A note from the Staff

Dear Readers,

I am Hannah Lewis, a high school English teacher here at PA Distance and the Bridging the Distance sponsor. I have had the privilege and honor to work with some wonderful young men and women to put together this beautiful collection of PA Distance students' work. The staff had some thoughts that they wanted to share with our readers. In addition to those who wrote notes below, many other staffers helped select pieces, promote our calls for submissions, and design the layout. It was truly a gift to work with such talented and thoughtful students.

To the Bridging the Distance staff, all I can say is thank you for all of the time and energy you dedicated to producing this publication. I learned every day from you, and I had a lot of fun, too!

-Ms. Lewis

"The meaning behind "Bridging the Distance: From the Viaduct of Life" is that life can sometimes be difficult, boring, sad, exhilarating, hilarious, or frustrating. However, whatever feeling you may be having, we want you to bridge the distance, go for the extraordinary, don't give up." -Joseph W.

"Lit mag is an awesome group, and I'm honored to have been a part of its inaugural staff. It's a privilege to know that my peers are willing to take a chance and submit their work for me and my fellow staff members to analyze and critique. When reading submitted works, I felt like I had been given a key to a window into the hearts and lives of my peers

I want this magazine to inspire creativity in our school and show that just because you are younger doesn't mean that you can't be published next to your older peers. [W]ith age and practice comes a better understanding of an art form. [Student writers], you are half way there already because YOU tried and took a chance.

The title symbolizes the nature of our school. We come from all over the state of Pennsylvania and we are bale to bridge these distances and make friends through this school. [For this year's subtitle], we wanted this issue to be special. A viaduct is like a bridge, but it carries water. Water symbolizes life, and we see slices of people's lives through their arts. It just felt right." -Cassidy T.

Happy Reading!