South Aiken High School’s award-winning literary, art and multi-media magazine Calliope has earned a national reputation for excellence over the years, and this year has been no exception.
Under the guidance of faculty advisor Ginger Dunker, the Calliope staff garnered a number of awards for the 2016 edition of the magazine, including national recognition with Highest Award honors from the National Council of Teachers of English and First Place and Outstanding Use of Color awards from the American Scholastic Press Association.
The magazine also earned an Excellent Rating from the Southern Interscholastic Press Association, and a Superior Rating from the South Carolina Scholastic Press Association (SCSPA).
Several of the magazine’s contributors received individual recognition from the SCSPA, including Zerrin Varnadore (3rd Place, - Best Nonfiction Article); Sydney Simpson (2nd Place, Best Review); and Camilla Myers (3rd Place, Best Short Story).
Writing improvements were one area in which Mrs. Dunker says the 2016 edition of Calliope really stands apart from previous editions of the magazine.
“The writing and the visual arts for this issue were much improved,” Dunker stated. “Zerrin presented an honest and vivid picture of a hot, humid day during hurricane season and her living in poverty as a small child. Her imagery conveys the powerful, honest and raw experiences of a small girl living on the east coast of Florida.
“Sydney's satirical revelation of the woes of high school life from the perspective of a senior revealed a sardonic look at education. Again, the raw honesty compels us to think about how we could improve our educational system through the eyes of a student. Camilla's short fiction was quite entertaining even from the opening line. By placing her characters in action immediately, she was able to hold the reader's attention to the end of the spelling-binding tale.”
As a group, Mrs. Dunker says the magazine’s writers weaved their unique voices into a seamless literary tapestry.
“All of the writers who won state awards came from my Creative Writing class, and this particular class was a unique blend of writing talents,” Dunker added. “They excelled with every assignment and provided great support for one another.”
Collectively, Mrs. Dunker said the Calliope staff displayed an outstanding work ethic over a long period of time that included the group overcoming a wide variety of challenges.
“All of the staff members worked diligently to make the magazine happen, whether they worked on fundraising, layout and design, collecting submissions or reading and selecting submissions, or editing,” Dunker concluded. “Our greatest challenges were raising enough money to cover the costs of publishing and meeting copy deadlines since we were dealing with graphic design, writing, and theme simultaneously, but the entire staff was terrific.”
National, Regional and State Recognition for South Aiken High’s Calliope
National Council of Teachers of English
- The Highest Award (334 entries nationally with 24 Highest Award recipients).
American Scholastic Press Association
- First Place
- Outstanding Use of Color
Southern Interscholastic Press Association
- Excellent Rating
South Carolina Scholastic Press Association
- Superior Rating
- Best Nonfiction Article -- Zerrin Varnadore, 3rd Place
- Best Review -- Sydney Simpson, 2nd Place
- Best Short Story --Camilla Myers, 3rd Place
CALLIOPE STAFF PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured are Calliope staff members (back row, from left) Emily Chafin, Olivia Esselman, Lydia Duncan, Catlyn Rugg, and Lydia Terlizzi. Additional staff members include (front row, from left) Nicolas Diaz, Elizabeth Keeter, Jazmyn Doerr, and Susan He. Not pictured are Calliope members Caroline Pethick, Mary Riggins, Nicholyn Leonard, and Samantha DeLoache.
LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: 2017 PR CALLIOPE WINS BIG AGAIN