Projects
This array of projects ensures we serve our school, community and students while covering all of the 21st century leadership skills. For more information on a project you can click the links provided or contact Mr. Calhoun by emailing mcalhoun@bethelsd.org
The Portrait Project
Photography club leadership will coordinate with all Bethel SD #403 high school counselors and social workers to set qualifying criteria for graduating Seniors to have senior portraits or cap and gown photos taken for free. Automatic qualifiers will be students enrolled in McKinney-Vento. Other qualifying criteria will be determined by counselors and social workers. The project dates will be from 15 September to 1 November for senior portraits and 1 April to 1 May for cap and gown portraits. Photo club members will gain experience in building and executing a plan for operating a senior portrait photography type business.
Student leadership and CTSO members will decide on three different dates that they will make themselves available to shoot senior portraits and cap and gown photos. Location options are Frontier Park, Spanaway Park and the GKHS Portrait Studio. Students will create a timeline for photo shooting, editing and delivery of a standard package. CTSO members will identify who will be editors, who will be photographers and who will assist with lighting (bounce or flash) and hair / makeup touch-up (fly away hairs etc.) portrait prompts, digital deliverables and a single 8x10 print. They will develop a series of prompts to evoke natural moments rather than rigid posing.
Native American Heritage
November is Native American Heritage Month and photography club will honor this with a project and display of inspired works. Students will individually or in groups choose one of the chapters, 2 to 8, from Tribal Perspectives guide. They will learn their chosen chapter beginning October 10th. The project display will be on the 26th of November in their homes sharing with their families first. Students will then display the photos in our Art and CTE hallway until winter break.
Students will retell the lesson from the guide in a series of photographs. The series of photos should be limited to 5 photographs and should not merely be photographs of already made tribal art. Photographs must be new works of art that capture a moment that tells a story related to the topics they learned in the chapter. Chapters provide concepts and vocabulary. These will serve as guides for the photo club photographers - a focus if you will.
We will coordinate a field trip for the CTSO to gain perspective and inspiration with a visit to the The Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Select students from Photo 2 and AP 2D Art and Design will be invited to join. We will coordinate a guest speaker from a local tribe to help us kick off our Native American Heritage study.
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Portrait of a Graduate
Students will generate their version of the "Portrait of a graduate" project. I will provide them with the flyer you see here. Student leadership will then begin to generate a plan on how to accomplish the project. The project deadline will coincide with the AP 2D ART and Design portfolio submission timeline (Mid to late MAY). Compositions must be intentional with strong application of elements and principles.
Our Portrait of a Graduate design process will strive to engage the education system and the broader community—educators, students, elected officials, community members, families— to help build a unifying, collective vision for us students. Bringing together these diverse perspectives is essential for enduring educational transformation.
This year long project covers in class and out of class leadership needs. Students must work together to plan and organize in the classroom. Students must work together to interview and photograph members of the community.
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GKHS Marketing Agency
Our Marketing Agency Project is an opportunity for our CTSO student leadership to take action for our community. With a mix of rural farmland and urban sprawl our community has diverse needs. Simple things such as public transportation do not exist in many areas of our community. To support our community resource center and the GK pantry our student leadership will help to spread the word about our wonderful home grown resource. We will combine with our JROTC CTSO leadership to support our GK pantry when volunteer needs and time exists. Spending time not only with the ad agency project but also volunteering time to work in the pantry.
CTSO student leadership will create a plan to create print ready marketing material such as flyers and posters for the GK pantry to use around the community. These different marketing pieces must cover the topics and services the GK pantry provides. They must create the assets for use in the marketing pieces. They will also spend time photographing one of the GK pantry events for GK pantry to use in social media, website or other needs. We will try to coordinate this photo shoot to happen when JROTC is volunteering to provide coverage for them too. The club will run like an ad agency during this time holding students to the deadlines and deliverables that they set.
State & National Competitions
SkillsUSA is a national competition that begins with regional qualifiers, then state then the opportunity to compete at the national level. This is the most career oriented and rigorous competition. Photography consists of the following 7 parts:
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Part 1 Photo Knowledge Test 50 questions
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Part 2 Field Assignment 6 JPEG photos
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Part 3 Conceptual 1 layered PSD file
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Part 4 Product Photography 1 JPEG photo
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Part 5 Digital Editing 1 layered PSD file
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Part 6 Print Competition 2 JPEG photos
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Part 7 Resumes 1 pdf document
The Washington State Fair is a competition among all high schools in the state that choose to compete. Photos are displayed at the state fair and fair goers may offer to buy. Winners receive ribbons.
District & County Competitions
The Bethel Tech & Arts Fair is a competition amongst the high schools in our district and the winner receives a $25.00 check from the superintendent and their photo is hung in the district office.
The Pierce County Fair is a competition amongst all members of our county. They are split into category by age and then type of photography. Winners receive ribbons and cash prizes.