A Look Into RC Publications
From cinema to poetry, sports to science, Robert College's publications cover a diverse range of intellectual spirit of student expression. They are not simply collections of articles, but living archives of borderless creativity: capturing the voices, ideas, and curiosities of students beyond academia. This was the main reason behind our decision to revisit and highlight the publication scene at RC: to remind our readers that there exists a whole culture of thought thriving in our school, cultivated by thousands of words of ideas.
Starting with Sinek, RC's cinema magazine, predates the pandemic and originally began as part of the Film Review Club, where students shared their thoughts on movies they watched throughout the year. Over time, Sinek flourished into a magazine where readers could discover their teachers' favorite films, follow new movie releases, and explore deeper analyses of cinema. Taking its name from "sine(k)ma" itself, Sinek returns to RC, but this year in an online format. With its new website launching after the November break under the guidance of Aydemir Hoca, Sinek will offer faster and more accessible analyses of new releases, with upcoming articles covering topics from Italian Neorealism to Body Horror.
Epigram is RC's social sciences magazine, focusing mainly on philosophy, economics, politics, and history. Even for those who don't plan to pursue these subjects professionally, it offers a chance to expand general knowledge and engage in critical thought. Epigram publishes once or twice a year and continues to serve as a platform where students explore the world through analytical and interdisciplinary social science lenses.
Kaleidoscope, the school's multimedia literature and arts magazine, brings together students who express their creativity through poetry, short stories, photography, and painting. Throughout the year, Kaleidoscope also organizes events and competitions such as The Jane Page, RC's long-running creative writing contest, further enriching the school's literary scene.
Köprü is a Turkish student publication at RC that covers school-related news just like the Bosphorus Chronicle, but in Turkish. It takes on student life matters, as well as broader issues, following the contemporary interests and news of the country. Even though they physically publish their magazine only twice a year, they recently started to manage an Instagram account where they published weekly updates about what had happened in RC that week throughout last year. The Köprü team looks forward to continuing their social media presence this year, too, and making news more accessible to the whole school.
Kingdom Robertae is Robert College's science and research magazine, published since 2021 with two issues each year. They feature a variety of fields, mainly focusing on biology, chemistry, and physics. The magazine also provides RC students the opportunity to publish their own scientific projects and research. Their goal is to make science engaging and understandable for everyone. The entirety of the magazine is written, edited, and designed by RC students. As Zeynep Miray Çelik, one of the club's presidents and editors, puts it, "Kingdom Robertae isn't just a magazine, it's a place where students who love science can share their ideas, learn from each other, and keep their curiosity alive."
The History Magazine is one of RC's longest-running academic publications. As one of the contributors for three whole years, Umut Çanakoğlu RC'27 explains, "When I first joined in 9th grade, the topics were usually quite varied, but in 2023 most focused on the centennial of the Republic of Turkey." The club continues mainly through Önder Kaya Hoca's initiative, and they focus on publishing one issue a year to uphold the high quality of the magazine, usually in March. Each issue features around ten articles covering diverse historical subjects in an accessible style, which often introduces readers to topics they've never encountered before. The magazine has existed for over a decade and continues to enrich RC's academic life by offering detailed academic research by the students and invaluable contributions of Önder Hoca.
Despite being unable to cover every corner of RC publications in detail in this feature, there are other magazines that make it impossible to finish the article without mentioning them because of the unique voices they add to the media landscape. Karambol, the sports magazine, keeps up a very dynamic pace both on and off the field. Taking the spotlight for its active social media presence, it features match analyses and updates on interschool tournaments, celebrating the energy of RC's sports culture. Environmental Education, on the other hand, channels its efforts toward raising awareness about sustainability and environmental issues. Boss, the school's business and economics publication, publishes a once-a-year magazine as an extension of the Business Society, covering topics ranging from the effects of child labour in third-world countries to in-depth analysis of game theory. Oda, RC's Turkish literature magazine, provides a space for those who express themselves in their native language, along with Martı, Turkish poetry magazine, publishing short stories, essays, and literary criticism that highlight the richness of Turkish prose abilities of RC students.
As some might have noticed from its almost ancient collection of newspaper archives in the library, Bosphorus Chronicle, the paper you are holding in your hands, is the biggest and oldest publication at RC. Dating back almost 150 years, this publication remains one of the longest-standing student-run publications in our country. This year, we are starting fresh under the guidance of our new advisors, Ms. Flansburg and Ms. Eubank, and hope to continue being part of one of the most enduring traditions of the school.
Even though they might not be as old or as crowded, just like the Chronicle, each of the aforementioned RC publications carries forward this same spirit of RC creativity, capturing a different side of student vivacity. Each of these publications contributes to the larger mosaic of RC's media world, ensuring that every passion can find its place in print.
