“One of the joys of teaching ELA is in getting to read what one of your students produced independently of you, but definitely influenced by your teaching (or so you hope). I am always amazed by the original artwork and writing that our students produce,” says Ms. Bull.
Ms. Bull says she loves it when a student asks her when the new copy of the magazine is coming out knowing that they will be overjoyed and proud to share their work with others.
Art Teacher, John Vandenbergh, joined the staff of Chance's Hand in 2018 and is currently the lead advisor for the magazine. To date, the circulation is at 40 magazines every month. The hope is that someday the staff will need 100 to cover demand.
“I have seen much growth academically with the students in the building through their writing and art work that we have published. They take pride in the fact that their work is published for others to see. Coming back from a year and a half of retirement was wonderful to pick up where I left off. I decided to do a monthly piece of writing too which got me on track with my own writing which I neglected years ago,” says Ms. Bull.
People often ask how the magazine got its title. While trying to decide what kind of artwork to put on the cover, a student saw an ink drawing of a hand by a student named Chance that he had titled, “Chance’s Hand.” As luck (or chance) would have it that very day, the class had been reading a book called “The Joy Luck Club” that dealt with fate, luck, and chance. The student said to Mrs. Bull, “I think we should name the magazine Chance’s Hand and use that ink drawing for the cover every month. We could change it to represent the different seasons.”
The team continued over the years to produce a monthly magazine that featured an original cover including the hand drawing, along with original writing, drawings and other works by our staff and students.
More photos may be seen on our Facebook Page.