When opening the Issuu-hosted Soundings 2025 winter issue, readers are greeted with the vibrant cover page — junior Celina Ren’s “Collisions.” Each spread of the 16-page magazine contains art pieces accompanied by writing — all student-made, from the pieces to the layout.
Soundings, the school arts and literary magazine, is a student-run publication that started in the 1980s. Currently, the magazine consists of two issues — a winter online issue and a print spring issue, often based around a theme.
This year, the 22-member staff consists of three editors-in-chiefs (EICs) — seniors Anika Kapasi, Annette Li and Isabelle Wang, seven submission editors, four layout editors, four outreach members and four staff members. The team is advised by Keys.
The winter issue opened submissions on Aug. 30 and closed on Oct. 4; once submissions closed, submissions were assigned to submission editors to be edited and give feedback. In reviewing the submissions, Li noticed that, in both writing and art, students often shared personal stories or ingrained morals, especially self-exploration and finding independence.
“I think there’s a lot of stereotypes and images that [Saratoga students] live up to here, so a lot of people will try to explore what they want to do [through their writing and art],” Li said.
Others have found their inspiration through their extracurricular experiences, such as Celina Ren.
“I wanted to express the complexity of New York [while I was at summer camp] because it was so crowded and there were so many people,” Ren said about her cover. “I always think about the different connections people have to each other.”
On the other hand, senior Tanuj Siripurapu submitted his piece “How To Be An Empath” from an English 11H assignment that reflected on his father’s passing.
“Reflecting on how we as a society and in the world of education both perceive and teach empathy, I wanted to share my own experiences with being empathetic whenever people share their grievances of varying degrees of significance,” Siripurapu said. “We are often told as young kids, ‘Empathy is putting yourself in others’ shoes!’ but the reality is it is so much more complex than that. An empath cares as much about a breakup as a death in the family.”
Despite students’ interest in expressing various sides of themselves and their lives through Soundings, the issue was held up due to an initial lack of submissions, as well as the busy nature of first semester for upperclassmen. Finally, the official issue was published in early February, later than originally intended.
“This year, all of the EICs are seniors, so first semester was a lot busier,” Li said. “In previous years, a junior was an EIC [which helped keep the issue on track.]”
However, thanks to the return of Keys as the adviser — who was on leave last year — the issue received more writing submissions than usual. Li noted that Keys was a major factor in the publication receiving more submissions than their English class and Instagram advertisements originally reached, as Keys continued to teach the creative writing class this year and encouraged her students to submit already written pieces.
Keys also guided the EICs in mentoring fellow staff members. She checks in with the staff to make sure the magazine is on track and aids with fundraising efforts, which has led to a $500 grant from PTSO.
In the spring semester, the Soundings staff is planning to host its annual art and writing exhibition to fundraise for their print issues, albeit at an off-campus location instead of the high school library, where they have held it for the past two years. While they consider different rental facilities, the library still remains a viable option.
With its exhibitions and yearly print issues, Li sees Soundings as a vital part of the school’s community, despite the STEM-centered nature of Saratoga.
“Everyone has an artistic side, so it’s a good way for people to get that work out there and for other students to see what we’re up to,” Li said.
