Posted February 2, 2012

The Spring 2011 edition of Visions.

Visions, the Shaker High School student literary magazine, has received a ranking of “Superior” by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) for 2011.

Visions is a literary magazine run by students, along with the supervision of advisors Hope Dils and Maureen Livingston. It provides an opportunity for students to artistically express themselves using written and visual mediums. Members of the club create, edit, and select submissions for publication and generate the layout for the magazine.

A total of 391 schools from across the country entered the 2011 NCTE program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines, and Shaker High School was the only district in the region to receive a “Superior” ranking.

“It’s amazing to be working on this magazine,” senior Jacqueline Heim said. “It’s an honor to be a part of a team and a magazine that is so well respected. We work hard to produce a quality finished product, so to be recognized for our work is great.”

NCTE’s Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines recognizes students, teachers and schools for producing excellent literary magazines. The program’s mission is to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines, seeking excellence in writing and school-wide participation in production.

“We’re very proud, not only of Maureen and Hope for their outstanding leadership, but also of our students and all of their hard work on this project,” English department supervisor Beth Bonville said. “This is a tremendous honor.”

“It’s very inspiring to be a part of,” Visions advisor Hope Dils said. “The students work so hard and come up with so many wonderful and creative ideas and I think that shows in our final product. They (the students) come in after our meeting times, before and after school, just to try and improve, not only the magazine, but themselves. We have a very dedicated group.”

The students who work on the magazine get involved for many reasons, ranging from creative expression to honing their design skills. However, one thing they can all agree on is that working on this publication is very special to them.

“I like looking at all of the different artwork submissions,” junior Kelley Bullock said. “I like finding the different aspects of art and writing and paring them together.”

“Mrs. Dils would talk about Visions in class and it really appealed to me,” senior Shai Hacker said. “I like to write to express my creativity. Being a part of this magazine is something I’ll always remember.”