In February 2025, the Art of Fiction committee announced their new initiative to host a literary contest available for all TCS students. The literary contest will anchor all forms of creative expression, from poetry, prose, artwork, essays, and short stories that follow a theme of self-discovery.
The literary contest has fallen completely into the hands of the Art of Fiction II and III students, where they must take specific measures to ignite interest in students to participate, such as offering a cash reward for the winners, AirPods Pro raffle, and academic rewards for their hard work. Nonetheless, Art of Fiction teacher, Alyssa Jodoin has also highlighted the benefits of indulging in the different forms of self-expression, and how participating in such contests can allow them to connect with their creative spirits.
“I think that sometimes when we’re really busy, we need a reason to go back to our creative work; sometimes, we need to find a purpose to share it with others. A lot of people have come up to me recently saying they have something that they’ve been working on, but they just haven’t had a reason, or motivation to finish it. I think having a deadline for a competition, provides the opportunity to focus on that piece that maybe they put off and forces them to connect with their creative forms of expression, which are essential for intellectual development,” Ms. Jodoin, Art of Fiction teacher, said.
Nonetheless, Ms. Jodoin has also expressed the need to develop incentives that encourage students to participate in the contest; and there’s no better way to entice teenagers than with cash. The Art of Fiction III students have decided to host a raffle for AirPods Pro, second generation, which has been provided by student sponsor and contest coordinator, Veronica Urdaneta.
“I was inspired by the creative contest, as I believe these initiatives were needed at the school. I wanted the magazine to get published, and have a stronger reach, so I found that this was a way I could help and fulfill that goal,” Veronica Urdaneta, senior sponsor, said.
In terms of logistics, the editorial board has faced multiple issues within the planning of the contest, as they have faced crossing due dates, lack of student involvement, and technical difficulties regarding its execution and distribution.
“I think because it’s new, we’ve had a lot of challenges on what we need to focus on, and how much energy we invest in some tasks in contrast with others. One of the things was school events and crossing with due dates; struggling to find the time to be intentional about the things we wanted to do with our literary magazine, but also at the same time, continue with coursework because as we are doing all of this, we’re still working on course work in English class. So, making sure that this isn’t homework and finding space during class. But then, it is also finding a job for everyone to do because some tasks are a community effort, while others require much less attention,” Ms. Jodoin said.
Additionally, there is a lot of inner planning and work that goes beyond what most students notice. These are small details that are crucial for the flow of this literary contest, yet seem like a burden on some of the staff.
“At first, of all we had to define, were the prices for the raffle tickets. Then we had to assemble an editorial board and a board of Judges that included students, administrators, and teachers to judge the things that we were given. We had to develop a rubric with high goals and standards. Lastly, we had to make sure that people were motivated to participate. However, it wasn’t enough to simply offer a creative prompt, so there was a lot of like talking to people, convincing and even forcing some of my very talented friends to participate for the sake of the contest,” Urdaneta said.
Transition 4: Despite the excruciating labor, the English department remains optimistic about the future of the literary magazine, expressing their desire to continue the project for future generations, and implement this initiative as a yearly project for all English students in TCS.
“I think the contest will be done every year from now on; from sponsoring the magazine’s publishing and expanding its reach, I hope that people that come into TCS and see last year’s results it’s going to encourage them to participate in the future,” Urdaneta said.
The prompt for the magazine’s debut has also captured the hearts of TCS students, delving in self-discovery and sharing the stories that have shaped them to encourage their peers to grow as individuals. This prompt will help TCS students build a more empathetic, and warm community, where students will feel seen and connected to those with similar stories to their own, and promote overall creative expression.
“So we chose ‘Discovery of Self” as a class, where we looked at ways to frame the theme so we could include Elementary as well, and promote forms of art such as poetry, painting, and even photography; beyond just creative writing. The main goal was just to give all students that voice, opportunity, and practice sharing their talents. Ultimately, we chose the theme of self-discovery because it was open, it was personal, and it also allowed students to explore many different mediums of expression,” Ms. Jodoin said.