Mount Michael is always a great place to be, full of new opportunities to grow as a community and as an individual. From academics to extracurriculars, every day brings new adventures. In a very real way, that is the core of a new offering here that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of—a way to share your own unique talents with the school community. I introduce to you… Mount Michael’s new arts magazine, “The Outlet.”
What we’re doing is simple—building an outlet—well, “The Outlet”—from the ground up, where students, staff, monks, and almuni can share their creative work with the rest of the Mount Michael community. The Mount is certainly home to a wide variety of creative talent, and, by starting this magazine, we are creating opportunities to share that talent with others here.
I myself have an exciting opportunity to see this program unfold firsthand. From the first semblance of an idea, I’ve worked with many people here to see it come to fruition. This was a collaborative effort from the beginning—from refining our proposal to pitching it to Dr. Peters, we’ve been hard at work, and we aren’t done yet. It’s going to take some work to get this started, but who at the Mount is afraid of hard work?
“The Outlet” team is driven to create a safe space for the school community to share the talents of everyone that makes Mount Michael such a special place.
I, for one, am greatly excited by the prospect. This is something that I have wanted to see at Mount Michael for some time, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have a role in getting it started. Even as early in the project as we are, I commend everyone involved for the amazing work they’ve done so far. I have no doubt things will continue that way.
If you’ve never been part of a project like this, let me tell you how exciting it is. In the past, I have been blessed with the opportunity to publish in a variety of outlets, such as Creighton Prep’s “Ink, Inc.”—a publication comparable to our own. Submitting your work is exciting. Someone is going to see it, and hopefully they’ll like it and share it with others. Another benefit of seeing one’s work published is that it lends a certain legitimacy. Someone finally recognizes your genius! Sounds fun, right? It is—I promise.
Honestly, there’s so much more to a publication like “The Outlet” than the final product. One thing I’ve learned through my experiences working with similar publications is that what you see as complete is just the tip of the iceberg. It isn’t an exageration to say that taking part in something like this—whether as a contributor or behind the scenes—builds valuable skills that can serve one well in other disciplines. Communication, patience, professionalism…the list goes on. Being behind the scenes at “The Outlet” as I have been has given me a kind of magnified view of the well-oiled machine that a truly dedicated and passionate team is. Something about it is exhilarating in a very real way, and I encourage you to participate. Ask yourself, ”What’s the best that could happen?”
I am excited not only to be a part of “The Outlet’s” core team, but also to contribute. It’s publications like this that have allowed me to branch out in my creative endeavors, from prose to photography and even poetry. I for one am going to start polishing up my submission…but before I do that, I want to encourage you, yes, you personally, to bring out your best work and contribute as well. It will be worth your while.
For more information about “The Outlet” contact Mr. Elster or Ms. Robertson.
