Tucson school's literary magazine receives national recognition

Middle school students gather around a table with artwork spread out over it, pencils and score sheets in hand.

“Oh wow. That’s a really great portrait,” one student says.

“Mr. Hawes, can we see this one in not color?” another asks.

Artworks — submitted by K-8 students — are being graded on a scale from one to 10 for possible inclusion in the 20th edition of the Eagle’s Quill, a literary magazine run by students at St. Michael’s Parish Day School.

Each edition is full of poetry, stories and artwork created by students in all grades. The editorial staff consists of students in grades six through eight and two faculty advisers. The magazine is published each spring and distributed during the last week of school.

Last year’s edition was given a “superior” ranking — the highest — from the National Council of Teachers of English, an organization dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of English and language arts, for the first time.

The recognition draws praise from Alex Hawes, teacher and faculty adviser for the Eagle’s Quill.

“What I find most gratifying is that what I try to draw out of my students in class ... is recognized and valued,” Hawes says. “With an emphasis these days on fill-in-the-bubble tests and nonfiction analysis under Common Core, there’s less space in many schools to celebrate the poetic and the beautiful. We’ve committed ourselves to the fine arts and visual arts at St. Michael’s, and Eagle’s Quill puts that on display to our families.”

Last year’s student editors, Kayla Conway and Macey Brown, both 14-year-old eighth graders, share the same sense of pride.

“I feel really accomplished,” Conway says. “It’s nice knowing that something I participated in got a national award.”

“I’m very proud to go to a school that gets such high rankings for writing and art,” Brown adds.

Though it is the magazine’s “superior” ranking, it isn’t the first time it has been recognized.

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“I must admit as the day approaches each winter for NCTE to announce the contest’s winners, I do get butterflies,” Hawes says. “Having won recognition 10 years in a row now, it would be very disappointing to miss out ... so I do feel a great sense of relief when the envelope from NCTE delivers good news.”

Works for the upcoming issue have been submitted throughout the year. The magazine staff promotes monthly contests to encourage students to submit their writing and art.

The current theme: “May the Sci-Fi Be with You.”

Hawes projects an image on a screen.

“Does this go with a story?” one student asks.

“Yes, but we’re gonna look at it for its own merit,” Hawes replies. Each piece of work is judged individually, based on grade level. So, if it’s a kindergartener’s piece, it is judged accordingly.

“At the beginning of the year, we give a lesson on criteria for judging art and writing,” says Ann Hand, who founded the Eagle’s Quill, and is now a retired teacher and staff adviser. “So, they have a background.”

It can be hard to pick favorite writings, says Madeline Greene, 13, co-editor of this year’s edition.

“Sometimes it can be really hard to decide,” Greene says. “Especially when it’s repetitive with the younger kids. But, some really stand out.”

This year’s art director, Aidan Romanoski, an 11-year-old sixth grader, has a system for picking his favorite art pieces.

“It just has to have a lot of detail,” Romanoski says. “And it can’t just be one color.”