Update of Graffiteen

My Two Rivers Magnet Middle School (TRMMS) writer's group is coming along swimmingly....

After my last post, I met with the ladies and we discussed production schedules and cost for printing. When the ladies discovered I would be paying for the printing out-of-pocket, they balked and stated we should do a fundraiser.

"Okay then," I said. "What kind of fundraiser do you have in mind?"
"Yo! A dance! We could hook it up! Charge $5 for regular people and charge $7 for VIP section," suggested Zoe.
"A VIP section? And what kind of treatment should these VIPs get?"
"Free food and a place to sit," answered Ariel. "Otherwise they gotta buy food at the door and they can't bring it in. If they act up, we get some bodyguards to throw them out."

So the plan was to hold two dances in April: one for the 6th graders, one for the 7th and 8th. But would the administration of TRMMS support such an endeavor? Using my powers of persuasion in the written form, I e-mailed the principal with my proposal and held my breath. Two days later my response came:

"I would love to assist in this endeavor…and I might be able to make this a bit easier for you…
Would you provide me with an estimate of the cost of printing the Grafiteen Magazine?...This type of request is exactly why I set aside such funds during the year! Let me know what amount of funding is necessary and I will try to help out. -Tom Scarice"

When I finished reading the message, my hands immediately went up in the air for a touchdown signal. When I told the ladies the good news, which included the school's support in a launch party to generate interest in the magazine, they vowed to get Mr. Scarice some sort of fruit basket.

In the interim, I took the group on a Saturday field trip to see, "Freedom Writers" with Hilary Swank (excellent movie. A real tear jerker). In two weeks we plan to go to the Wadsworth Atheneum for a tour I arranged with a docent so my group can get a better perspective of what art is all about and to use what they've seen to make Graffiteen aesthetically stunning!

Sadly, Ryan, my caucasian invasion, has dropped out of the group. To take his place is A. J. Texidor, knows by all as an excellent artist. I think he was a bit overwhelmed by all the giggling and carrying on in his first meeting but I think he'll adjust with no problems. His stepmother has offered to host our next meeting during school vacation.

I appointed positions at my last meeting and I'm glad I waited as long as I did so I could get a sense of who they were before I waived my magic wand. Graffiteen now has an Editor-in-Chief (me of course!), Managing Editor (Ariel), Editorial Assistant (Jacinta), Art Director (Daniella), Poetry Editor (Zoe), Circulation Editor (Sierra), and staff writers and artists. They can't believe that this project is actually going to happen and I think they are thrilled to be a part of something that will give them an opportunity not only to express themselves but to show the world what they're capable of achieving. When I told the ladies we wouldn't be meeting this week because their school has a half-day, they insisted on a meeting during school vacation. I had no idea how much they looked forward to our weekly meetings.

I better be careful. I'm growing quite fond of them.