Any student who is interested in writing and drawing can join the staff, which meets weekly to read and discuss submissions and to plan the layout of the magazine. In recent years, awards have been given for best poetry, fiction, and nonfiction as well as for art submisssions. The Aquila staff has sponsored a contest for the design of the magazine cover and given a cash prize to the winner.

The Aquila has been recognized as by the National Council of Teachers of English as an above average literary magazine.