MANCHESTER, NH – Central High School is home to many different clubs, organizations, and honors societies that appeal to students’ different interests. For example, Key Club provides students with community service and volunteer opportunities; the Little Green is the school newspaper where students can write articles about what is happening in the community, pop culture, and in the world; CHAOS is the robotics team where students can engineer and compete using STEM; Maskers is the drama club and brings Central entertaining theatrical pieces every year; and many more.
The Oracle is one of the lesser known clubs at Central, however they’ve been around for a long time. They publish Central’s literary and arts magazine. To help raise money for the club they are hosting a Poetry Slam on Thursday, April 23, from 5-7 p.m. in Classical Hall at Central. Last year’s poetry slam was a hit, with students reading hilarious, as well as powerful and beautiful poems and short stories. The poetry slam is also hosted in conjunction with Tri-M’s Coffee House night. Tri-M is Central’s music honors society, and has been performing music in the background, as well as individual musical acts. This year the slam is also sponsored by Aroma Joes, who will be providing drinks and some snacks. Families are also bringing in baked goods and other foods. Student art will deck out Classical hall, as well as flowers, vines, and other nature themed decorations to fit the “springtime garden” theme the Poetry Slam is centered around. Tickets are $5, Central and Oracle themed stickers and pins will be sold, and all proceeds will help sponsor the Oracle so they can continue to publish editions and host more events!
The Oracle features student art like photography, paintings, drawings, digital art, pottery, short stories, and poetry. It has been around for about 127 years and is the oldest student-led publication in the country. They aim to release two editions per year: a fall/winter edition and a spring/summer edition, with one printed in black-and-white and the other in color. They are a prestigious organization, as four out of the top 10 students with the highest weighted GPAs in 2025’s graduating class were members!
The Oracle is always looking for new members and is open for anyone to join! If you are a Central student and interested in art and writing, this club is definitely for you. They meet once a month, meetings typically last 30 minutes, and it is not a huge commitment. If you’re not interested in art, that’s okay! There are plenty of jobs that might appeal to you. For example, before each edition is published, it needs to be formatted. The magazines are digitally designed using Google Slides, which is not difficult to navigate, especially because it’s often utilized in the classroom for projects. Occasionally, all members gather after school for about an hour to design the edition, and this is called Paste-Up. They also need people to collect ads from different businesses, which is primarily how they are funded. This allows businesses to show their support to a student-led organization, and for the Oracle to continue running. Color editions are also more expensive, but are extremely important as they truly highlight students’ work. These wouldn’t be possible without the help of sponsors and businesses purchasing ads. They also collect teacher donations who are listed as “Sponsors” in the back of each edition.
Oracle does not profit by selling their editions. The magazines are only sold for $2 for black-and-white editions, and $5 for color editions. This is because they want to ensure students can afford each Oracle and that they’re easily accessible. After printing, each member receives five copies that they have to sell. The Oracle also started selling stickers last year at the Poetry Slam, and this year they’ll be selling pins, too! They’re fun to make, and these stickers and pins are all Central and Oracle themed. They are a great way for students and staff to donate to the Oracle and show their Central pride. Sometimes they need some extra help with advertising, so students can help by drawing posters either traditionally or digitally, or by using Canva. They also need people to help out at events, for example, by selling stickers, ushering people in, and helping to decorate and clean up. Overall, the Oracle has so much to offer. It has been highlighting student work for about 127 years and it’s extremely important to keep such a historical club alive. It’s filled with hard working and creative individuals who strive to make each edition beautiful, and each event fun and meaningful.
The Oracle has also been hosting more events this year. In September, they held a car wash at the Burger King near Daniel Webster Highway and hosted a bake sale at Central.
Overall, the Oracle is a very historical club at Central and it’s important for it to continue to stay alive! Please join them at the Poetry Slam this Thursday, and have fun!