Fall 2005 PDF - Milton Academy

Campus PublicationsJ ackie Vines and Elise Lockamy explainthat other Milton student magazines aremore about styles of writing or technicalmastery. Their literary journal, Aché, ismore “autobiographical,” Jackie says. Theyhave expanded Aché’s mission and openedits pages to thoughts about the culturaland spiritual concerns that Milton studentsexperience, with an eye toward generatingdialogue in the community.Aché is a Yoruba word meaning power—not in the general sense but power thatbinds and connects. The magazine waslaunched in 1993 as a forum for all studentsto discuss experiences and ideasrelating to people of color throughout theworld. In 2005, Jackie, Elise and an editorialboard of six students, published a revitalizedAché that holds true to its originalmission but also includes aspects of identityand culture that are often misrepresentedor underrepresented. The editorsexplain that today’s Aché may includeideas about the female or male experience,religious experience, or family and culturalroots.Jackie Vines and Elise Lockamy, Class of 2005, co-editors of AchéThe editorial board this year included anacknowledged student “expert” in creativewriting, Morgan Love ’05, and one in visualart, Randy Ryan ’05, to help chooseamong submissions, and refine the workfor publication. Artwork included paintings,drawings, photography and prints.Writing ranged from a hip-hop poem, toan essay arguing against the majority fashionstyles, to a poem about growing upAsian in Boston, to a chapel talk urgingstudents to “Trust Yourself” and believe inGod. Jackie and Elise have worked to setup an infrastructure for Aché’s future aswell. They have secured a budget commitment,and named the next editors and editorialboard. Aché is a fresh and welcomevoice among many student expressions.“Our aim is that students become comfortableenough about who they are andwhat’s important in their lives to writeabout that,” says Elise. The girls embarkedon a “marketing” effort to make studentsaware of the “new” identity of Aché and toeliminate any intimidation they may feelabout submitting writing. They held awriting party—with incentives to comethat included clips of movies and culturallyinteresting snacks. Their idea was tocatch students on the way to dinner, getthem to relax, to start thinking, to shareand, ultimately, to write. Many did, andsome of the writing is featured in the latestAché.Aché:The Power that Binds and Connects32 Milton Magazine