The New Darkroom!

It's here! It is finally done! Ms. Djordjevic and I have been waiting for this moment for a long time! The brand new darkroom located in room 241 of Burlington High School. Wait, this isn't 1976? No, can you believe it...a brand new darkroom built in the year 2014. Why, you may ask, waste time, money, and energy on a new darkroom in this digital age? The fundamentals -- that is why. I am reminded of my childhood and how, when using a film camera, I had to think about each and every photograph before the click of the shutter for fear of wasting an exposure. Nowadays in my photography 1 classes, the number of student hands raised when asked who has ever used film has dwindled. This year is the first in which I have had students without a single hand raised! Our students will get back to basics by learning how to carefully compose a photograph and take it through the painstaking steps to bring it to fruition. Planning, composing, and attention to detail are some words that come to mind when working in the darkroom. Not to mention working with our hands -- we spend so much time on our devices in 2014 that diving into the darkroom is a much needed distraction for many photographers. When I remind students that devices cannot be allowed in the darkroom because the light will ruin their images, their stunned faces make me smile, for I know that the memories they make in our darkroom far outweigh the texts or emails they will receive in that time. 

Thank you to everyone involved in the planning, construction, and finances of the darkroom. We all learned a lot about building a darkroom and with its completion we can all enjoy this beauty of a room. Lexi and I did not know a thing about ordering sinks for the darkroom, but we did our research, consulted other schools, and pulled through. Thank goodness BHS has a close-knit art department; without the support from our other art teachers, I think Lexi and I would have been committed! 

Thank you especially to the following people:

• Our administrators: Dr. Eric Conti, Mr. Mark Sullivan, and Mr. Patrick Larkin
  
• Craig Robinson and Marianne Frazier in Finance
  
• Mr. Steve Zarba and his staff for building the room! Their patience and coordination truly helped this room to blossom into the beauty it is today.
  
• The BHS Art Department: Mr. Ratkevich, Ms. Chang, Ms. Djordjevic, and Mrs. Vigneau 

Brave the smell of those lovely chemicals and come join us for a tour! Drop by anytime to come see the room.

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