The high school literary magazine Ursus has been nationally recognized as a REALM First Class magazine, the contest’s highest honor, by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) for their January 2024 publication. This year, schools in 46 states and five countries nominated 422 student magazines. 125 magazines were awarded REALM First Class, with Ursus being awarded the distinction of placing in this elite category.

Under the direction of former advisors Kayla Corvino and Rob LoAlbo, this issue was a labor of love for all those involved. With COVID having been such a significant event for so many of the club’s participants, and having been a hindrance for past publication, the club wanted to honor those whose work was never put into print. So, to debut back the publication, the students decided to put together a “pandemic issue” which brought alumni pieces together with current students, thus bridging the created gap. Filled with poetry, prose, and artwork, this issue spotlighted the best skills the students offered, under the guidance of graduated student editor-in-chief Sloane Duys.

Read the magazine here!

Yet the biggest change for this issue was the way that the magazine was distributed. In the past, Ursus has always been purchased by the students, thus limiting its exposure. Last year, the student editorial staff and faculty advisors wanted to bring student work to everyone, so the magazine became a free insert in the mid-year edition of the award-winning Bear Facts newspaper. As a result, each and every student, along with last year’s 8th graders and the Brewster community (at newspaper distribution spots), received their own physical copy. This distribution model made it the most widely read issue yet, achieving a goal of both the students and advisors Mrs. Corvino and Mr. LoAlbo.

It is for these reasons that Ursus received this recognition from NCTE’s REALM program, which nationally recognizes excellent literary magazines produced by students with the support of their teachers. (The framed certificate and magazine will soon hang in the front hallway of the school.) REALM is designed to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines that celebrate the art and craft of writing, a description that REALM’s judges felt applied to this issue. Mr. LoAlbo and Mrs. Corvino are incredibly proud of what these students accomplished, not only with the publication of such a significant issue but also with the achievement of this award.