Longtime Teacher Shares Photography Skills With Claypit Hill and Happy Hollow Schools

Photo: After 32 years of teaching, Conrad Gees is pursuing his photography interests. He has a studio in Natick, and is now leading photography clubs in the Wayland elementary schools. Credit: submitted

Long-time Wayland teacher Conrad Gees, who retired just over a year ago and has a studio in Natick, is sharing his photography skills with Wayland students this year through Photography Clubs at Claypit Hill and Happy Hollow Schools for Grade 5 pupils and at Loker School for Grade 4 students.

Since Loker School opened its doors this fall to K-4 students, Mr. Gees will launch his first club this academic year at Loker School. While photographing a variety of subjects and places in the community and at home, students will also devote some of their efforts to capturing images depicting Loker School’s reopening as a full elementary school. The new sign welcoming families to the school, a new playground, and a gymnasium featuring painted images originally sketched by the students are all potential subjects for the roving photographers.

The tentative schedule is to start the club at Loker, possibly offering two rounds of classes, then moving on to Happy Hollow and Claypit Hill Schools, potentially scheduling three four-week rotations at those schools, depending on enrollment. Loker’s classes start on Monday, Oct. 20, and continue through Nov. 10.

Last winter, the club debuted at Happy Hollow School with an enrollment of 36 students; three different sessions were offered, with each accommodating 12 students.

Classes will be held on Mondays; plans are also in the works to offer a Wednesday class this winter at the Wayland Middle School.

No equipment or prior experience is necessary. Students will have access to and use of cameras and computers for editing. Each class will be right after school from 3-4:30 p.m. Topics will include: camera use, composition, lighting, and editing using I-Photo.

The four-week class costs $100, and this fee covers use of the camera for the full session, snacks, one mounted photographic quality print of one of the student’s photographs,and the cost of mounting and displaying an exhibit of student works in the Raytheon Room at the Wayland Public Library. It is a one-month annual exhibit.

Wayland School Community Programs, Community Education, is offering the class, and registration is online.

Article submitted by Connie Burgess