Lantern, a club dedicated to showcasing students’ artistic talents, is online! Found on the Wayne Hills website, the website acts as a virtual copy of the magazine that comes out every marking period. 

Students in the club show off their poetry, short stories, and photography by submitting work to an editor, or to the teacher advisor. Submissions follow a theme set for the specific issue. During club meetings, students share their work, and receive constructive feedback from other members. 

“I like being a part of this club because it’s so welcoming, and it’s a safe place that anyone can be a part of. There are no commitments, and you can come whenever you like,” said Junior editor Gianna Montalbano.

Like most things in school, Lantern was affected by COVID. Since members could not meet in-person or distribute a paper copy of the magazine, the club decided to distribute it a different way. Lantern met through Google Meets, and relied on the help of English teachers to post the pdf on Google Classroom. This would ensure that all students would be able to see the club members’ hard work at the end of each marking period.

However, there was the question of format this year. Though everyone was back in-person, it was still difficult to make sure that there would be no sudden quarantines or school cancellations.

“In the era of COVID, Lantern had to adapt to keep up with the times. Initially, the switch to an online format was based on necessity, but over time the restructuring proved helpful long-term. This year, instead of its usual four print editions, Lantern has decided to post its content online, with one final print at the end of the school year,” said editor Maya Lozea.

This means that the website will be periodically updated as new work from students enters, but there will be no official issues until the end of the year. Students are given more freedom when they want to submit pieces. “The new online format has helped make Lantern more accessible with regard to both submission and consumption of its content,” continued Maya.

The club is currently open to submissions from students. They can contact Mr. Summers, or the editors.