100 5th graders at Lincoln Elementary
On June 5, 2024, Staff Photographer Sree Sripathy made a virtual presentation to the 5th grade class of Lincoln Elementary in Cupertino. Four 5th-grade classrooms participated in the event, organized by Ms. Heather Reuterskiold. Around 100 students from four different Lincoln Elementary classrooms participated in the presentation.
The 5th grade classes had just completed a memoir writing project and the We Belong presentation tied in nicely with the end of that segment.
What is Visual Journalism
Sripathy introduced the students to what Visual Journalism is about. She explained that photographers see the world differently and how angles, lighting, and focus can change a photograph. Sripathy also described the structure and organization of the project so students understood the required work and research level.
Sripathy shared images of community engagement, diversity, and cultural representation, and also presented specific photos showing images of children the same age as the 5th graders (and older) that she used in the project. She also told the students about how people photographed responded to the images through handwritten notes associated with each image.
Students were encouraged to ask questions throughout the presentation and many of the South Asian students in the 5th grade class asked questions relating to process and details in the photos. Students were encouraged to think about how they see their own communities and what they might photograph.
3rd grade at Millbrook Elementary, San Jose
Sripathy made a second in-person presentation on June 10, 2024, to Ms. Keysone Manithep’s third-grade classroom at Millbrook Elementary in San Jose.
Sripathy introduced the students to the subject of photography, why it’s important, and how photography helps us observe and see things in new ways. She tailored the presentation to a 3rd-grade classroom, focusing on what it means to observe, and shared examples of photographs from the We Belong project and asked students what they noticed in each one.
Almost all the 25 or more students asked questions and each student observed details in the images. South Asian students raised their hands frequently to share cultural details they noticed in the photos.
Students stood up to read portions of the presentation in an interactive segment. The presentation concluded by showing two 18×24 print images from the project and asking each student to come up close and notice a detail in the portrait.
Both presentations emphasized the importance of observation and seeing things from different perspectives. Students were encouraged to try taking their own photos and observing their surroundings and culture more closely.
This series was made possible in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program.