Quokka: the joyous and quirky student-led sixth form magazine
“ “The Quokka is known to be the happiest animal in the world. And we are happy here.” ”Charlotte, Year 13
When Charlotte started sixth form in September 2019, she wanted to get involved with something at the school and step out of her comfort zone. Charlotte says, “I’d never really been interested in journalism or publishing and certainly had no experience leading a team, but I wanted to try something new. That’s when Mr. Hayward suggested I start up the sixth form magazine again.”
Now, three editions later, Charlotte is project manager to a team ranging between 10-15 contributors per edition (and growing!) and looking to hand over the reigns to a new set of year 12s as she moves on to university.
While Charlotte acts as project manager, her close friend, Elise, is the design lead ensuring every page is beautifully illustrated.
Each edition is unique but there are always key articles on science, politics, art, and creative writing. Charlotte says, “It really depends on what we feel like writing”. And the process? It’s very democratic. Charlotte calls a brainstorming meeting for everyone who wants to contribute to put forward their topic ideas. Then, she calls a vote and sends out a survey for the girls to choose the articles they wish to work on.
Despite the lockdown causing a delay to the publication of some of the editions, Charlotte and Elise are really proud of their work reviving the sixth form magazine.
Elise said, “The Quokka has definitely been an experience I will never forget and I will always remember the first meeting we had- a group of year 12s sitting in a circle throwing out any ideas we wanted to be included in this magazine, from art to politics... and the best part was that we, the students, had complete control over the outcome! The two years we worked on it were a pleasure and as the person who designed the final magazine's visuals and presentation, seeing everyone's articles and putting it all together for the final piece was one of the most fun and interesting things I've done with my peers. I recommend anyone who is interested to join as even after we finish one edition, I still love to look back at our previous works."
Charlotte said, “It’s been an absolute pleasure and honour of mine to start up the Sixth Form magazine again. Being able to publish three wonderful editions for everyone to see is an experience I will never forget. Seeing the outcome of each magazine is definitely the most satisfying and rewarding feeling and the one thing I enjoy the most. Looking through the final product and seeing the variety of skills and talents each person has and being able to bring some people out of their comfort zone may perhaps be the biggest achievement in general though! I definitely hope the legacy of the Quokka will live on for a long time!"
Mr Hayward, Head of Sixth Form said, “Quokka is joyous, quirky, girl-centred, journalistic, funny and informative. It captures a lot about the Sixth Form.”
And why the name ‘Quokka’? Charlotte explains, “The Quokka is known to be the happiest animal in the world. And we are happy here.”
If you would like to read the Quokka, see links to the previous editions below.