Student and Teacher Editor Messages

If we look back on this time, many people will remember different images and experiences. These include Zoom meetings, masks, binge watching, social distance, and uncertainty for the future. However, if we look at this time from a different perspective, we will see something else, something far more important, and maybe one of the most important things we can do in our lives.

We have had time to sit down alone with our thoughts, often listening to music or in nature, and this is what I believe is the most important thing we can take away from this time. Why? When we think and reflect alone, we learn lessons. These lessons carry through our lives, and will change us to become better individuals. We learn what is important. We learn about ourselves. We grow stronger, and when we cultimate all of these lessons, we can realize how to achieve happiness. Although some days are uncertain and darker than others, what we learn about ourselves and life through thoughts and reflection can be indispensable in achieving happiness.

How does this relate to The Prism? Well, we are storytellers, artists, and poets. We share creativity, inventiveness, imagination, and new ideas on life. I can’t express how thankful I am to be sharing this issue, but I also want to thank the contributors to this magazine, as well as Mr. Henderson for all of his assistance and hard work that he has done for The Prism.

Anyone can contribute, and in the future don’t hesitate to submit. We are grateful for the people who contribute, read, and support the publication and growth of this magazine.

Michael Greene

Student Editor, The Prism

We are living in a changed world. What we knew, what we thought, what we expected all came to an abrupt and dramatic conclusion on the evening of March 12th, 2020. As we stumbled through those first early days, half-blindfolded by a deluge of news, expectations, fears, and anxieties, we could not have known the widespread change that would engulf us. Our work changed; our school changed; our hobbies and our leisure changed. We receive our haircuts from family now. Masks are a fundamental part of our daily wear. All these things have become routine.

Routine should be what publishing a Literary Magazine is. We meet, we submit stories, we compile them, and we print a copy. What do we do when those doors close? We look to the one that is still open — sharing stories. We communicate now by means of technology that has largely been forgotten. Letter writing is seeing a resurgence. Emails are becoming more…personal? Personable? The written language has never been more important.

To that end, we are offering our 2020 issue of The Prism for free as a pdf via email. We want to share with you some stories. At this time, that might be one of the most worthwhile things we can do. When we reopen, when things get back to the “new normal”, we may reach out for support but today, we are just sharing our stories.

At the same time, I encourage you to share your stories with us. This issue could not have been done without the fine work of your student editor, Michael Greene. Share your stories with him for inclusion into future issues. His email address is mgreene22@hanoverstudents.org and he would love to hear from you.

I close off my daily messages to students encouraging them to be safe; I do the same now. Enjoy the stories we have put together as much as I have reading them.

Teacher Editor, The Prism