Recently, students in digital photography were asked to showcase three of ISB’s values through their pictures; however, they could not use people to complete this assignment. The ISB values are care, integrity, commitment, gratitude, courage, balance, respect, and responsibility. These words can be hard to show through pictures, especially without using people.

Although this concept was hard to approach, the students made the best of it using their creativity.

Photography student  Kiera Mcgraw (10) explained how she approached the assignment. “I wanted to go back to simple ideas so others could understand the picture.” Since the project was difficult, she explains that simplicity was key so that even though you could not use people, someone would still understand the message being conveyed by the image. One of the ISB values Kiera chose was responsibility.  “I made paper ants carrying a leaf four times their size so they could bring it back for food. This was an example of responsibility because they were taking care of themselves.”

Another student, Pierce Hudson (9), decided to showcase the value of commitment. He explained how the viewer might interpret the picture. “If you look at this photo, it might not be the first thing that you see, but if you think about it and the ideas behind it, you will realize my intentions. The small bit of paint on the large piece of paper shows how the painting will take a lot of time to complete and that it will not be an easy task.”

Mr. Tahan, the photography teacher, explained why he assigned the students this assignment. “It was a great way to highlight the ISB Values. Students got a chance to think about what these values mean, why they are important, and how they might represent them. We were able to remind people who pass by our display of the attributes that are essential to bettering our community. It fit perfectly with the artistic concept of Visual Literacy, finding meaning in what we see and creating as artists.” He also adds that the students were very successful.

It is always important to remind students and everyone at ISB of the school values. Through this project, students were able to use their imagination to show all of the ISB values. This also allowed students to better understand what these values really mean since they had to show them in creative and different ways.  You can check out the pictures outside the photography room.

What do you think about this assignment? Does it help people understand the ISB values?

Let us know in the comments!

Isabella Abate