Stop the press! An enormous, unidentified bird’s egg has appeared smack bang in the middle of the Northern Beaches.
It towers above Warringah Mall, confuses drivers along the Wakehurst Parkway, and awes the surfies down at Manly Beach. What creature could be gestating in this oversized ovum? A crack forms along the egg, its brittle, beige exterior beginning to splinter, the hulking spheroid starting to teeter on its smooth, rounded base. People gather, standing agog, unsure whether to be afraid or excited. As the eggshell finally fractures and falls apart, they gasp amazed at the strange form of the curious hatchling…
It is a turkey; to be precise, a scrub turkey; and to be even more precise, it is the second issue of The Forest High School’s Scrub Turkey magazine. This uniquely journalistic species of scrub turkey evolved last year when an idea hatched in the minds of Forest’s Year 9 and 10 students: Let’s make the news. Not just be on the news…MAKE the news.
Hence The Scrub Turkey was first conceived – as a local newspaper by teens, for teens, and about the things that interest teens. Students began by brainstorming topics that fascinated them, the things that made them laugh, or think, the things they Snapchatted each other about, the things that kept them up at night, or distracted them during Science class.
They surveyed friends, fam, baes, homies to illicit what topics make teenagers tick. Armed with these areas of adolescent attention, the writing frenzy began. The budding journos worked tirelessly, they interviewed, researched, and laboured over the stylistic minutiae of their prose until 100% content with their content.
Graciously aided by the expert graphic design skills of Arcade Studios, the glossy final product set the team’s eyes glistening. With copies of the publication distributed free of charge at myriad establishments across the Northern Beaches at the end of 2022, it is estimated that the magazine was enjoyed by many thousands of readers!
And now it’s back! A new team, comprised of seasoned reporters and eager newcomers alike, has gotten to work to bring matters of teenage import to the world.
The 2023 edition will bring you all the things you loved in its predecessor and more. Articles range from treatises on the nature of war to tips on how to stay healthy, from musings on medicinal marijuana to selections of the best cinema snacks, and snippets of students’ creative works. The magazine is a true showcase of teenage talent, an erudite expression of young people’s intellect and emotion.
The Scrub Turkey has once again been let loose. So, when you see this ornithological phenomenon strutting its stuff around the streets of Seaforth, flapping its feathers over the façades of Fairlight, or building its bowers in the boulevards of Brookvale – don’t be alarmed. Grab yourself a copy of this prestigious publication if you want to expose yourself to some of the best local content, to find out what the kids really think, and to whet your appetite for quality journalism.
A thunderous shout out to our partners and friends at The Tawny Frogmouth and Together For Humanity. Without you both none of the hatchlings would be possible!
The Forest High’s Scrub Turkey Volume 2 lands 4 December. Grab a copy at Northern Beaches libraries, Forestway, DeeWhy plaza, and your letterbox if you’re lucky. For advertising and general inquiries, contact the team via email at scrbtrky@gmail.com