The Marble Collection Inc

Programs: The massachusetts high school magazine of the arts is a juried, semiannual print and online magazine that features artwork and creative writing by students in grades 8-12. Each year, 100 students in grades 8 to 12 participate in our e-mentoring workshops and are published in the massachusetts high school magazine of the arts. Our participating students represent more than 180 public and private schools across the state. All work that appears in the magazine is juror-selected to ensure artistic excellence. The juries are comprised primarily of college student service-learners with a background in the literary and visual arts. The print edition of the magazine is distributed free to published students and for an annual subscription fee of $27 to schools, libraries, and members of the public. In 2013, tmc was awarded the prestigious arts|learning "distinguished community arts collaborative - multi-disciplinary" award for developing a model arts education collaborative between school and community cultural resources.

tmc offers students who are selected for publication a unique e-mentoring workshop in which they are paired one-to-one with college student mentors who provide constructive, editorial feedback, and help them refine their voices and revise their work for publication. The workshops take place as a series of online conversations over a 6-week period and are intended to replicate the process of professional publication. The mentors evaluate students' work using an assessment rubric designed by tmc's staff. Students explore the creative process through self-reflection, and ultimately, learn to describe their work and convey its meaning to audiences. The workshops conclude with practical knowledge, such as drafting a press release and creating an artist or author biography. In evaluations, most students rate the workshops as a highly positive experience. They say the one-to-one collaboration with mentors deepens their appreciation of the arts and gives them increased confidence in their work.

tmc's service-learning program is a unique and integral part of its programming. The organization has collaborated with career services at colleges and universities across massachusetts to recruit, train, and host its service-learner staff. College student service-learners assess creative work for publication, mentor high school artists and writers, and provide assistance in marketing, community and media relations, grant writing, and development. They have the opportunity to transfer classroom knowledge into a real life setting and gain essential 21st communication, collaboration, critical thinking, civic responsibility and leadership. Their contribution is key to the success of the marble collection and its programs. Tmc hosts approximately 30 college student service-learners annually from higher education institutions across massachusetts. They are unpaid and receive college credit for their 4- month tenure with the organization.