With so many social media outlets available, students can regularly express themselves or display their writing ability for the world to see.
However, there is still something special about being published in print. It typically takes extraordinary talent and effort to have a written work make it to a layout and published in print.
Four Wilbraham & Monson Academy students earned that rare and special reward last week when it was announced they had writing pieces selected for the fourth annual Massachusetts High School Magazine of the Arts.
Emma Kindblom '17, Emily Dromgold '17, Jiaming "Martin" Mao '17 and Celina Rivernider '19 will be published in the 2017 spring issue of the statewide magazine. The four students have also been invited to attend a gala at the University of Massachusetts at Boston May 21, where their work will be on exhibited.
For all four students, it was the first time they were selected for a non-WMA publication.
Emma's "Ode To A Quaking Aspen Tree" was for a Creative Writing assignment. In general, she chose a familiar topic for her. Specifically, though, she found motivation in something she's often overlooked.
"A lot of my inspiration for poetry stems from my family's place in Maine," Emma described. "By the lake, there are two quaking aspen trees. I had previously written about the water and the meaning behind the camp for me. I was thinking what else is there to notice and take appreciation from.
"My dad talks a lot about the trees because of the way they look and sound."
In "I Won't Forget," a memoir assignment a year ago for AP Language, Emily discussed the situation with her former baby sitter, an older lady who has since developed Alzheimer's.
"I discussed how we would play different games when I was little and how she would inspire and encourage my creativity," Emily explained. "She was such an important person in my life and it impacted me when she lost those memories. She lost those memories of when I was little.
"Our experiences carried so much weight for me and it was painful to know she can't remember those memories anymore. But I know that the love I have for her and she has for me is still there. The whole point was that I won't forget what we did together and what was important for our relationship and the perpetuation of our love for one another."
Also for an AP Language assignment, a photograph from his youth sparked memories for Martin in his "The Knot That Binds."
"We had to chose an older picture and write about it," Martin recalled. "I remembered this picture of me dressing up for a formal dinner. Then all the memories of enjoying my time with my parents (in China), traveling with them - all those memories came back to me and I really wanted to write about it."
Similar to Emily, Celina found her inspiration from a loved one, writing about the death of her grandfather for a personal memoir titled "Love Is Not Gone." The assignment was for English 9. She edited the piece for the contest, shifting more toward her feelings than the actual event.
"In my revision, I focused more on the emotions of it," said Celina, who was also selected to attend the prestigious New England Young Writers' Conference in May. "The first time I wrote it, it was more a recounting of the events. But this time I focused on the emotions and conveyed how I felt."