MKA Selected as Major Contributor to New Diversity Magazine
Together with the Horace Mann School in New York and the Convent of the Sacred Heart School in Greenwich, CT, The Montclair Kimberley Academy is one of three independent schools selected to provide student journalists for a new print and online publication entitled Diversity Prep.
This quarterly teen lifestyle magazine, whose mission is to "Recognize and celebrate multiculturalism in the academic and social lives of teens and give voice to their teachers, school administrators and parents" covers issues of diversity both on and off campus and will be distributed to 374 prep schools in the tri-state area.
MKA's contributors are junior Emeka Uwakaneme and sophomores Serena Dunbar, Olutola Ebunlomo, Zoe Ferguson, Sarah Finn, Emma Montoya, Katy Nolan and Jeff Smith. At a special meeting, held over the summer with the Diversity Prep management team (publisher Dion Clark, editor Milford Pruitt and co-editor Cheryl McCants, MKA Class of 1982 and a member of the MKA Alumni Council,) the students were encouraged to pursue their passions when writing copy.
For the inaugural fall digital issue, Emma and Sarah wrote about their involvement in community service and volunteerism at BluewaveNJ, Serena wrote about time spent on Facebook, Zoe and Jeff wrote about their respective summer experiences at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and Montclair State University's Summer Program, and Olutola and Emeka wrote book reviews. In addition, MKA's Upper School Diversity Coordinator and English teacher Ellen Ferguson provides the lead article for the inaugural issue, "Creative School Leaders Take Different Routes but One Road to Academic Diversity" based on her interviews with the three heads of the participating schools, including MKA's own Tom Nammack.
Ferguson, who also acts as advisor to MKA's Diversity Prep student journalists, is extremely proud of their efforts. "It is always exciting to see one's work in print," she notes, "and our students really rose to the challenge that was presented to them and conveyed MKA's commitment to diversity in a way that can make us all proud."
Click here to read the first online issue of Diversity Prep. The first print issue is expected to follow shortly.
