Everyone knows the right and left sides of the brain -- a group of students at John Barsby Community School have searched for the 'wrong' side of the brain.
A group of young writers have created their own magazine Messages from the Wrong Side of the Brain a collection of essays, short stories, poetry and artwork by Barsby students. The students wanted an edgy, 'unpolished' look to the magazine-- which matches the style of the writing and the timely topics covered by the high school writers. Editors Grade 12 students Julie Lennert and Alexis Meservia, did some of the writing, picking the submissions, designed the magazine and chose artwork to go with the articles.
"I thought it was a great idea to put together some amazing work by young people, that really needs to be heard," Meservia said. "By publishing people who have never been published, that's an accomplishment in itself."
Lennert said another reason they wanted to do the magazine was to allow people to see past the reputation John Barsby School has in the community.
"It (the school) is so frowned upon by so many people . . . it's not like what people think, it's a really nice school and doing things like this helps to prove to the community that its a good place to be," she said. "It's a healthy learning environment."
Issues covered in the magazine include a personal story by Lennert about a family member who died in a drunk driving accident, the death of a loved pet, graffiti artists and others.
The editors also learned the business side of publishing when they shopped for stores to carry the magazine. They started in March, meeting once a week, then working after school a couple of nights a week. While it was a lot of work, both say it was worth it.
"I was so proud when I saw it for the first time," Lennert said.
English teacher Ken McLaughlin, said the magazine is something he always wanted to do and was proud to see his students take on the initiative.
"When I looked at the group I had this year and the writing that was coming in, I knew I had the core of the magazine there," he said.
McLaughlin said he'd like to continue the magazine with his students next year.
Messages From the Wrong Side of the Brain is available at Falconer's Books and at the school.