The Geneseo school district recently unveiled a wall of acrylic photographs at its unit office that highlights the district’s five schools and some of its most prominent facilities.
The display features prints of Geneseo High School, Geneseo Middle School, Millikin Elementary, Northside Elementary and Southwest Elementary. It also highlights Bob Reade Field, the high school’s main gym and concert hall, and the Ted McAvoy Career and Technical Education Center.
“We’re extremely proud of our buildings and facilities, and this wall showcases the places where our students learn, compete, participate and create memories throughout their school years,” stated Superintendent Dr. Laura Delgado. “Whether it’s our staff, our Board of Education, or members of our community, we hope that visitors to our office enjoy this visual representation of our school district.”
A current Geneseo High School student, senior AvaLynn Westfall, contributed multiple photographs to the project. AvaLynn discovered her interest in photography a couple years ago, and last year, she joined the yearbook club.
“I had a friend who had a camera, and we were just going to mess around with it and do some photo shoots,” AvaLynn explained. “I tried it out and I really liked it. So I bought my own camera and I got involved with the yearbook club. Then I decided to start doing it myself.”
While AvaLynn appreciated the opportunity to document familiar landmarks throughout Geneseo, she’s learned that photographing people–specifically athletes–is what she prefers.
“I really enjoy taking shots of people,” she said. “Sports photography is what I enjoy the most. It's just more interesting. People seem to like the photos I take of them and they use them.”
AvaLynn’s work can be found on her Instagram account, @capturedbyavalynn_. While she doesn’t envision photography being a full-time career, she plans to continue gaining experience, whether that’s capturing the action on the football field or taking senior portraits.
“We can’t thank AvaLynn enough for her contributions," said Dr. Delgado. “She is very talented, she did a wonderful job, and we were thrilled to have a student participate. It was a nice way to celebrate our schools and facilities while giving our office a more contemporary look.”