Silver Quill will no longer be distributed with yearbook

Silver Quill, Blair's literary arts magazine, will no longer be distributed with the yearbook as a part of the senior package. Students who want to receive a copy of Silver Quill can purchase the magazine separately later this year.

In previous years, the yearbook was sold as a part of the senior package, along with a cap and gown, a panoramic photo of the senior class and graduation announcements, according to Blair financial assistant Donna Franklin. "Silver Quill kind of got dropped," she said.

Miriam Plotinsky, Silver Quill's adviser, said she is disappointed that Silver Quill will be offered separately from the yearbook and the rest of the senior package. She explained that she fears many students will not opt to buy Silver Quill separately. "What we're guessing is that less students will take that option," she said.

Silver Quill will not be distributed with the yearbook because the Jostens publishing company now offers schools the opportunity to order yearbooks online, according to yearbook adviser Jacob Lee. "The yearbook now does 100 percent online ordering," Lee said.

Franklin explained that unlike previous years, seniors now have the option of purchasing either the entire senior package or buying individual items that are provided in the package. "It's not really a package anymore," she said. "You can just pick what you want."

Plotinsky added that it has been harder to estimate the number of magazine copies that Silver Quill needs to produce. "We're trying to get a handle on our distribution," she said. Plotinsky estimated that the number of copies ordered will decrease from around 1,000 to only a couple hundred. "The book will be cheaper," she said. "On the other hand, we won't make as many copies."

Junior Alé Mantovani, Silver Quill's managing editor, has worked on promoting the magazine throughout the school to boost sales. Mantovani explained that the club has created pack videos on Infoflow and a poster that will soon be hung in the school. "We're just trying to get the word out that we don't have enough funding," she said. A reminder announcement will also be issued during Silver Quill's next open mic event on Friday, Feb. 19.

Mantovani added that Silver Quill has started making arrangements for fundraising events. Last year, Silver Quill held a silent auction at ArtSpring, an art store in downtown Silver Spring, to raise money for the magazine. This year, Silver Quill hopes to auction Blair students' artwork at ArtSpring on April 10. "This year we plan on making the event bigger and better," Mantovani said.