Everyone has a Strength!

ARC is still at it with open arms. The students are still continuing to go to ARC in Fitchburg.When we went and observed what they were doing we found out many things. One is that there are many nice people there and they are very welcoming. Another thing is that we got to meet people. Catherine was doing a puzzle with someone and she was much better at it than Catherine was. All the people in the place have their own skills and they say you just need to find them. One student in our Winterim, David, found ARC motivating and continued to ask to go back. When asked why David said that he liked how they could do things and continued on with a good life even with setbacks. The ARC is a very nice place that many people should look at and help out.

Digital Photography: The Real Deal

On Monday, Digital Photography embarked on a long, flash-filled day trip to the one big city in Massachusetts: Boston. It’s a pretty huge deal, since this is the group’s main day trip where they get the most and the best photos of the two weeks. On Tuesday, Digital Photography students are uploading their photos and picking out their best ones. From what I gather, members of this Winterim all felt as if the trip to Boston was a productive and fun one (see what I did there? Huh? Huh? :D).

Today I decided to find out what the real deal with Digital Photography is. Is there more to this Winterim besides going to random places and taking amazing pictures? What are their plans for the rest of the week? Unfortunately, most of the students were too engrossed in their work for me to talk to them. I did, however, have a chance to interview Mr. Rooney about what the program is going to do for the rest of the week. He said, “Yesterday was a good day, got lots of good pictures. Boston was really our main trip. We might try to squeeze in one more trip tomorrow, maybe Salem. It all depends on the weather. Soon, we’re going to do some still life and studio portraits, and then we’re finished.”

I also asked Mr. Rooney if he had any sort of specific things for his students to look for and take photos of. “There isn’t really anything specific. Mainly, in the past weeks I’ve been trying to get them to differentiate between what makes a good photo and what doesn’t. That’s what these day trips are about, really. We see cityscapes, portraits. We’ve seen lots of the works of other photographers. We call them ‘masters of photography’. Later on they’re going to write a report on a photographer that they choose, so we’ll be discussing that more to”

Check out the slideshow above which showcases some of the best photos taken by this group! Enjoy their work; it's outstanding. :)

A Little Help Goes a Long Way!

The ARC volunteers have been a huge help to the staff at this center. These students go the Fitchburg center every day to work and interact with adults with disabilities. The staff at ARC is very happy with the work and company that our students offer to these people. "One patient really likes to walk around a lot, and some of the kids walk with her," one staff member says. "It's a really big help to us, that one thing alone. It's amazing, the company these kids offer to them." The ARC volunteers spend lots of time with these people, watch movies with them, do puzzles, exercise, color pictures and do many other activities.

Iron Forging

The Iron Forging group has been working hard this week and has a lot of work to show for it. When we went to visit they had made metal fish, forks, and various other designs.

Here's a video I took while visiting the group

Snapping Photos in a Digital World

Probably the most proactive on-campus Winterim is Digital Photography, which has already gone to several off-campus locations and taken some amazing photographs.

Already, this Winterim has gone to Concord and a farm in Springfield. in the wide room, students have spread out across the stoolsand couches, eye glued to their laptop screens, and engrossed in their work. "Sharpen everything," says Mr. John Rooney, the director of Digital Photography, "It's important to sharpen everything at least a little bit." Looking at some of the photographs, I saw a wide variety of subjects and many interesting perspectives.

This afternoon, Digital Photography plans to travel to Fitchburg, where they will go to an art museum for a tour and see professional work. They travel to Boston on Monday to take some more shots, and will be back on Tuesday. Check back then to see how their pictures came out!