PHS club eager for new members

#MIDDLEBURY #PHS

By MARISSA MATOZZO

PHS students are needed to work on this year’s copy of Abraxas, a collection of creative works by students.

Abraxas, a Pomperaug High School (PHS) club, centers around the annual publication of Pomperaug’s literary magazine. The club is looking for PHS students who would like to be part of this process.

“Art and writing have always deeply interested me,” said Pomperaug High School (PHS) senior Carsen Godfrey, “I love this club because we get to review submissions from Pomperaug’s very own artists and writers.”

“The editors who join the club collectively vote to decide whether a piece of art or writing is published in the magazine at the end of the year,” said James Randall, an English teacher at PHS who is the teacher adviser for Abraxas.

“The most important aspect is that I remove the artist or writer’s name from the work when it is reviewed so that the students only analyze the piece and not who created it,” said Randall.

The students meet every Tuesday from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. in the school’s library media center conference room. “At the end of the school year, I gather the work the students voted to publish in the magazine.” It is then that the artist or writer’s name is published along with their work.

“Our goal is to analyze literature and art and encourage students to submit their creative ideas and work,” said Godfrey, “All artistic and literary works are welcome for submission including poems, short stories, drawings, sketches, and photography.”

The earliest edition of the magazine dates back to the 1980 school year when it was known as “Telos.” The name Abraxas was derived from a literary favorite, “Demian” by Hermann Hesse.

PHS students interested in joining Abraxas can contact Mr. Randall, Godfrey or senior editor Marissa Matozzo.