MIHS Pegasus Creative Arts Magazine Receives Three Marks of Distinction

MIHS Pegasus students Tiger Yang, Liam Chester, Ava Clarkson, Sophia Rodriguez, Layla Petricek, Finneas Dole, Kiah Weaver

Mercer Island, WA, February 4, 2025 – The 2023-24 edition of Pegasus, Mercer Island High School’s creative arts magazine, has earned a First Class ranking with three marks of distinction for their content, editing, and artistic quality from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA).

“I am so proud of the staff,” said MIHS English teacher Carrie Thompson. “I want to tell you that the staff last year took a huge risk with the design of the magazine, and the judge was deeply impressed with the content and quality of the work.”

Thompson’s favorite quote from the NSPA just was: "I enjoyed evaluating this volume. It was never boring. Bravo to the staff on a job well done."

Read 2023-24 Pegasus Print Edition

Pegasus students and staff were also waiting with anticipation for the results of this year's National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) evaluation of Pegasus. On February 12, they heard that the magazine received a rating of First Class, the highest level awarded by NCTE. 

This year, schools in 46 states and five countries nominated 422 student magazines. Magazines from middle school, high school, and higher education were welcomed for the 2024 contest. 125 magazines were awarded the contest’s highest distinction, REALM First Class.

The REALM program publicly recognizes excellent literary magazines produced by students with the support of their teachers. REALM is designed to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines that celebrate the art and craft of writing. Schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, US territories, Canada, and American schools abroad are eligible to nominate magazines. 

Pegasus is a product of a collaboration between the Writing and Publishing class and a club that meets after school - with some overlap in students.

“My students are deeply committed to providing an outlet for publishing both visual and written creative arts at MIHS. It is a true testament to the creativity of my staff - and of the student work they select for publication -  that they are being consistently recognized for the excellence of the work,” said Thompson.

“I want to call out Liam Chester, a senior this year and our three-year editor-in-chief of the publication, for his incredible work in leading the staff. This magazine is a labor of love for him, and it has been a rare treat for me as a teacher to see his development as a writer and a leader. I am so grateful for the day Liam walked into my classroom to take creative writing,” continued Thompson.

Liam Chester expressed "I'd like to thank the incredible amount of support for both the class and club provided by staff and administration which has been instrumental in allowing us to provide a voice to students across the high school. We look forward to what the future holds for the magazine, the class, and the community!"