Ten years ago, Bonnie Lutz started Caughman Road Elementary’s first literary magazine. Stemming from her desire to publish the creative work of the school’s students, staff, and parents. Lutz had little knowledge of publishing, yet the magazine, known as The Comet , became a reality with the help of a supportive administration, faculty, student body, and PTO.

Lutz said The Comet improved each year, especially when they began using computers and desktop publishing.

During the 2002–03 school year, Lutz learned the American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA), an organization that serves over 2,000 schools from elementary to college, held a competition for magazines, newspapers, and yearbooks. The ASPA judging was based on content, coverage, organization, design, presentation, and creativity. Lutz had no intention of entering the competition to win. She simply wanted to enter The Comet to receive constructive criticism. Much to her surprise, Caughman Road ended up winning Best Elementary Literary Magazine along with two other public elementary schools in the US and Canada.

The positive results in 2002–03 encouraged the school to submit The Comet again in 2003–04. This time, they not only won Best Elementary Literary Magazine in the US and Canada, they also won the highest honor given for a literary magazine, First Place with Special Merit.

According to Lutz, “ The Comet would not be possible without the support of our principal, Mrs. Jane Wyatt, our assistant principal, Mrs. Lillian Arnold, Denise Duke, the PTO, and our wonderful staff, students and parents.”

The Comet’s purpose is to showcase talent and nourish the creative spirit. The awards the magazine has won reiterate Lutz’s belief “through writing we each can express our deepest joy, sadness, fears and courage, and let our imaginations soar like a comet!”