Exploring and emphasizing the individuality of Hackley Upper School students through their artistic creations, the Vision is the literary magazine that Hackley deserves. The beautifully crafted composition of works, submitted and published by students, is produced exclusively once per year, featuring original photography, artwork, poems, short stories, and much more. Behind the scenes, however, there are twelve students who dedicate three periods a cycle to making sure the year’s edition is perfected to a science, as to make sure pieces like Senior Sophia Bannister’s “Asexual Reproduction” fit perfectly with artwork. To everyone, the Vision is different, ranging from students who want to have their voices heard to the recognition and promotion of Hackley School’s artistics capabilities.

The Vision’s Co-editors in Chiefs, Cate Goldsmith and Yuni Hahn, have high hopes for this year’s edition to attain Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Gold Crown Award, the highest award given to a high school literary magazine. However, the Vision staff are not the only ones looking forward to the next publication.

Senior Joanna Miller, who plans to submit a narrative poem for the first time, feels that it is, “important for students to express themselves in a non-academic environment.” As a Co-Captain of Hackley Varsity Soccer, she intends to, “write about mentality in the midst of competition,” which, she believes, is an important message for anyone to, “stay strong when faced with adversity.”

This excitement of having one’s voice heard, and conveyed to the entire upper school, is a common theme among the previous artists as well. Senior Cole Herlitz-Ferguson, who submitted photographs last year, said, “It was pretty surreal to open up the Vision and to see my work along with the other work was pretty incredible.” He plans to submit more photographs this year from his photography class with Mr. Cece.

Any form of artistic work is accepted, and the Vision not only encourages students to hand in photographs, art, from their respective classes, but also desires poems and short stories that have been created for English classes.  This, of course, is in addition to works created outside of school. Ms. Akin, the supervisor for the Vision, mentions that, “one of the biggest sources of submissions are students who are taking creative writing right now, however there is absolutely no requirement to come through those classes at all,” adding that, “we [the Vision] absolutely welcome submissions from outside the classroom.” Consequently, they aim, “to have submissions from all parts of campus: seniors and freshmen, boys and girls, humor poetry, short fiction,” and not, “only the angsty teenagers,” but, “a variety of works to represent all four grades, ” expresses Ms. Akin.

The once a year edition has an unexpected viewership: Admissions. Several hundred copies of the Vision are ordered yearly by Hackley Admissions as one of the tools employed to influence future potential families, who, “are especially impressed by the fact that the entire thing is student produced,” says Ms. Akin. In addition, soon the Vision will be complemented by social media, such as facebook and instagram, in order to reach all walks of Hackley life.

As for awards, the Vision has in the last few years received Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Silver Crown Award, and the current staff hopes to aspire for gold by encouraging a more diverse range of opinions to be published. One of the most defining qualities of the Vision is that students are not required to title their artwork, and can submit literature anonymously, if they wish to do so. Yuni Hahn describes the Vision as a medium through which, “Hackley can be known as an artsy place, in addition to academics and sports, where people are able to be creative freely, which is key part of the Hackley experience.”