The beauty of literature and photography made its presence at the Hackley Vision Launch Party. Posters and stickers were placed across the Hackley campus, spreading the message of the upcoming event.

“Its creativity supreme!” Upper School Art Teacher Mark Green said as excitement grew.

This party took place on October 24th from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m in the Seniors Lounge, where Vision members Doctor Ferguson, Joshua Lee, Ava Maughan, Hudson Warm, Alexandra Elwell, Brendan Lynch, and honorary member Kylie Oh hosted the event.

The first activity was the “readers” activity, where speakers read a favorite poem or a written piece of theirs out loud to the audience. The activity was kicked off by 12 speakers: Arjan Singh Sandhu, Arri Posey, Ashley Currie, Ava Maughan, Ben Iaderosa, Dean of Class of 2025 Brigid Moriarty, English Teaching Fellow Christina Wang, Esther Choi, Hailey Won, English Teacher James Flanigan, Librarian Jennifer Swan, and Maggie Zhang.

The compositions ranged across numerous genres, which served to gather a diverse audience with different interests.

Themed with the upcoming Halloween holiday and the Vision’s mysterious history, a trivia competition was also hosted. Operating similarly to commercials, questions were given as sections throughout the “readers” event. Students who successfully answered a question would receive a prize, such as headphones, stickers, t-shirts, or headbands.

Of course, along with these fun events came food and drinks: Halloween-themed Munchkins, Brendan’s brownies, and Doc. Ferguson’s donuts paired with apple cider and ginger ale. In order to maintain the safety of students, the Vision members carefully chose their selection of delicacies in regard to allergies and dietary restrictions.

Thanks to Vision members Ava Maughan and Alexandra Elwell, the Senior Lounge was adorned with decorations and filled with music to illustrate the upcoming Halloween spirit. Balloons and banners were placed along the walls, perfectly coupled with the soft sounds of “spooky jazz” to bring out a festive atmosphere.

However, it is important to not stray from the focal point of this party, for the main purpose was not to win prizes or eat food, but to emphasize the message of “Submit to the Vision.” The submission of written works and photos is not only important to the development of the Vision’s annually published magazine but also presents the perfect opportunity for students to reveal their creativity and have it shown on a much larger scale. Such works would be enthusiastically accepted, and it is “very fun and exciting to hear from a variety of student voices,” said Brigid Moriarty. “What a great way to support the love of art and literature at Hackley!”