The "Normalia"

This year, 2014, is the centennial year of the Stylus, which was first published in May 1914. Everyone is familiar with the Stylus of course, but it isn't the first student news publication in our history. In 1900 the first ever student news piece was launched, named the Normalia. Presumably the name reflected the fact that our school was "Normal" school then, that is a teacher training institution. The Normalia ran from 1900 - 1908, and then ceased publication. Financial issues appear to have caused its demise. A few years later the Stylus was launched, and in many ways followed the model of the Normalia. Like the Normalia, the early Stylus was a magazine in format, published four times during the school year, and featured not only news about students and the school, but regularly ran short fiction pieces, poems and other literary efforts. Pictured here is the cover of the first issue of the Normalia from 1900.