Flare Magazine, started originally by Linda Hachim (Graduating Class of 2020) and Darcy Chung (Graduating Class of 2020), has recently achieved two American Scholastic Press Association Awards. The 2020 fall-winter edition was released in early February, garnering praise from Sage Hill students, faculty, and alumni. 

This year the transition from the founders of the magazine to a new Editor-in-Chief promised some hardships. New editor, Riya Chaturvedi (Class of 2022) took these hardships in stride. 

“Flare Magazine worked really hard, [and was] faced with a few challenges this year,” Chaturvedi said. On top of the leadership change, the global pandemic also affected Flare’s ability to run seamlessly. 

“With COVID it was definitely hard but we adjusted with socially distanced shoots and masks,” Chaturvedi said. 

All Flare shoots were outside in different locations with a set amount of people and an understanding of COVID-safe requirements. The shoots were taken in late-summer and early-fall in order for editors and designers to piece together a cohesive magazine. Designer and photographer Celine Tseng (Class of ‘23) highlighted the lengthy process. 

“After the shoots, we go through and pick out the pictures we want for the issue and I edit them in Lightroom. [Then] Riya does the layouts on Adobe Design, and we choose a few of the articles [our Flare writing team] has written, and then we get it printed!” Tseng said. This entire process takes about four months and requires extreme dedication and passion from the entire magazine staff. 

When asked what she envisioned for the future of Flare, former co-editor Darcy Chung said that “I was very confident passing Flare on to the current editorial team…everyone involved is so talented, hardworking and creative…It’s such an honor to see the continued success of my passion project in high school and I am excited for what comes next!” Linda Hachim agreed with her co-founder, saying that “seeing a small idea Darcy and I started [to] get carried on even after graduation is amazing, and I truly couldn’t ask for a better group of girls to be working on this.” Hachim wanted to highlight that “fashion is more than the clothes we wear every day, it’s a means of self-expression and confidence, and it’s important to keep showcasing the different ways students choose to express themselves.” A fun club idea thrown around by two sophomores in 2018 manifested into a wildly successful legacy. With the summer-spring edition of the magazine coming out just around the corner, it’s safe to say that followers are more than excited.