Congratulations, Michele Contala!

Michele Contala is the featured blog artist on DKG.org this month:
Celebrating our Key Women Spotlight on Gallery Artist – Michele Contala, Lambda, New Jersey
An Open Artists’ Discussion on Creation, Technique & Opportunity

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1. Briefly, tell me a little bit about yourself as an educator and as a photographer?

I am a retired sixth grade classroom teacher in the middle school. When our sixth grade was transferred from the elementary to the middle school, we began an after-school club originally titled The Videographer’s Club and later renamed the Technology Club. The pandemic did not slow us down this year. With access to Zoom and breakout rooms we completed our thirty-first year!

In the elementary school we borrowed a VHS camera (even an extension cord on our shoestring budgets) and filmed in real time Great Lives of Great People, Time Travelers to Ancient Rome and Greece, and Just Say No to Drugs. When we moved to the middle school, we were able to edit on a VHS system and continued with curriculum inspired projects through a grant from Eco-Lab. With a grant from Tech 2000 our new creative life began with an eMac.  We added an iMac with a gift from the George Link Charitable Trust.

The focus of our club has been an orientation film for fifth graders and recently the township has added a district wide film festival.  Bringing my love of photography to the students has enhanced our learning experience and created a bond. Students researched, wrote scripts, filmed, and edited their work. We work primarily on iMacs and iPads but all others are encouraged.

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