Students in Blue Island who have been untangling their emotions and thoughts through creative writing recently received some attention, along with rave reviews, not just from their teachers but also the National Council of Teachers of English.

The dozen or so Creative Writing Club students recently received the council’s REALM First Class honor, which stands for Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines. The Cardinal, Eisenhower’s literary magazine, is one of 125 school magazines in 46 states and five countries to receive the award from 422 student magazines nominated. Last year they received the “Excellent” rating from the teacher’s group.

But the students, who acknowledge their stories, essays and poems require hard work, are also having a ball once a week when they discuss their writing and produce more as part of the Creative Writing Club.

“Whenever I’m writing, it’s really easy for me to get into a meditative state,” said Alyssa Prince, a senior who is editor in chief of the magazine this year. “Conforming words kind of feels like trying to put the pieces of a puzzle together.”

Alyssa said she identified with author Joan Didion’s comment about writing, when Didion said, “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means.”

One of Alyssa’s works, titled “Pippy,” is about a “deranged teenage girl kind of clawing to get the prom teen title.” Another is a narrative essay about a friend.

Each student who contributed to the winning magazine seemed to bring a dedication and passion to their work.

“It’s just a great opportunity for kids to be creative and the kids who make their way to this club are incredibly creative and talented,” said Adam Ebert, the club sponsor, who also teaches English, Graphic Novels and Film & Literature at Eisenhower.

Ebert, who restarted the club when he was hired a few years ago, said they were looking for more members and some students might not realize how much they could get out of it.

“I think sometimes the big reason why there aren’t more is because they go through their whole schedule of the school day and then they’re like, “We have to write more?” he said.

There are four editors who work with Ebert putting together the magazine. Students also contribute digital art, hand-drawn art or photographs.

There are also fun ways to get into the writing process. During the first semester, the club hosts workshops that focus on themed writing, a session devoted to horror stories, and a “Poems for Pizza” session, where students write poems and prose relating to food.

To help the magazine move up in the NCTE rankings, Ebert and students worked at widening the range of their writings. He said the national organization didn’t explain why schools received certain scores, but they looked for hints in the instructions for the contest and grading criteria.

“I think one thing is diversifying the types of work and making sure we have a number of different genres of writing represented,” he said, “and there are specific design choices being made.”

Gregory Linear, a junior and layout editor for the magazine, said the club had pushed him to improve his writing.

“I was able to elevate it to the next level,” said Gregory. “It really gives you insight about what you’re capable of writing.”

One of Gregory’s poems is about love and heartbreak, and staying “stagnant” before being ready for a new beginning.

“It’s a great way to just let out your emotions, and you can put it all into sort of a rhythm,” Gregory said.

But it’s also uplifting as an editor to help other students.

“We really see what they’re starting with and then we can make changes, revise, and it’s really nice to help them reach that,” Gregory said.

Getting national attention for their work also offers a boost, their teacher said.

“To get positive feedback like this, I think is really important,” said Ebert.

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter.