For 55 years, Arcturus has published the literary and artistic works of Highline College's students, staff, faculty, and alumni, and has won two Washington Community College Humanities Association (WCCHA) awards for this effort. Each issue of Arcturus brings a compilation of poetry, prose, art, and photography to a wide audience.
The first version of the journal was titled, “Excogitation” and was managed by Highline English professor Carole Hall. Later, when professor Lonny Kaneko took Carole Hall's place, the magazine was renamed “The Gallery”. Several editions were printed and over the years other teachers became involved with the journal, including Dick Olson and Jim Michael Smith. When eventually Catherine Harrington took the reins, “The Gallery” was re-titled to “Arcturus”. And as of 2017, Susan Rich is the Faculty Editor for Arcturus.
The Highline library holds issues from 1977 to the latest issue of Arcturus on its shelves. The journal’s shape and binding has evolved through the years -- from newspapers to oversize booklets, spiral binding, to what we have now, the bound journal form.
The journal’s core mission remains the same: to showcase the creative work of the Highline community. We hope that this tradition will continue for decades to come. The current editors are doing their part to keep this tradition alive while also offering a sample of the journal’s art, poetry, and prose on-line.
Arcturus, also known as Alpha Boötis, is a star in the constellation Boötes, the herdsman, which is placed beside the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Great Bear and Little Bear respectively, more commonly referred to as the Big and Little Dippers. The star, Arcturus, is the brightest in its constellation, the fourth brightest in the night sky, and the brightest in the northern hemisphere. The word Arcturus is derived from Ancient Greek Ἀρκτοῦρος (Arktouros), which means "Guardian of the Bear". The word Arcturus is the rendering of the Hebrew word 'ash'. Ash is supposed to be derived from an Arabic word meaning night-watcher, because the Great Bear always revolves around the northern hemisphere and never sets below the horizon.
