'Our Story' Student Magazine Wins Literary Award

Publication Receives 'Excellent' in Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) Contest

Sioux Falls, SD (02/11/2025) — "Our Story," the student literary magazine at Southeast Technical College has been recognized as "Excellent" by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in the Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) contest.

Schools in 46 states and five countries nominated 422 student magazines. Magazines from middle school, high school and higher education were welcomed for the 2024 contest.

"This is excellent news for Southeast Tech," said President Cory Clasemann. "Not only did our student body present outstanding submissions, but our co-faculty advisors and other staff members offered critical support in producing the magazine."

"Our Story's" inaugural issue launched in 2024 and work is underway on the next issue.

"The 2025 edition of the magazine is being created right now," said Laura Cruse, faculty co-advisor. "We have another round of great submissions and we are eager to showcase more student work this year."

Students that participated in the 2024 magazine include Andrew Payton, Annette Lesman, Astro Beyer, Autumn Schreiber, Elizabeth Jensen, Erin Pazour, Isabella Cooey, James Gregg, Jessica Chau, Luke Ouren, Maria Davila, Melanie Guevara, Noel Perrin, Olivia Day, Opah Bah, Pabi Basnet and Tucker Kooiman.

The REALM program publicly recognizes excellent literary magazines produced by students with the support of their teachers. REALM is designed to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines that celebrate the art and craft of writing. Schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, US territories, Canada and American schools abroad are eligible to nominate magazines.

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ABOUT NCTE: The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. As the nation's oldest organization of pre-K through graduate school literacy educators, NCTE has a rich history of deriving expertise and advocacy from its members' professional research, practice, and knowledge.

ABOUT SOUTHEAST TECHNICAL COLLEGE: Southeast Tech is a career-focused learning environment for determined students who expect a life-changing education that gets results. Our faculty and staff are passionate about student success, and more than 65 associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and stand-alone courses provide pathways to professional accomplishment utilizing skills-relevant facilities and Sioux Falls as an extended classroom. Southeast Tech is a smart investment for students to launch their in-demand, technical careers in two years or less. Learn more about Southeast Tech at www.southeasttech.edu.