Excursions is Academy’s student-run literary magazine. This magazine is meant to show all the talents from the AHN girls. This magazine is composed of everything from arts, writing, songs, and photography.
Last year, Excursions was a class, but this year it’s a club. In the club, we plan out the design of the magazine, market, contribute to the magazine, and figure out where to place each submission in the magazine. It is a crucial part of putting together the magazine for all the Academy students and faculty.
“It’s a good way to express your interest. The literary magazine shows a wide variety of the student body. It’s been fun designing the magazine cover and the flyer and having input on how it looks,” said Sophomore Zoey Gavin, an editor on the Excursions staff.
The literary magazine from last year, “Excursions: Chord of the Gods,” received an award from the National Council of Teachers of English, and obtained the highest distinction as a first class magazine. This is a great achievement, and hopefully we can continue down this path.
This year’s theme, Academy à la Mode, takes a more fashion direction. This does not necessarily mean the submissions have to be directly related to fashion, they can, but feel free to be as creative as you want when it comes to this theme. It can be any form of self-expression through a creative fashion lens.
Gigi Luka (’27), another editor, said, “Through Excursions I get to express my creativity through writing. I really like the theme, and I’m excited to express my passion for writing in a new format.”
There are no right or wrong submissions, so anything from short stories, poetry, one act plays, non-fiction, fiction, collages, drawings, photos of ceramics or painting, digital art, or fashion design. There are so many ways to submit, so feel free to go as creative as possible.
If you’re interested in submitting anything to the magazine this year, please scan the QR codes on posters or email one of the club leaders (Margaret McHugh, Zoey Gavin, and Gigi Luka). Posters with the QR code and emails of editors can be found in some classrooms and around the school. This will lead you to Google Classroom where you then go to the classroom page and submit to that assignment. The submissions are due by the end of February into the beginning of March. We are always looking for submissions, so please consider submitting.
”It is a privilege for the entire Academy community to have a student-run, student-designed arts magazine that celebrates the creative work of all current high school students. No one needs to be a part of a class or club to submit work to Excursions and we rarely turn anyone away. We publish work that students create simply out of the joy of their own creativity, and it doesn’t matter what form or medium they employ. The publishing world does not offer many opportunities to have young people’s work included in an award-winning arts magazine, and I’m surprised more students don’t take this chance. I am always amazed and thrilled by the work our students produce; it is one of the many reasons I am proud to be a teacher here, as well as a parent of two alumna,” said Diane Masiello, High School English teacher and moderator for the Excursions club.
