Back by popular demand, Ball High’s photography class has risen from the grave and is back to stay – for good. Taught by Michael Dudas, the class once enjoyed a large and vastly popular following at Ball High, but the class was shoved to the back of the closet years ago for reasons unknown. “We decided to bring it back. I had 30 students last year – this year I have about 105.” Dudas said.

“Photography has always been a popular class, and now more students than ever before are eligible to participate,” Dudas added.  “Though the class is not required for Media Arts members, many students enjoy taking this class as a favorite elective, and it has now become one of the most popular classes among the Media Arts Community.”

Alongside photography lessons, Dudas’ class also offers an array of newfound opportunities for students. On one occasion, six students from Dudas’ photography class were selected to take yearbook photos for the students at Central Middle School. This opportunity allowed the photography students to gain first-hand and real-world experience with business and photography.

The yearbook photos taken acted as a “mini fundraiser” claimed Dudas. “Central keeps a portion of the income and the photography program keeps a portion to buy more equipment, etc. It’s a creative and useful way to raise more money.” Dudas then continued with, “It’s a low-cost, quality product and gives our kids experience,”

Caleb Partipilo, a junior at Ball, said “It’s really cool to be here and to be able to learn how to start running things like a business,” and “As someone who wants to go into the entertainment industry, this is how things run and we’re starting to learn how to do things by ourselves. The most engaging part is the fact that we do this ourselves.”