Club Spotlight: A Page Flip Into the Literary Magazine Club

Seen this poster with little green guys on it around the school?

These quirky little posters belong to the Literary Magazine Club, which is now accepting submissions for the third volume of the Revolution magazine, set to release in 2026. 

Described by the current chief editors, Victoria Z. and Vivian N. as “a great opportunity for creative students to get their name out there”, the Literary Magazine has been booming with success in the past two years. It’s a celebration of the writers and artists and all creatives at North Quincy, and has been making its rounds for two years now. In 2024, the Literary Magazine won the Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) award from the NCTE and was also awarded a first-place distinction for the 2023-2024 school year by the American Scholastic Association.

How and why has the magazine been so successful within the last two years? The answer behind this is lesser known.

According to the club advisor, Mrs. Daversa, “The Literary Magazine has actually existed for quite some time at North Quincy, but there have been pauses at different times.” The magazine itself has been around since the 1960s, but was paused in 2018 due to “unknown reasons”.

But thankfully, in 2023, then-sophomores Michelle C. and Livia N. had an idea— what if they revived it?

“Livia and I were inspired to create a new club at NQHS, specifically the Literary Magazine club, because we saw how the Literary Magazine blossomed at our middle school,” recalls former chief editor Michelle C. “Moreover, we wanted to create an outlet where students could express themselves through art, writing, photography, and more.”

“We then went to Mr. Jorgenson, who was originally going to be our advisor, but then he suggested for Ms. Daversa to be our advisor,” former chief editor Livia N. confirms. 

In January of 2024, the Literary Magazine was finally brought back to life.

Since then, things have been going smoothly. The club is run by its board, consisting of the two co-chief editors, the web operations manager, the media engagement coordinator, and Mrs. Daversa, their advisor. The web operations manager is responsible for maintaining the club’s online presence, and the media engagement coordinator runs the @nqhs.literarymagazine Instagram page.

Mrs. Daversa says that “The magazine wouldn’t be what it is without the brilliant leadership of our chief editors.” The two co-chief editors oversee all that makes the club function, including supervision of the other board members and organization and planning for the club. Due to how strong and impressive their leadership skills were, I sat down with both of the current chief editors, Victoria Z. and Vivian N., for an interview to gain insight into the inner workings of the club.

“I first saw the club at the club fair, and I really thought it was interesting as I love looking through magazines and I love photos, writing, and artwork…” Victoria reminisces. 

“I agree with that. I really like art and writing. But I also had a literary magazine at my middle school, and I was part of that for two years,” Vivian adds on.

“The magazine showcases the student’s effort and hard work in their talent,” Victoria says.

“It’s also a great opportunity for students to get their name out there and show off their work,” Vivian continued. 

The magazine is currently accepting student submissions until the deadline, January 12. This year, Revolution does not have a theme. Mrs. Daversa advises students to pick pieces that reflect their best work, and as long as your writing or artwork is original and school-appropriate, it’s a good idea to submit it! 

“We are a group of passionate writers, poets, artists, and photographers who want to share our work with the Quincy community! If you are even a tiny bit curious about creative writing, art and photography, or what it’s like to design a publication, come to a meeting. We are always looking for new members and new perspectives. If you would like to see magazines from prior years, don’t hesitate to stop by Room 219,” Mrs. Daversa says. 

If you’re interested in joining, the chief editors suggest that you should join the Literary Magazine Google Classroom through the code frs3hpo and follow their Instagram page @nqhs.literarymagazine and contact Mrs. Daversa with any questions!

By: Nico J

Drama @ NQHS

By: KK M

Over the past weekend, the North Quincy drama club performed their annual Fall play; this year it was an adaptation of George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm. There was a great turn out for each show. North Quincy dean and the play’s director Ms. Santos shared with the audience before the closing show that the play had actually been the highest attended production by the NQ drama club in years. Though I was not apart of the cast, I am a member of the club, so on all three days, I helped with selling tickets and concessions, and I got to talk to the club’s president Leo Nguyen and director Ms. Santos about their feelings on the controversial story, and how they approached the production to communicate the fable’s perennial message. 

If you didn’t have the chance to catch the show or have not read the book, here’s a brief overview. The story follows animals who live on a farm owned by the farmer Jones, who to them is a drunken, tyrannical and unfair lord over them. The solution to this poor treatment? Overthrow Jones and create a completely equal society under the leadership of anti-human pigs. There would be basic, morally driven laws to guide the community, and the principle that everyone is equal and should act with the intentions of benefitting society. If this is sounding familiar, it’s because Animal Farm is an allegory for the Soviet Union. It details the commencement of the Russian Revolution, the adoption of Communism under the guise of Marx’s doctrine, and the rapid descent back into a corrupt society, the inequality between the common people and the ruling class worsened further. Orwell’s fable turned 80 this year and many of the lessons that he communicated have not yet faltered in their pertinence. 

Leo Nguyen expressed similar sentiments to this fact. He explained that when it was first written, it was a social commentary, but it is still relevant today. The abuse of power to exploit the masses of the working class for the gain of the minority ruling class is occurring at present in the same intensity it always has. Nguyen shared that it was “such an honor to perform” the show because it has so much to say for all audiences of today. “As teenagers and young adults, it’s important that we are made aware of the state of the world so that we can improve upon it, and the show is a great way to spread awareness.”

Ms. Santos explained that doing an adaptation of the story has always been a goal of hers: “The message of ‘all animals are equal [but some are more equal than others]’ really spoke to me when I first read this book ten years ago.” The message she talks of is an essential part of the story. At the beginning, it is simply “all animals are equal” but as it progresses, the second half of the phrase is secretly added by the pigs in power. It represents the manipulation of the truth by a corrupt government, and the paradoxical statement itself demonstrates the more apparent message of the hypocrisy and unfairness by tyrants who claim equality among all people. When choosing the play, Ms. Santos “always want[s] to make sure it’s easily consumable.” Of course, the message and real story behind Animal Farm is heavy but because it is through animals, it makes it less difficult to process. This is another reason why Orwell’s fable is so incisive: it communicates an essential truth in a comprehensible way so that people of many ages and backgrounds can understand and learn to detect tyranny and corruption, even at its earliest stages. 

Introducing: the QNQ Band & Colorguard

Club Fair at North Quincy HS

Meet the Clubs of 2025-2026!

Why Should I Join This Club?

There are many clubs, but not all students can join all the clubs available. Check out what other students have to say about their clubs!

Debate Club: “Debate helps normalize people’s different opinions without seeing each other as enemies for having different views. (...) Speech is about advocacy and expressing what is important to you,” - Luiza B.

Interior Design Club: “[We] provide a relaxing space for students to work on mini house models and hang out with friends. (...) Building the models can provide fun stress relief to students, help with hand coordination, patience, and overall improve their mindset. Once finished, students get to bring home a little keepsake of the club and their hard work!” - Sarah L.

Badminton Club: “Our club is free and welcoming, no experience needed! You can join tournaments or just play with your friends for fun!” - Carol Z.

Neuroscience Club: “[We] aim to educate students on topics related to the brain and fundraise for foundations that support brain research. It allows for a niche community to be built around this specific content, and for students who are interested in neuroscience to share their ideas,” - Tiffany Z.

NQHS Club Fair

By: Ana G

The club fair at NQHS was on September 23rd during all four lunches! There was a whole variety of different clubs being displayed. Our school offers a wide range of clubs like drama, debate, chess club, diversity club, body positivity club, and a lot more! Each club has unique activities so there is definitely something that will spark your passion. Joining a club helps you develop social skills and leadership skills. The club fair was held to showcase all these different clubs they have here at NQHS, recruit members, and build a community. With colorful and creative booths and enthusiastic club leaders, the event offered a perfect chance for students to discover new interests and meet new people. If you missed the fair, don’t worry because most clubs are still welcoming new members! Joining a club is about finding your community. Get involved. You never know where it might lead!