Staff Reports
Just in time for graduation, the spring/summer issue of Calliope, BHS’s magazine of student writing and artwork, is printed and packed with poetry, paintings, photography, and other artwork. Get your own copy from Mr. Matthiessen in room F14 for just $1.
The magazine editors once again selected the contents of this issue from among many contributions.
“It’s a pretty entertaining experience when it comes to being together as a club, and that’s something that I really value,” said Contributing Editor Gabby Silva. “It’s also funny in a good way whenever we get to see the work of other students!”
The issue opens with a splash of summer color: the front cover features an eye-catching collage that senior Dre Hart created for his Graphic Design class — a mock advertisement for Arizona Green Tea.
“I assigned students to make an imaginative and effective advertisement for a product of their choice,” said Graphic Design Teacher Magdalena Fin. “The idea was to create a design that would not only get the viewers’ attention, but really draw them into this world that the design created.”
Another mock ad by junior Grayson Mills appears on page 7.
Inside, the magazine features a variety of writing and artwork by members of the class of 2025, including poems by Shelby Burnham, Morgan Hackley, Mostafa Kafal, Nneoma Obi, and Ben Vitale. Also featured are several pieces of artwork each by Kristine Do, Lilly Geddes, and Noelle Novaco.
Kristine Do, a regular contributor to Calliope all four years at BHS, displays her versatility in this issue with works in a variety of media, including photography, collage, and pencil drawing. Kristine will attend the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City next year.
The issue also includes artwork and writing by students Joey Arcangelo, Finn Poronteau, Gabby Silva, Stacia Comen, Tasia Emmons, Zander Solano, and several anonymous contributors. The writing in this issue is predominantly poetry, including several sonnets by seniors in Mr. Matthiessen’s AP/ECE English Literature class.
“No one thanks me for assigning sonnets — they’re very demanding,” Matthiessen said. “The value of sonnet writing is that it forces you to keep thinking about different words and ways to express an idea, because your first idea almost never fits the sonnet structure. It’s meant to build a habit that I hope carries over into other kinds of writing.”
The issue closes with an unforgettably exuberant collage by junior Stacia Comen that includes a mysterious but important date. Stacia’s collage also includes an unmysterious but important summer message to BHS students from the Calliope club advisor: READ!
Other Calliope staff include Editor in Chief Noah Fischer, Xavier Geissler, Madison Patton, Estelle Pechkis, Makenzie Petrillo, and Maliajah Taylor.
If you’d like to contribute to Calliope or join the club, keep an eye out for meeting times and deadlines next fall, talk to a current staff member or Mr. Matthiessen, or join the club’s Google Classroom with code j7v5c2l.
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