From left, senior Jamie Early, eighth grader Ben Houser and seventh grader Andrei Bardin-Siekawitch won second, first and third place, respectively, in the high school and middle school values-themed photo contest. Their winning photos will be printed on canvas and displayed in the hallways of the two schools.
Ben Houser's first-place photo features his brother climbing between etched out portions of a rock face that used to be a waterfall in Death Valley, California.
Jamie Early won second place in the values photo contest with her photo of a fireweed.
Andrei Bardin-Siekawitch took a photo of his friends on top of a snowy hill. He entered the photo the last day of the contest and won third place.
Three photos won top honors for depicting values like friendship and goals in a themed photography contest held by the Wrangell middle and high schools.
Little interest was shown in the contest when it was first announced last fall, said assistant principal Bob Davis, with only four photos entered. After extending the deadline, 50 photos were entered by 20 students.
Eighth grader Ben Houser won first place with a photo of his brother in Death Valley, California; senior Jamie Early won second with a photo of fireweed at the Nemo Point overlook; and seventh grader Andrei Bardin-Siekawitch won third with his photo of friends from art class.
Since the contest focused on the theme of values, students had to put some thought into what value their photo represented, often making the process more challenging than just taking a picture of something they thought would make an interesting photo.
"I took the photo because Ms. Davies, my art teacher, for the photo contest, she brought us all out walking around town, and we got some good photos from that," Bardin-Siekawitch said. "I originally wasn't going to submit anything. I couldn't find anything that fit the 'values' of the photo contest. Then I just decided on the last day of the photo contest to send (one in of my friends standing on a snow hill) and got third place."
Counselor Addy Esco said the contest was created from trying to find ways to help students have some ownership over the school.
"By having the students intentionally look for things that are important to them or things they personally value, it was just a creative way to highlight that," Esco said.
A similar contest was held last year, Davis said, but no theme was attached. "We wanted to add a little flavor to it this year, and by adding values to it, it made it more significant."
Early, who has an interest in photography, has taken photos of the subjects that tend to catch her eye. Throwing in a theme put a different slant on how she approached her photos.
"It definitely made you think about it more. I had to put some actual thought into it instead of, 'Oh, this picture looks pretty. I'm going to put that one up there,'" Early said. Her photo of bright pink fireweed standing out from a backdrop of green foliage represents the value of courage. "I already had the photo taken, and the one that one was the easiest to pick out for me because it was one of the only photos I initially took with a purpose. I didn't just look at it and think it was pretty, I had a value in mind when I took it."
Bardin-Siekawitch said he took a lot of photos that he believed were good enough to win a contest, but it was more difficult to find one that would fit a values theme.
Houser's value was of climbing to reach goals was depicted by his brother climbing up a rock face that was eroded from a one-time waterfall in Death Valley while on vacation. "I'm in wrestling right now and we're always talking about goals and how you're getting better and always climbing to the top."
First place won $300, while second won $200 and third place won $100, all in Amazon gift cards. The rest of the participants were awarded $20 gift cards from local businesses. The funds for the prizes came from the state's marijuana tax intended to go toward youth education and marijuana and drug prevention.
"This (contest) is one way to try and prevent kids from coming into contact with the system for drug-related incidents," said Candace Botts, a juvenile probation officer in Ketchikan. Botts helped Davis secure the funding for the contest.
Botts said the photo contest focused "on the values and characteristics one might rely on for seeking and maintaining a healthy and productive life - one that doesn't include drugs."
Davis said the winning photos and some of the other submissions will be printed on canvas to be displayed around the school on a long-term basis.
Winning the contest has generated more interest in photography for the students, keeping them mindful of their subject matter. But rewards don't hurt either.
"I just do it for fun, but if there's a way to earn some money and get some prizes, I can't say no to that," Bardin-Siekawitch said.
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