By KINSEY SEACORD
As she sits in first period, senior co-editor-in-chief Lauren Burkett passes around entries to her awaiting staff.
They shuffle through each submission, choose the superior art and writing pieces that will appear in the new literary magazine on campus: Totem.
Printing one issue each year, Totem is a student run and funded magazine that teachers and students can submit writing or art to be published.
Last year, Stacy Liebman’s Creative Writing II class wished to continue the subject, but no third year in the course existed. After getting approval from Principal Margaret McMillen, the students formed a Creative Writing III class which doubled as the Totem staff.
After carefully sifting through literary magazines from other schools to get ideas, the staff created a theme and a name for their publication.
“Totem represents tribes or groups of people, and usually display images of their lives and character. Totem as a magazine represents the creative student body at Boone High School and the way [it] sees the world as expressed in artistic mediums such as writing and artwork,” Burkett said.
After designing the theme and name of their magazine, the Totem staff then started raising funds.
In October, the staff sold Ghost Grams, cookies with messages attached, for $1 and distributed them as Halloween accessories.
When winter rolled around, snowmen holding candy canes could be purchased. The staff also sold page sponsorships for $25, had cookies available in Liebman’s room for $1 and participated in the Reservation Run.
Student works came pouring in once word got out about the new literary magazine. With over 90 selections of art and writing submitted, the staff began the long process of reducing the entries to fit a 28-page publication.
A piece of art or writing would be accepted if three editors looked over it and awarded it enough number of points, based on areas like creativity and organization, to pass cuts. Once accepted, the two editor-in-chiefs, then the adviser, conducted a final edit.
“I was really impressed at how much initiative the students had. They took all their ideas and ran with them,” Liebman said.
Staffers then created the ladder, a rough draft laying out the order of each section. There are five sections: Fiction, Nature, Friends/Family, Love and Personal Experience. Journalism I students assisted the Totem staff in laying out the works.
Sometimes working after school, the staff members dedicated their time to perfecting the magazine.
“Working so hard has really made us come together as a staff. Last year we were just a creative writing class, but this year, we are like a family,” senior publicity director Brianna Harper said.
Staff members await the day for their publication to be released and shared with the school.
“Many students have such a talent for [writing], and it’s great to be able to show Boone that and allow kids to show off their work in an actual publication instead of letting it go unnoticed,” Burkett said.
Students saw their peers’ work in Totem, on May 11, when the staff released it for $2 an issue.