Middle school students gather around a table with artwork spread out over it, pencils and score sheets in hand.
โOh wow. Thatโs a really great portrait,โ one student says.
โMr. Hawes, can we see this one in not color?โ another asks.
Artworks โ submitted by K-8 students โ are being graded on a scale from one to 10 for possible inclusion in the 20th edition of the Eagleโs Quill, a literary magazine run by students at St. Michaelโs 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 yearโs edition was given a โsuperiorโ ranking โ the highest โ 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 Eagleโs Quill.
โWhat I find most gratifying is that what I try to draw out of my students in class ... is recognized and valued,โ Hawes says. โWith an emphasis these days on fill-in-the-bubble tests and nonfiction analysis under Common Core, thereโs less space in many schools to celebrate the poetic and the beautiful. Weโve committed ourselves to the fine arts and visual arts at St. Michaelโs, and Eagleโs Quill puts that on display to our families.โ
Last yearโs student editors, Kayla Conway and Macey Brown, both 14-year-old eighth graders, share the same sense of pride.
โI feel really accomplished,โ Conway says. โItโs nice knowing that something I participated in got a national award.โ
โIโm very proud to go to a school that gets such high rankings for writing and art,โ Brown adds.
Though it is the magazineโs โsuperiorโ ranking, it isnโt the first time it has been recognized.
โI must admit as the day approaches each winter for NCTE to announce the contestโs winners, I do get butterflies,โ Hawes says. โHaving 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.โ
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: โMay the Sci-Fi Be with You.โ
Hawes projects an image on a screen.
โDoes this go with a story?โ one student asks.
โYes, but weโre gonna look at it for its own merit,โ Hawes replies. Each piece of work is judged individually, based on grade level. So, if itโs a kindergartenerโs piece, it is judged accordingly.
โAt the beginning of the year, we give a lesson on criteria for judging art and writing,โ says Ann Hand, who founded the Eagleโs Quill, and is now a retired teacher and staff adviser. โSo, they have a background.โ
It can be hard to pick favorite writings, says Madeline Greene, 13, co-editor of this yearโs edition.
โSometimes it can be really hard to decide,โ Greene says. โEspecially when itโs repetitive with the younger kids. But, some really stand out.โ
This yearโs art director, Aidan Romanoski, an 11-year-old sixth grader, has a system for picking his favorite art pieces.
โIt just has to have a lot of detail,โ Romanoski says. โAnd it canโt just be one color.โ
