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In addition to the hinderances of creating a magazine during a typical year, we faced a lot of difficulties due to the pandemic. Navigating online learning and finding ways to communicate were among some of those obstacles. Luckily, we were able to collaborate via applications such as Word, Outlook, and OneNote. While this year has taken us students in a variety of directions, we are proud to have created this magazine despite our current circumstances and joined together on this massive project.
The theme for the Spark 2020-21 is to expose people to the endless paths life can take. In particular, we wanted to highlight a relevant figure in the US, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The entire team agreed she was inspirational, and her story was worth mentioning in this publication. Especially considering the yearning for social justice in the states, Justice Ginsburg seemed like the perfect fit to start off the magazine.
In addition to historical icons, ordinary citizens should not be overlooked; everybody has a story to tell. People from different cultures gain experiences and views on life that someone across the globe might have never considered. Therefore, we thought it only fitting to give our readers a glimpse in someone else’s customs and lifestyle. In the Culture section of the magazine, we focused on the Vietnam War and its effects on a regular citizen, the history of immigration in the US, insight on BTS' songs true meanings, and life on the Piticairn islands.
Through reading those pieces, the reader can see the changes one must go through to adapt to a new lifestyle. The pieces in the Growth section highlight this rebirth and hardening of the skin as children become adults, and decisions become more burdened with responsibility. We thought that the readers, who are mostly adolescents, could relate to the messages in these pieces and hopefully gain new perspective on childhood.
The influence of social media and the constant pressure from family and friends force us to question the thin line between reality and fantasy. Sometimes, we believe we live in a perfect world, but really, it is vital to note the imperfections in society. And sometimes, we wish to forget reality and move on to a whimsical, flaw-free way of life and not embrace the life we already have. The section Virtual vs. Reality includes a collection of pieces that highlight the unknowns of a perfect world.
Looking down at the world from a broader lens, different issues have clearly been appearing over the last few years, and they seem to be getting worse as time goes by. It seemed unreasonable not to address these various issues in our magazine, so we decided to create a whole section devoted to it. Just to name a few, this section includes the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the endemic issues of racism and global warming, and many other important topics.
World Issues can include many different things, but one of the most prominent ones is the lack of basic human rights for all citizens. This section includes topics of hate against certain groups of people as well as the benefits and detriments that each gender faces in society today. It is extremely important to respect the rights of fellow humans, so we decided to write about human rights to bring awareness to this issue.
Overall, this magazine was a pleasure to create, despite the challenges we faced while doing it. It required immense teamwork and dedication, but it really was worth all the effort. We hope that you enjoy reading this magazine as much as our staff did writing it!
-The Editors, Sowmya K. and Audrey N.