Magazine blends teenage talent

By Kate Tarasenko
Correspondent

Think you know what lurks deep in the heart and mind of the average teenager these days? Whether you're a parent or a DINK (double-income, no kids), the latest installment of Kaleidoscope is bound to surprise you. The artistry and talent swirling within the pages of the annual student-produced publication of Poudre High School is enough to make you reconsider a crotchety stereotype or two.

The 22nd incarnation of the award-winning Kaleidoscope was unveiled to Front Range literati of all ages at the Bean Cycle in Old Town on May 11. The packed house of young writers, artists and musicians, along with family, friends and faculty, came together for "Lyrics and Lemonade," Kaleidoscope's annual publication party, to celebrate their artistic expressions, both raw and refined.

The festivities were kicked off by the Antics, a hard-edged power quartet, made up of PHS students Justin Griffin, Zack Furste, Alex Kummerow and Davis Glasscock, who appear on a compilation CD of student bands, which was offered alongside the soft-cover book.

Fourteen cash prizes were presented, culled from 141 published pieces of poetry, short fiction, photography, 2-D and 3-D art.

"This year, we had 502 submissions of creative work," said Krista Brakhage, faculty advisor to the Kaleidoscope's student staff for the past four years, and teacher at PHS for the past six. The media specialist described her role as the "hub," as well as the chief fund-raiser and grant-writer. "I knew there was quite the tradition to live up to," she said about stepping into the role of adviser.

Indeed, Kaleidoscope has received top honors over the past seven years, including last year's first-place prize from the American Scholastic Press Association.

"The kids perform real-world tasks such as desktop publishing, advertising, editing and evaluating" submitted works, said Brakhage.

Originally begun as the culmination of a class called Writing for Publication, the 100-page magazine represents "a final product that is professional, beautiful and respectful of the authors and artists trusting Kaleidoscope to showcase their work."

"Krista's been a huge help," said co-editor and contributing writer Ranjana Unnithan. "She keeps us on track when we get distracted, and she makes sure that we don't feel overwhelmed."

Unnithan has been involved with Kaleidoscope as a staff member for the past three years. It has helped her not only appreciate other people's art, but to be critical of her own.

"My mom thought it would be kind of a cool thing to try," she said.

As co-editor, the graduating senior was charged with the heady responsibility of co-managing a staff of a dozen fellow student editor-producers. "I feel kind of uncomfortable being in a leadership role," said Unnithan, "so I tried to make sure that I was the one who organized and oversaw things."

The soft-spoken 16-year-old is as unassuming as her resume is impressive. A biology buff and musician (piano, violin and voice), Unnithan is gearing up for a pre-med curriculum at Colorado State University this fall following summer trips to visit family in India and Malaysia.

Kaleidoscope's other editor, Raisa Slutsky-Moore, is practically her counterpart's polar opposite, but they "have similar high ideals for the magazine," she said.

The brash Slutsky-Moore said that she takes a "perverse delight" in editing and critiquing other people's work, one of her primary duties over the past year. She said that her low output as a writer may seal her fate as a professional editor.

"It's a job I would love, because I have misgivings about relying on [writing] as my only way of supporting myself. But what I do write," she emphasized, "I take very seriously."

Proof of that came in the form of first- and third-place prizes for poetry, and first place for short fiction, awarded by CSU faculty and graduate students in blind submissions, so the names of the writers and artists were unknown to the judging panel. The 18-year-old regards the honors as merely "reassuring."

"I'd been feeling a little weird about my poetry, and I wasn't very sure whether it was that good or not," she said, adding that "it was embarrassing. I'm not the kind of person who can appreciate recognition that much."

The graduating senior will be apartment-hunting in August when she moves to Philadelphia for 10 months as a participant in City Year, an AmeriCorps program. She'll work with at-risk youth in a variety of mentoring situations and use her Spanish skills. After City Year, Slutsky-Moore is off to Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, probably majoring in English.

Funding for production is an ongoing concern for the magazine, but what Unnithan wants the students at PHS to know about Kaleidoscope "is that it exists. It's run entirely by students, and they have a place where they can have their voice. There's a lot of diversity of people at our school but, sometimes, not all kids are represented at the different activities, but Kaleidoscope gives them that opportunity."

"Kaleidoscope has been my way of getting to know a cool, intelligent, diverse group of interesting people," said Slutsky-Moore. "It's inspirational to have it in your hands, to say, 'Hey, I'm part of this!'"

Patrons can support and purchase Kaleidoscope for $7 by contacting Krista Brakhage at kmbrak@psdschools.org.