2021 is off to a great start for middle school students with the creation of their up-and-coming literary journal: O.W.L.S! On Tuesday, January 5th, Ms. Scott’s Creative Writing optional class celebrated the publication of the journal’s first issue. Students in this class have been working all semester to develop their writing skills. This took place through workshop-style classes, where students would share an original story and receive feedback from their classmates, as well as lessons on story elements such as conflict and dialogue.

During the last two months, students began to work together to design the journal that would eventually publish their workshopped stories. They submitted suggestions for the journal’s name and then voted on the favorite option: O.W.L.S. (which stands for “Oh, We Learn & Share!). Students then worked to create artwork for both the cover—designed by Letitia Lai—and to fill the pages within the journal. Once the final drafts were formatted and printed, all that was left to do was celebrate the end of a successful semester and read their now-published stories!

(Written by Jessica Scott Translated by Wang Yizhao Pictures by Jessica Scott)