Columbia awards gold medal to VTHS literary journal

VERNON-The 2003 edition of "The Back Porch Review," the literary journal published annually by Vernon Township High School, recently earned several prestigious awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, including the coveted Gold Medal. The book also won two All-Columbian awards in Content and Design and a First Place Award with Special Merit from the American Scholastic Press Association. Last year's theme was "Blood," directing its poetry and art toward the idea of "blood as the river of life." Each year the staff of the journal, under the guidance of teacher/advisor Ms. Marjorie Huhn, brainstorms a variety of unusual ideas on the theme which, in turn, determines the theme for the poetry, prose and art. The theme selected for the 2004 edition, recently published, is "Phobias." Joe Pisco, this year's editor-in-chief, said that earning medals should be a secondary goal for the staff of the BPR. "The real goal is to inspire the staff to be its most creative, and for the experience of producing the book to be one that is educationally and artistically rewarding." To add a new dimension, this year's edition features a CD bearing several musical compositions that Prisco created, produced and recorded with the VTHS String Quartet.