Elements Photo Contest extends deadline to April
The West Point Clay County Arts Council's Photo Contest has once again extended its deadline from January 5 to April 19. The theme of this year's contest is “ELEMENTS,” with submitted photos featuring various scenes from the natural world.
“The subject is elements, but elements are really just the world around you. It could be the leaves in the trees or anything around you. We tried to keep it a broad subject so that anything you took a picture of would be a part of the contest,” said Leah Alonso. “The grass at your dog's feet is an element… you can really see anything around you, take a picture, and enter.”
The amateur photography contest put on by the WPCCAC used to be an annual tradition for the West Point community. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, the photo contest was put on hold. Now, the West Point Clay County Arts Council is attempting to bring the photo contest back, along with memories from years past.
“We were just trying to revamp it. It was really popular before COVID,” said Alonso. “Years ago, I participated in the contest and I was the overall winner. I was in the first grade, and the theme that year was hands… I just snapped a photo of two little girls holding hands, and that was the one that won.”
This year's contest has been running over the past several weeks in the West Point and Clay County areas. This competition includes three age categories, each encouraging amateur photographers to get involved. The three categories are youth aged 12 and under, teens aged 13 to 17, and adults aged 18 and over. 1st and 2nd Honorable Mention prizes will be awarded in each category. Besides the Honorable Mention Prizes, there will also be a Grand Prize Winner, who will receive $250.00.
“Anyone can participate,” said Alonso. “Give your twoyear-old your cell phone and let them take pictures, and you can enter. We want to see photos from anyone and everyone. It doesn't need to be a professional picture. We are looking for amateurs who just have an artistic eye.”
Submissions to the contest are still encouraged and can be mailed to P.O. Box 105. All entries must be earmarked by April 19. Or, for other options for submission, you can contact Leah Forrest Alonso on Facebook.
“As long as photos are submitted by the fifth of January, we will accept late entries,” said Alonso. “Some people are afraid to take or submit pictures because they feel judged or cri
to the six top-performing students enrolled in the SOE Early Literacy I course. Ford said the course is a “critical pathway course” in the education program and is known by students to be rigorous.
Prior to finals week, Ford and Dr. Bob Fuller, the chair of The W's School of Education, honored all Early Literacy I students' hard work and efforts, and the six top-performing Early Literacy I students received Tools4Reading instructional kits, which contained materials for building and using a sound wall to teach reading and spelling.
The grant supports the ongoing work to improve literacy teacher preparation. In October, Fuller and Ford attended the Summit on the Science of Reading in Higher Education hosted by the Mount St. Joseph University Center for Reading Science in Syracuse, New York. The summit enabled Ford and Fuller to collaborate with colleagues and researchers from across the country, gain support in strengthening the literacy teacher preparation program at The W and explore and share resources to align literacy courses and field experiences to the science of reading research.
Following the summit, Ford and Fuller attended the 6th Annual Conference of The Reading League, where Ford reconnected with Dr. Antonio Fierro, a member of the conference committee. Fierro has served as a mentor and has supported Ford's work to ensure The W's teacher candidates are prepared to teach reading effectively. He also contributed to Ford's idea for the grant.
Ford said Louisa C. Moats, a respected literacy researcher and author who spoke at the conference in New York, said it best in an article titled “Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science: What Expert Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do” in the journal
“American Educator,” which is published by the American Federation of Teachers.
“Just about all children can be taught to read and deserve no less from their teachers,” Moats wrote. “Teachers, in turn, deserve no less than the knowledge, skills and supported practice that will enable their teaching to succeed. There is no more important challenge for education to undertake.”
Founded in 1979, MPE is a statewide professional association with approximately 13,500 teachers, administrators and non-certified staff from kindergarten to graduate school level. Its top priority is the education and achievement of students.