As The Phoenix enters its 40th volume at Townsend Harris, the magazine is looking for an expansion. After a period of fewer members, the club has expanded and brought in a wider range of creative voices. Newly announced editors in chief Oliver Kendt, Leo Klein, and Caroline Polec, all rising juniors, will be guiding this change.

Oliver, who helped bring many new members on board this year, said, “It had been a dwindling group of members for a while, but this year I got a lot of new creative people to join and by now we have a really nice talented community.” These new contributors include poets, photographers, traditional artists, and students interested in fashion and other creative fields. Aleksandra Orzechowski, who manages events and planning for The Phoenix, noted, “They have a strong passion for what they do and I respect them for that.” Aleksandra also praised the new editors’ ability to organize the club: “A strength I think they bring to The Phoenix is encouraging people to work more efficiently.”

Ms. Lipinski, faculty advisor to The Phoenix, said that one of the most important things the editors bring is their ability to work well with students across all grades. “We looked for editors who were dedicated members of the club and were passionate about supporting other students and expressing themselves creatively,” Ms. Lipinski said, adding that leadership in a club like this means creating an environment where everyone feels safe to share their ideas.

The renewed membership and leadership are part of a larger plan to reclaim the magazine’s place at Townsend Harris. “I was just inspired to, I guess, reclaim our former prestige,” Oliver said. He also shared ideas about expanding the magazine’s reach through collaborations with teachers, other clubs, and events such as competitions and festivals.  

Leo describes efforts to find new members as well: “Word of mouth as well as scouting out new members through classes, or asking teachers to recommend students to visit our meeting.”

Caroline highlighted a potential benefit of expanding the publication, saying that a larger staff would provide “more ideas [on how to improve the publication] from a wider group of people.”

Ms. Lipinski echoed that the editors should think beyond the publication itself: “My hope is for editors to feel inspired by new ideas for competitions that inspire creativity across the school.”

The club is also trying to balance past consistency with new ideas. “I believe that it’s important to leverage the dependability of dedicated members while also nurturing the talents of newer students,” Ms. Lipinski said.

Both Oliver and Leo want to include art forms that haven’t been featured much before. Oliver sees potential in fashion as a new section: “I think maybe a fashion section could be a cool new addition. I know people who do that as their art form and maybe just trying to include more forms of art.” He also hopes to see more traditional and unconventional art like collages. Leo said he agreed: “Fashion would be an amazing addition to The Phoenix, what better way to express art than to physically wear it on yourself or a muse. To my knowledge, fashion/outfits/cosplay has never been toyed with.”

Caroline said how she hopes to improve established staples within The Phoenix.  She said, “I would like to [produce] more creative zines and publications.” 

“I am most excited about letting the students explore whatever avenues are most enticing to them and supporting them in fulfilling those visions,” Ms. Lipinski said.

“I’m pretty scared about the fact I have to constantly be productive and also be in charge of others in the club, but I feel like with my other editors we can manage to complete everything there is needed very well,” Leo said.

Aleksandra has seen the team listen carefully to feedback, especially during planning for the year-end celebration. “ I was discussing the details for the end of year final party, and during that time they really listened to what I said and took into consideration my opinions and perspective,” she said.

“I want this club to be one of the ones Townsend is known for,” Leo said, “Everything we do is for the Phoenix as a whole. Each person matters. Each piece matters. That’s how we build something worth remembering.”