During study time, I couldn't concentrate on my homework at all. My head was still swimming with thoughts about Student Voice. Which article should go first? Should we pair performance photos with group interviews or place the photos at the end in a collage? What font size would look best if we ever decide to print? And the most important—how to format everything to make it clean but still eye-catching?
I gave up trying to focus on my history textbook and closed it with a sigh. Quietly, I slipped out my science assignment and my pouch of colored pens. If I couldn't concentrate on content, at least I could get a head start on the presentation.
In Indian schools, everyone knows that when it comes to assignments and project submissions, neatness counts just as much as the actual answers. It's not an official rule, but it's understood: colorful borders, decorated headings, well-aligned diagrams, and your neatest handwriting—those are what get noticed.
So I sat on the floor near the corner of the classroom, away from the main group of girls and the eyes of the study supervisor. I started sketching borders on A4 sheets—clean lines, some geometric patterns, a few symmetrical leaf-like shapes in each corner. I wasn't even using a ruler; I just wanted something calming to do with my hands while my mind ran laps about the magazine.
As I was adding color to one of the corner motifs, I overheard whispers from the other end of the class. A small group of girls were talking—not too loudly, but in that hush-hush way that always carries further than they intend.
"I heard in the dining hall... she's the one writing that sports magazine."
"No, no—it's a school magazine."
"Wait, don't we already have one?"
"I don't think so. Did we ever get a copy of any school mag?"
"No. This one's new, I think. They said it's a student initiative."
"So, who's managing all this? Only teachers or…?"
"If it's a student magazine, can other students join too?"
"But how will they even share it? Without teacher approval, that's not possible, right?"
"I heard they already got permission. Maybe they're doing it with the principal's support."
"What's student initiative supposed to mean anyway?"
I paused, my pen hovering mid-air. So the news had started to spread. Fast.
It made me both nervous and strangely proud. They were talking about Student Voice already—and not just in the dining hall, but in the classroom too. This was real now, out of my hands and in the air, bouncing from one whisper to the next.
But along with that excitement came the panic. If rumors were already spreading like this, confusion would follow. Would people think this was some elite project? Would they assume we weren't open to others joining?
I needed to talk to Nishanth tomorrow. We had to create a proper system—an announcement maybe. A way to explain what Student Voice actually is, who can contribute, and how we plan to manage it. If we didn't, it would only lead to more gossip, misinterpretation, and possibly even resistance from people who didn't know the full picture.
We needed to clarify roles too. Right now, only a few people knew what we were trying to do. And with even more students possibly interested, we'd have to organize contributions, filter content, and keep things on track. A structure. A team. Maybe even application forms? Okay, maybe not that serious yet… but something.
The whispering died down as the supervisor walked by, and I pretended to be completely immersed in coloring my border. She glanced at my sheet, nodded at the neatness, and walked away without a word.
I smiled slightly and added a final swirl to the bottom corner of the page.
Even as I focused on the page in front of me, my brain was still buzzing. Tomorrow would be another big day—not just for planning the next steps of the magazine, but for making sure Student Voice didn't become Student Confusion.
After dinner, I stepped out of the dining hall and saw Anika walking toward the hostel block with her friends. I quickened my pace to catch up and called out her name softly. She turned around, slightly confused, until I introduced myself with a small smile.
"Hi, I'm Nila. From 9-E."
She smiled back politely. "I'm Anika. 9-D."
"I know," I chuckled, "I've been meaning to speak with you."
Anika raised an eyebrow, curious now. "Oh? About what?"
"It's about the school magazine we're starting. It's called Student Voice—it'll be both a digital webpage and a printed edition. Nishanth and I pitched the idea to the school management yesterday and got it approved."
Her eyes widened slightly, the curiosity now turning to interest. I continued, "I heard from some of the girls that you're really active in sports and know a lot about what's going on, especially on the girls' side."
"Well, yeah," she smiled modestly. "I play throwball and badminton. I try to keep track of what the other girls are doing too. I just like knowing who's representing the school, even in less-talked-about sports."
"Exactly," I said with a nod. "We're planning to create a regular sports column in Student Voice—not just big updates like sports day or major tournaments, but also little features. Like short interviews with student athletes, match recaps, and a scoreboard for house competitions."
Anika's eyes lit up. "That sounds really cool."
"So…" I hesitated for a second before asking, "I was wondering if you'd be interested in being the girls' representative for the sports column. You'd mainly help collect information—match scores, names of participants, upcoming events, that sort of thing. You don't have to write if you don't want to."
She laughed in relief. "Good. I'm actually not that great with writing. But yeah—I'd love to help collect info. I can talk to the PE teacher, the team captains, and get all the details."
I beamed. "That's perfect! I'll explain the system tomorrow. We're still building the team and figuring out how everyone will contribute, but I'm so glad you're on board."
We walked the rest of the way to the hostel together, chatting casually. She didn't ask too many questions about the magazine yet, and I didn't want to overwhelm her. There would be time for all that.
The next day was Tuesday. As always, I reached the classroom early, a little after 7:15 AM. The corridor was still quiet except for the occasional clatter of footsteps echoing from a distant staircase. I opened the classroom door to find Nishanth already there, seated at his desk with a rough chart paper rolled out in front of him and a pencil in hand.
I dropped my bag and sat next to him.
"Working already?" I asked.
"You beat me by just two minutes," he smirked. "I've been thinking about how we can split responsibilities. We can't do this all on our own—not for long."
"Exactly," I nodded. "We need a proper structure. Departments."
He looked up. "Departments?"
"Yes! Think about it—if we divide the team into departments, it'll be easier to manage everything. Like..."
I pulled out my notebook and started listing them aloud.
"Editorial team—for articles, proofreading, and formatting. Photography—for events and behind-the-scenes. Design—for layout and presentation. And a coordination team to collect content, like Anika for sports updates."
Nishanth nodded, now fully in brainstorming mode. "We'll need a tech team too. Even if I handle the website for now, eventually we'll need someone else to update it."
"True. And maybe a submissions team—students who can sort through entries if we open up for poems or stories from others."
"We should make a chart," he said, already starting to sketch boxes on the paper. "With all the departments and who does what."
"And we should put it up on the notice board," I added. "That way everyone knows it's a real initiative and not some rumor floating around."
"We'll need to announce it properly. Maybe ask permission to speak in the morning assembly?"
I grinned. "That's exactly what I was thinking."
"We'll tell them about Student Voice, the departments, and how they can join. Maybe even take a few volunteers from each section."
"We should probably get a form ready too. For people who want to be part of the team."
"Printed or handwritten?"
"Handwritten, at first. We'll collect them, review, and start slowly. No point rushing it."
He nodded in agreement.
"We'll speak to computer sir again today," I said. "Ask if he can guide us through planning this announcement. Maybe even help us get time in the assembly."
"On it, boss," he grinned.
The bell rang, and slowly the classroom started to fill. But I barely noticed. My mind was racing ahead to the next step.