The Pioneer has had a great fall season, with tons of poetry, artwork, and photography submitted by Newman’s talented staff and student body. This marks the Pioneer’s biggest edition yet in recent years, an achievement certainly worth celebrating!
Pioneer managers organized a launch party on Tuesday, February 25, to highlight the hard work of its artists and poets. The party featured poetry readings and student artwork, accompanied by melodies played on the piano by Design Editor Aditi Shridar ‘26. Desserts were provided by Friedman’s bakery, owned by the one and only Mrs. Toshav— Editor-In-Chief Lexie Toshav’s mother. Staff and contributors had a great time listening to poetry and eating good food. Poems were either from famous poets or originals written by frequent submitters to the Pioneer; this includes the renowned Mr. Carey, who unfortunately could not make it to the showcase but was able to organize a rendition of his poem. The list goes as follows:
Melody of a Lost Love…………………………………………………………Onyx Kukuy ‘27
Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken……………………………………….Nick Rezza ‘25
The Yellow Rose of Texas……………………………………………………Breigha Leal ‘28
Voter Blocked……………………………………………………………………Lexie Toshav ‘26
Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee……………Yhanie Bermudez ‘27 & Wendy Sun ‘27
Saudade………………………………………………………………………..John Sanpietro ‘25
Black and Red…………………………………………………………….Yhanie Bermudez ‘27
The Difference Between Girls and Women………………..……………Wendy Sun ‘27
The Grand Puzzle of Identity…………………………………………….………Julia Rai ‘26
Mr. Bob Carey’s Landscape………………………………………………………Joyce He ‘26
All of these speakers had amazing performances, with works ranging from famous pieces written by renowned poets, to the performers’ own original works:
“It was inspiring to see so many students stand up and share their writing with the community, while also celebrating the launch of our largest edition since 2012” said Nick Rezza ‘25, Managing Editor of the Pioneer.
John Sanpietro ’25 states: “It felt really good to be able to express myself creatively, in a way I’m not used to, in front of my peers.”
Julia Rai ‘26 reflects: “Performing was honestly fun!! Being able to share my work with my friends makes the whole writing process worth it.”
You may recognize some of these originals from our Fall edition. If not, be sure to check them out in our next issue. A big thank you to the Pioneer staff, the Editors, Mr. Causey, Mrs. McCormick, Mr. Smith, and everyone who came out to support the arts.
Don’t forget to submit to the Spring Edition “Nurture: Journeys Guided.”
Until next time!
