As adults we often ask a wide eyed child the obvious question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” This week you may find the tables turned on you as young students query the average local about their own dreams. Twenty-two kids from the gifted and talented program at Turner Middle School are turning their pens — and their cameras — to the future as they participate in the workshop titled ‘Berthoud Photography Exploration: Words of Hope and Vision.’
When I think of kids and cameras, I tend to picture my young daughter taking numerous candid shots of the floor or perhaps a close-up of my ear.
However, as I learned from Program Coordinator Carrie Bartmann, photography, communication and social skills willcoalesce to create a fulfilling lesson for her students.
Carrie has run the gifted and talented program at both Turner and Berthoud Elementary for the past year, and coordinates the assignments, finances and students for the yearly workshop. The fine details of photography are taught by Bob Campagna, an artist-in-residence from Iowa. Bob has been hired by the school district to work with all five middle schools for the last several years and has helped to make this a very popular workshop with the kids.
Students must apply to attend and their fee helps cover film, (yes, film, just like in the ‘old days’), processing and matting of their final product.
Last fall the group centered their work on the 1975 Big Thompson flood.
Typically, the top seven applicants from each of the five middle schools are chosen, but due to special circumstances this spring’s workshop is being offered to all 22 future photo-journalists at Turner.
Last week the shutterbugs had an orientation to go over the basic use of their camera — no ear portraits for these guys — and discuss what’s expected of them in the course of the next few weeks. Carrie has divided the students into three groups and this week they will descend upon the community and surrounding area to conduct their interviews of locals in the matter of hope and vision. Their subjects and conversations are to be random and spontaneous. I can’t help but speculate on the empowering experience that would be for any adolescent. Based on interests expressed on their applications, the kids go on writing and photography field trips in the Berthoud and Carter Lake areas, or perhaps Estes Park. In conjunction with their interviews, they choose their targets and snap away.
Next week, the following step is to develop their results at Bill Reed Middle School’s darkroom in Loveland, and combine the words and pictures to convey their interpretation of the inspiring theme. Carrie oversees the writing project and Bob matte’s their artwork and helps the kids choose the appropriate frame for their photos.
This incredible opportunity culminates in an exhibit of the students’ final work on Wednesday evening, April 26 at the Berthoud Area Community Center.
While the photographers extend personal invitations to their friends and family, the public is also welcome to attend and view the projects.
In a time of such chaos and conflict in the world, it’s sure to be profound, getting a glimpse of hope and vision through the eyes of our future generation.