenty, and we are excited to see what options we have for expanding the visual presence of our new school brand.
I am very appreciative of Jason’s ongoing support to Sandburg and can see the impact he is having on our yearbook and publication program and school branding.
If you have any questions, or would additional testimonials as to Jason’s service, please let me know. He was instrumental in our transitioning to Jostens, and I am very happy to have Sandburg as part of the Renaissance family.
Sincerely,
Eric Underhill,
(former)
Principal Carl Sandburg Middle School

JAMES MADISON HIGH SCHOOL

"....The most impressive return was Jason helping our business team shatter our previous sales records. While we initially projected 1,100 copies with a "stretch goal" of 1,200, Jason encouraged us to think bigger. We have currently sold 1,340 copies with only 110 remaining, marking our most successful sales year to date

....Jason managed our concerns with absolute professionalism and pushed us toward a level of success we hadn't previously imagined. We are incredibly grateful for his partnership and look forward to continued success in the future.

-Carol Dembicki

Yearbook Adviser, The Montpelier

James Madison High School

THOREAU MIDDLE SCHOOL

“After four years as a yearbook advisor, I was looking for a user-friendly platform that my Middle School students could easily master. When Jason introduced me to Jostens, I was hopeful, but this year has truly exceeded my expectations.
The Jostens Yearbook platform has been invaluable. Middle school yearbook programs often face fluctuating staff and unpredictable schedules. The platform’s ease of use and adaptability have been crucial, allowing students with diverse abilities and skill levels to contribute effectively.
Most importantly, Jason’s exceptional support has made the entire process seamless. From initial training to ongoing assistance and keeping us on schedule, he has been consistently supportive and readily available to answer questions and solve problems. His experience and expertise have significantly reduced the stress of yearbook production, making the entire experience more enjoyable. I highly recommend both the Jostens platform and Jason’s outstanding service.”
-Rachel Rumberger
Thoreau Middle School

Vienna, VA