Calliope 2026

CALLIOPE CALLIOPE

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS

2026

MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTORS Kyrah Gingo - Editor in Chief Jeena Ann Kidambi - Visual Arts and Layout Editor Eleanor Smith - Performing Arts Editor Mary Battersby - Head of Marketing Kenzie Porter __ Faculty Advisor: Mr. Stephen Nalbandian

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Reader, Calliope underwent many changes this year especially starting with a new team of leaders. Eleanor Smith, Jeena Ann Kidambi, Kyrah Gingo, and Mary Battersby, as members of the sophomore class, took Calliope under their wings to produce a great magazine.

The group wanted to keep the ideas of Calliope as an art magazine while also putting a spin on original techniques.

Throughout the year the club managed to gather a multitude of pieces from countless individuals and brought them all together for the magazine.

The theme this year is one hundred pieces of art, to represent Marianapolis's centennial year. This was a challenging goal but the team had no doubts in reaching it.

Thank you to everyone who participated in making this magazine happen, thank you to everyone for giving the new group of leaders a chance, and we hope that in the years to come Calliope continues to grow and prosper within the Marianapolis community and outside of the community.

Much gratitude, Kyrah Gingo ’28

by Anonymous -Haiku 1 Coffee getting cold I forgot it once again Lost inside my thoughts Haiku 2 Joel Gandhi ’26

Keegan Porter ’27

Late bus drives away I run but it’s already gone Now I just stand there Haiku 3 Music in my ears Walking past a hundred lives No one knows my name

Xinyao (Michelle) Meng ’28

Sam Houle ’28

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Xirui (Sherry) Wang ’27

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The Wallflower

by Bella Paglione ’28 -I stand in the shadows, I watch and I see, Yet I keep all the secrets that never free me.

A listener, a watcher, the one who won’t go, The roots in the ground while the rest simply flow.

I give all I have, every beat, every part, I hand people pieces torn straight from my heart.

Hoping one day they might give back in kind, But love like mine is so hard to find.

I wait to be chosen, pulled out from the crowd, For someone to see me and say it out loud.

To notice the little things nobody knows, The cracks in my smile, the thorns on my rose.

I’m the one people need, but never quite keep, A warm place to land, but too quiet, too deep.

It hurts to be hurt when you’ve given your all, Yet still they don’t catch you when you start to fall.

So I’ll stay in the corner, soft, still, and true, Holding my hope for the rare, for the few— Who love without measure, who cherish, who care, And see the wallflower that’s always been there.

Untitled

by Anonymous -Beneath her head a cloud of quiet rest, It lifts her softly where the night expands, She sails through the skies where silver rivers crest, And touches worlds spun lightly by her hands.

A forest hums with lanterns in the trees, She wanders halls where shadows drift like lace, The air is warm, a gentle, wandering breeze, Each step a whisper in a secret place.

She meets a fox who wears a crown of light, And rides on beams that bend across the moon, Through silent towns that sparkle out of sight, Where every street hums softly to a tune.

At dawn she stirs, yet magic lingers near, A hidden friend who follows through the year.

Yuting Jiang ’28

Francesca Roche ’28

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Sorelle Lavallee ’27

Rome

by Anonymous -In Roman nights, so warm, so deep When shadows fall we don’t quite sleep We walked through streets of gold and stone, yet never felt that we’re alone Your voice echoes softly through the night a passing spark like fading light First time, first place, first hollow glow and wow it’s gone, but still I go.

Jeena Ann Kidambi ’28

Zongxin (Stephen) Fan ’28

Haiku

by Anonymous -When it snows outside I like to look at the skies It means it’s winter time

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Wenyi (Lvy) Deng ’28

Zongxin (Stephen) Fan ’28

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Snow of Light and Night

by Patrick Connolly ’26 -Falling, drifting snow glittering and falling bright darkening the world

Yuting Jiang ’28

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Spring Flowers

by Patrick Connolly ’26 -Spring Flowers Pat, Tap, Pat upon the dirt a spring, a growth, a beautiful bloom.

Snow fades away as petals exert a rainbow of colors as if land was a loom Seeds cracking open as if they were eggs, new growths pushing up with the freshness of spring the colors of life push away the gloom, winter pushed back into its tomb.

Emily Brodeur ’26

Lelin (Joycelin) Chen ’27

Juliet Rodriguez ’27

Amelie Rodriguez ’27

Valentina Chejin Davila ’27

Yuhui (Nina) Shen ’26

Feelings of Spring

by Sienna Stawiecki ’26 -The warm breeze hits my face As I walk outside, there's no need to chase I’m in my warm clothes, feeling a sense of glee Just two more weeks, and I'm finally free

The Scent of Stillness

by Ziyi (Eva) He ’27 -Spring is the breath of nature, the soft fragrance of April, scattered over every petal, and resting in the cool, light wind.

“It comes to the blossoms with a gentle sound, its shadow blending into the sweet scent.”

A bee flies across the blooming sea of flowers, settling only on that pure white bloom.

It tastes the gifts of spring, quietly taking a handful of sweetness.

The spirit of the flowers carries on its gentle fragrance; the messenger of the wind softly unlocks spring’s secrets.

Xirui (Sherry) Wang ’27

Jingjing (June) He ’27

Anastasiia Timofeeva ’26

Georgia Niforos-Ortiz ’29

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Change

by Sienna Stawiecki ’26 -Well, I've been afraid of changing The fear of the unknown Moving onto new things But what's the cost of leaving?

Everything left behind All car rides now memories My small group of people Please, don't be strangers

Xirui (Sherry) Wang ’27

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Car

by Anonymous -Engine roars down empty streets, Bass is loud with good beats.

City lights blur past my eyes, Dark roads and midnight skies.

Windows down, the cold wind flies, Every mile feels so alive, Nothing beats a late night drive.

Music

by Anonymous -Music plays inside my room, Turning silence into bloom.

Headphones on, the world fades out, Songs say things I can’t talk about.

Slow songs heal and fast songs race, Every beat can change my thoughts.

No matter where the days may go, Music stays and helps me grow.

Lilian Aguilar Villanueva ’27

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Growing Up

by Anonymous -Everyone keeps asking what I want to do next like there's supposed to be one perfect answer.

I still leave cups in my room and forget assignments sometimes.

But suddenly people are talking about loans and apartments and "the future."

It feels weird being old enough to leave but still feeling fifteen.

Sophia MacKenzie ’29

Dominic Caffone ’27

Dominic Caffone ’27

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Untitled

by Anonymous -I check the lock twice even when I know I already heard it click.

The volume has to end in five.

The sleeves need to feel even.

My brain gets stuck on tiny things like a scratched CD. Some days are louder than others.

Some days I can ignore it.

Some days I count steps without meaning to.

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Emily Brodeur ’26 Poem Inspired by Phoebe Bridgers "Motion Sickness"

by Sienna Stawiecki ’26 -Somebody roll the windows down that pit is in my stomach wishing I could forgive you but you make me feel sick I miss you like that little kid I was but you left a hole in my heart you said when you met me, you were "bored" and now, once we are apart I feel on the outside, looking through that window again.

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Jiaming (Jeff) Gou ’28

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The Tricolor Flag

by Joel Gandhi ’26 -The Tricolor Flag, With ashok chakra in middle Once held high in the sky I always saw on independence day But three years ago, I left behind The Tricolor Flag, The place where I made all my memories Now are just times I remember The Tricolor flag.

I miss that Tricolor flag Because all that I am My birth, my parents Came from that Tricolor flag Now I left that Flag, And came to the star-sprangled banner And the land of the free– Is it really?

The land of the free, or the land of the rich Cold it is, the winds chills my bones My friends make it fun to be But that’s really it.

Still Becoming

by Anonymous __ I still don’t know who I’ll become And honestly that makes life fun, Each place I’ve been, each friend, each change Made growing up feel wide and strange But now I see through all the noise, Life is made through different roads And even when the future’s far, I think I like the way things are

Kenzie Porter ’29

Jingjing (June) He ’27

Friends

by Anonymous -Sometimes I think My friends know me better than my own room does.

They know when I go quiet for too long.

They send dumb pictures at 1 a.m.

Like it fixes everything.

I don't say it enough but I think I love them in the biggest way possible.

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Georgia Niforos-Ortiz ’29

Angeli Herasme Rosario ’26 Lily Burke ’28

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Coffee Mugs

by Anonymous -The steam above our coffee mugs still climbs, A quiet breath that wakes the sleeping day, It curls like thoughts that drift through distant times, Then fades away before we find their way.

Two cups aligned upon the kitchen stand, Like faithful guards to all we never speak, Your warming touch still lingers in my hand, A gentle warmth too loving to grow weak.

These fragile things contain our hidden vows, Not carved in stone, nor sworn in blazing flame, Yet love resides in small, unnoticed nows, In simple acts that softly speak your name.

So love is not the fire the stories tell, It’s coffee mugs, and choosing you as well

Jingjing (June) He ’27

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The Rain

by Joel Gandhi ’26 -Let the rain take over, and Blossom the flowers.

No more sun's wrath-Only rain blesses the earth and kissing the grass.

The sweet, sippy honey dripping into nature's grasp The earthly, fresh smell spreading the air Children jumping in muddy puddles mother's making vegetable fritters Rain, Rain, please come Take away the sun's wrath And make the ground cooler

Gigi Gajewski ’28

Growth

by Anonymous -Getting better, even when things get hard Realizing I don’t have to have it all figured out Open up when I feel like giving up Working on myself Trying, even when I’m stuck Hoping it will work out one day - growth

Hannah Volz ’28

Kyrah Gingo ’28

Summer Tides

by Anonymous -The beach never really leaves me.

It stays in my shoes, in the salt and sand stuck to my hair, in the way I am happier in July.

We don’t count time there.

We count how big the waves are, we count sunsets, we count memories we pretend we won’t forget.

Basketball

by Anonymous -The crowd gets loud, the clock runs low, My sneakers squeak, I start to go.

The ball leaves fast from my hand, Nothing but net.

Bright gym lights and teammates cheer, Playing this game is why I’m here.

Win or lose, I love the fight, Basketball feels just right.

Nazar Babak ’27

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Yuting Jiang ’28

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Sophia MacKenzie ’29

Kyrah Gingo ’28 Zongxin (Stephen) Fan ’28

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Grandma’s Lentils

by Joel Gandhi ’26 -I walk in the kitchen The spices dabba is right there, colorful There’s smoke everywhere I see my grandma, making something as always “What are you doing here? Go study” she says I look to see what she’s making There I see, Boiled, sizzling, smouldering symphony Stirred to perfection, With a little bit of cardamom there, And a little bit of salt here.

Made with love And utmost care “I’m full grandma,” no one dares Heart beat too fast Legs may give out Jeena Ann Kidambi ’28 But that doesn’t stop her For making the best meals, for me Pizzas and pastas have their place But Dadi’s lentils wins first place!

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Millie

by Ella Wesolowski ’28 -Tell me, how can you ever be so cute You don’t need words to tell the simple truth You look at me soft with eyes full of beaut Love that I have graciously had since youth It is now time to go outside and play You are e’re so sweet and carefully true I hold a love that never fades away Nothing is ever fake when I’m with you A heart so pure it is just like fine gold Watch me now as I throw the tennis ball A story of loyalty, beaut’fully told My dear friend here you come as I do call Together in the quiet woods we roam Because your silence always feels like home

Zhiqing (Tiffany) Li ’26

Alina Turner ’29

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Georgia Niforos-Ortiz ’29

Jimena Rodriguez ’27

Zihan (Rose) Zhao ’28

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Outside

by Anonymous -“Touch grass” A phrase people say when you spend too much time inside.

Time in nature is always the best time spent. Nature never calculates your screen time or the amount of notifications you get in a day.

If I could spend my time anywhere it would be in nature, outside, forever.

Maya Danburg ’28

Kyrah Gingo ’28

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Xinyi (Bella) Cui ’27

Zongxin (Stephen) Fan ’28

Hwakyung Kang ’27 Zongxin (Stephen) Fan ’28

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Pride

by Anonymous -Pretending it’s nothing, but I always could tell, Reaching for spotlight, in a story you sell, I kept it quiet, just played it cool, Different when it mattered you broke your own rule, Ended up mine, though it started with you

Anonymous

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