Worth 1000 Words (12-04-06)

It all began a few weeks ago when a five-foot, eight-inch salt shaker and a six-foot, four-inch pepper shaker walked into the high school. Talk about “seasons” greetings!

The district recently issued me a new cell phone, as the previous one was on its last legs. At my request, I was issued a model that included a digital camera. Why? ‘Tis the season!

When I was sponsoring our annual Masquerade Dance, the student council costume party, in walked Jason Walker and Brady Jeffery dressed as, you guessed it, giant-sized salt and pepper shakers! My first thought was, “Where’s a camera? Does anyone have a camera?”

It occurred to me then just how much good I could do for our school if I only had a convenient, readily available camera. Now, it just so happened that I had been instructed to look for a new phone, (one that preferable worked) and the idea of a camera phone suddenly made so much sense.

My intention for this technology was to try to capture those memorable moments of high school that would otherwise be missed. I wanted to capture the students in all their glory, doing good deeds, showing their school spirit, and working on the amazing projects our teachers make possible.

And I wanted to share as many of these pics as possible. I realized that just on the other side of my office wall was an empty bulletin board, all ready covered in red, just waiting to be put to use. So I had Colleen, our super substitute secretary, create the “Principal Picts” bulletin board, with the slogan, “Have you been pict?”

(FYI: While I consider myself to be a fairly creative person, creating bulletin boards has never been a strength of mine. Go figure!)

It was then time to capture some kids! At first I was nervous. How would the kids react? Would they think a camera wielding administrator to be a bit strange? Would they try to run and hide each time I opened my phone?

The first person I asked to “pic” actually turned me down. This student was openly embarrassed, and fussed about their appearance. I think the student felt they were having a bad hair day.

The first person I asked to photograph just happened to be senior boy. Crikey!

But after that awkward exchange, I found that my earlier trepidation was all for naught. Not only did every other request find a positive response, but most students were willing to work with me. Some suggested creative poses, better lighting, or different camera angles.

As my bulletin board filled up, my vision began to materialize. I caught kids clowning, cramming, and caring. It seemed everywhere I looked there was another positive photo-op. This first week of Principal Picts just proved my theory that with a camera, I would be able to capture much of what makes Hill City High School such a great place to work, teach, and learn.

Then I had another thought. What if, I included a “Principal Pic” with my “Principal Perspective”?

Eventually, I decided to share with you a bit of meta-photography. When the students discovered what I was up to, many of them checked out my office to see if they had been “pict.” I was able to photograph them looking at photographs of themselves. To me, the image represents all that is warm and wonderful about our HCHS: young people being happily engaged in school life. The high school years should be some of the best, and I hope this pic captures some of that feeling.

Whether or not you would agree that a picture is worth a thousand words, I can attest that a picture phone is worth over 600 words, the length of this column. My thanks to the USD for the camera phone, and to all the kids (senior boys included) who have risen to my challenge:

Have you been pict?