Each year, students at Flint Hill have the opportunity to submit photography, poetry, essays, short stories, and art to “The Rough Draft,” the school’s literary magazine. Last spring’s edition of “The Rough Draft” received recognition from the National Scholastic Press Association and was awarded the honor rating of First Class with Two Marks of Distinction. 

The National Scholastic Press Association is composed of student journalists and scholastic journalism advisers, with over 1,350 members nationwide. “The Rough Draft” was awarded for its “content, photography, art, and graphics.” 

The magazine is headed by Upper School English teacher Ms. Christine Allred. “I’m proud of our student editorial team!” remarks Ms. Allred in an Instagram post detailing the award.

The magazine’s crew is mostly student-led, and any husky can submit a piece of original work (although not all are published). The 2020-2021 publication was the 20th volume of the literary magazine and was presented in three acts meant to reflect the sentiments “of a time period that will shape a generation.” The publication consisted of 165 pages of student writing accompanied by visual media.

This is not the first time “The Rough Draft” has received commendation from outside Flint Hill; the magazine was awarded by the National Scholastic Press Association in 2015 with the honor rating of First Class with Three Marks of Distinction. The 2021 edition has also been nominated for the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s High School Print Literary Magazine Crown Award. Crown Awards are given for “overall excellence” in student publications. 

“It’s important for the arts to be recognized, and it’s important for students to have this method of self-expression,” notes Abby Lyons, a junior whose essay “The Roots of my Identity” was featured in the 2021 magazine. “The Rough Draft” is a significant component of the arts at Flint Hill, and contributors to the magazine’s 20th edition are glad to see their work recognized.