Bicentennial meets curriculum in West
Boylston
|
By Sandy Meindersma BANNER CORRESPONDENT -
www.weeklybanner.com
|
WEST BOYLSTON — Although the town’s
Bicentennial celebration officially began
less than a month ago, students in the high
school’s visual communications class were
some of the many who spent part of last year
helping to get ready for the yearlong
celebration.
The 42
students in last semester’s courses took
pictures of the town that are part of the
town’s official celebration.
The course,
which provides the students with training in
Microsoft Front Page and Adobe Photoshop, is
also responsible for the school’s Web site,
one of the few student-run sites statewide.
|
Students in West Boylston High
School’s visual communications
class (from left) Leah Pusateri,
Samantha Janda, Ariana Philbin,
Amanda Peterson, Jess Novia and
Victoria Cormier have been
taking part in activities tied
to the town’s bicentennial
celebration. (Banner photo/SANDY
MEINDERSMA) |
|
The students are also required to photograph
their school and their town as part of the
“Looking Through Our Lens” project.
This year, at the request of West Boylston
Art Foundation member Sarah O’Connor,
teacher Lynne Pelto adapted her standard
curriculum in order to coincide with the
Bicentennial and a mural project at Major
Edwards Elementary Schools.
The student photos are being used as
references by mosaic artist Cindy Fisher as
she designed the mural that will be
assembled by the students at the elementary
school.
As part of “Looking Through Our Lens,”
students took several field trips around
town, including one to the center of town
and another to the Old Stone Church.
While the mission was to provide material
for the Bicentennial, the students also
learned about the town.
Student Victoria Cormier said she
particularly liked the field trip to the
center of town.
“It made you appreciate your town,” she
said. “Usually you just drive by and not
really notice things.”
“It was great to go down to the Old Stone
Church,” Leah Pusateri said. “I got pictures
of the outside and the flag. I appreciate it
more now. Everybody just drives by and takes
it for granted.”
“I don’t live in town, so I really liked
going to the Old Stone Church,” Samantha
Janda said. “I had never been over there, so
I got to see it from a different angle.”
The photos are published in several
galleries on the school’s Web site,
www.westboylstonschools.k12.ma.us, and Pelto
has requested that a link to the galleries
be added from the town’s Bicentennial
website.
“I’m very impressed with the individual
viewpoints,” Pelto said. “There were very
individual shots – every kid had a different
perspective.”
The students’ work, along with the photos
taken by the students in the spring semester
classes, will be part of the art festival on
the town common scheduled for September
during the weekend of the parade.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
