As students, teachers, and parents alike adjust to the all virtual schooling environment, many students find themselves unable to participate in the parts of school that they looked forward to the most: extracurriculars. Several clubs are having difficulty navigating the question of how to best reach students effectively without compromising on both relationships and fun. One teacher who has stepped up to the challenge is Art teacher Nicholas  Fiocco, who runs the Photography Club at Kingsway.
Though it has been an adjustment, Mr. Fiocco feels “very fortunate” to be able to still run the Photography Club this year despite the inability for physical presence in a classroom. Due to the virtual environment, the club is not able to meet in person to discuss technique or lend DSLR cameras and equipment like last year. Even without the ability to distribute and use these cameras until in-person teaching resumes, smartphone cameras are more than sufficient for quality shots, and are already accessible for many students. According to Fiocco, “teaching face to face can never be replicated, but we will do what we can to make the best out of a poor situation.” While it is a change, Photo Club is running just as well.
As new photography assignments are posted, Fiocco attaches a descriptive video as well as examples, and students are challenged to create interesting compositions from the comfort of their homes. Similar to last year, each photo a student submits is graded, and at the end of the year the student with the highest amount of points receives a prize. Last year’s winner was Caitlyn Hickey, now a junior, who believes that photography “allows for self expression. Since there is nothing to do around the house, it is easy to pull out a camera and have some fun.” Needless to say, in a time like this the ability to go around the house with a project in mind and emerge with a great photo can be beneficial to anyone.
If interested in joining Photography Club, reach out to Mr. Fiocco!

*photos by Caitlyn Hickey