Perspectives, a literary and visual arts magazine at Convent of the Sacred Heart, is setting its eyes on new targets for its upcoming fifty ninth annual publication. 
The Perspectives committee will strive this year for the magazine to achieve greater visibility in the school and increased readership. In turn, the magazine will accumulate higher demonstrated interest and evoke appreciation for the arts throughout the campus.
This year, Perspectives Editors in Chief, seniors Christina Weiler and Ava Vanech, aspire to attract more membership, especially from underclassmen. They are always looking to recruit students to be involved in the production of Perspectives.
“I think I speak for all of the members of Perspectives when I say that one of our main goals this year is to have students truly take the initiative in submitting their work and to feel passionate about it because they want to take advantage of the opportunity to have their work published,” Sacred Heart senior and Perspectives Arts editor Kate Gerstner said.

The staff will also advertise the magazine through social media. Platforms like VSCO will allow the Perspectives team to post previews of accepted artwork and writing. Promoting student work could potentially boost the magazine’s overall visibility. 
“The magazine hopes to become more sustainable so that [students are] growing with the magazine, and we don’t feel like we’re starting with a new staff each year,” Upper School English teacher and Perspectives Moderator Dr. Baptista said.
Dr. Baptista hopes to help fund the magazine by selling paperback copies of the magazine in the school bookstore to add fiscal value to the effort the participants have put into it. This change is intended to increase the prevalence and demand for Perspectives. 
By achieving these goals, Perspectives will allow the arts to take on a more significant presence within the school by showcasing the range of abilities of the students at Sacred Heart. 
The staff members, writers, and artists dedicate their time and talents through most of the school year to produce this magazine. As a result, Perspectives continues to receive notable awards. In 2015, Perspectives received the Rank of Superior from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Program, which recognizes excellence in student literary magazines. In past years, students have earned awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) in Nonfiction, Humor Writing, and Multi-Page Presentation.
Sacred Heart students are proud of the magazine’s accomplishments and cultivation of creative expression. The library is currently showcasing a display of fifteen volumes of the magazine spanning from 2000 to 2016 in the library. This display of academic and artistic work further integrates the arts into Sacred Heart, allowing students to read the magazine as they enter and exit the library.

 
Sixteen volumes of the magazine, spanning from 2000 to 2016, that are displayed in the Upper School library.
“The display shows evolution of the books to encourage kids and teachers to submit student work,” Upper School photography teacher and director of visual arts in Perspectives Mrs. Kev Filmore said.
– Nina Rosenblum, Staff Writer