Please click here to view the Art and Literary Magazine 2025 - Glowing (Inside Out).
The Isaac E. Young Middle School literary magazine has been recognized with the rank of “Excellent” by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in its 2024 NCTE Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) program.
Stacked up against 421 student magazines from middle and high schools and higher education institutions in 46 states and five countries, the magazine, titled “Inside Out Art and Literary Journal,” follows the theme “Find Your Passion.”
“The students chose this because it is this passion that drives us to be creative and responsive individuals in our ever-changing and tumultuous world,” the magazine states in its forward.” The forward goes on to explain, “In her poem titled, ‘A Muslim Woman’ our sixth grade poet, Rawan Abdelqader expresses the immense struggle to be seen and recognized, ‘... Ignored, disregarded, cast aside, As if she holds no value, no power, Yet within her heart, a fire still burns, A hope yet to be heard.’ Through their illuminating art and poetry, our students have illustrated their path toward identity and self-worth and found their individual voice and power that impacts the collective.”
Working with teachers Filomena Daniele and Isabel Santiago, 25 students in grades six, seven, and eight worked on the magazine, collating, editing, and designing the 32-page publication, which features the work of 14 student poets and 19 artists.
This is the second time the school has entered REALM, last year placing fourth in the category Distinguished.
"It allows us to have fun and to share our creativity, and to be in a safe place to talk about our inner feelings. I feel accomplished especially when I look back at what we did as a group." Natalie Martinez, creative editor.
"It means a lot to communicate with the club members and be able to spread our ideas throughout the school community,” said the magazine’s editor, Rawan Abdelqader. “What I get out of working on the magazine is being able to express myself through not only art but also poetry."
“The unwavering dedication of Filomena Daniele and Ms. Isabel Santiago to the young writers and artists of the literary magazine has made this distinction possible two years in a row!” said Dr. Beatrice Lopez, Humanities Department Chair. “This award celebrates the creativity, innovation, and artistic collaboration that is cultivated in our learning community, as well as, our exceptionally talented students and teachers.”