VERO BEACH — Someday, the Vero Beach High School curriculum probably will include a class on publishing a digital magazine. And when that day comes – perhaps before she graduates – Brie D’Elia should take a bow.
It was her idea.
“There are so many talented people at this school,” said D’Elia, a Moorings resident who will be a sophomore this year, “and I wanted to create a platform to showcase their talents.”
So last February, she went to Kristen Wiley, her English teacher at Vero Beach High’s Freshman Learning Center, and pitched the possibility of starting a school-sanctioned, digital magazine. Neither of them had any journalism experience, but Wiley enthusiastically embraced the proposal.
The next month, after D’Elia put up notices around campus, a dozen other students – nine of them freshmen – joined her and Wiley at the first meeting of the unofficial club that would do interviews, write stories, take photographs, edit and design what would be a 22-page, digital publication.
The inaugural edition of #VBHS debuted on June 3, and the sharp-looking, online magazine included stories, photographs and graphics on a variety of topics, ranging from Vero Beach High’s award-winning band to the Citrus Bowl renovations to a student who launched his own sock business.
There were also interviews with: Phillip Tarasovic, the VBHS student who survived a shark attack in New Smyrna Beach in October; Kelly Duffy, owner of the Treasure Lane boutique on the island; and David Lauren, the global advertising, marketing and communications vice president for Ralph Lauren Corp., his father’s clothing design company. “We interviewed students who are unique and newsworthy,” D’Elia said.
She said the magazine originally was scheduled for publication in May, “but it was a huge project and most of us have other extracurricular activities, plus keeping up our grades.
“We’re 15-year-olds,” she added. “Most of us were freshmen taking upper-level courses, and none of us had ever done anything like this before. So we weren’t sure what exactly we were getting into and probably underestimated how much work it would be. But everyone involved was excited about what we were doing.
“It came out better than most of us expected.”
Wiley, who served as the faculty sponsor, last-read editor and publisher of the magazine, said she was thrilled with the final product. And she wasn’t alone.
Not only did VBHS Principal Shawn O’Keefe endorse the project and approve the content, but a link to #VBHS was added to the Indian River County School District’s website. D’Elia said she also promoted the free, fledgling magazine through email, texting and social media.
According to Wiley and D’Elia, the response has been “tremendous,” already attracting more than 1,000 views despite going public in the final days of the school year.
“I listened to their ideas and contributed some of my own – and I did a lot of the editing – but this was Brie’s baby,” Wiley said. “You can’t help but be impressed with what these kids did, but I hope we get more involvement from other kids this year.
“Brie did 75 percent of the work.”
D’Elia, in fact, made time for her magazine work while taking advanced-placement classes and playing soccer for both VBHS and a club in Palm City. It was, at times, a grind, but she said she’d like to increase #VBHS’ staff and publish multiple editions.
She said she’s hoping to publish three times during the coming school year – in late October, early February and late May. “That’s a very ambitious goal,” D’Elia said, “but I’m already planning things.”
Wiley, too, has plans.
First, she wants the school to officially recognize the #VBHS Club and increase student participation. Then, she said, she’ll push for an “online journalism” course – an elective for which students would get credit.
“I’d love to see the magazine grow,” Wiley said.