It is often said that a photo can convey a thousand words. A photo can be even more powerful if it conveys something familiar.

Knowing this, Akins administrators tried something new this year to motivate incoming Akins students. Instead of hanging generic motivational posters in the hallways, they decided to feature Akins and vertical team elementary students to show off all the career path majors available at Akins.

“We really wanted to build that connection from what elementary school you attend, to what middle school you attend so that everyone sees that we’re all going to end up at Akins High School,” STEM teacher Jeanie McGough said.

“I thought that they should start building that school spirit and building that connection to where we’re all going to end up at Akins.”

The idea was to inform and inspire elementary students about all of the career path programs available at Akins. To make it happen, administrators turned to the new commercial photography program at Akins. Advanced commercial photography students helped coordinate the photo shoot, which featured Akins students dressed in career wear paired with elementary students.

The photos have been sent to the district print shop to be made into posters that will be hung in area elementary schools that feed into Akins.

“The purpose of the campaign was to inform younger students about the career programs and all the opportunities that Akins has to offer,” commercial photography teacher David Doerr said.

With over forty Akins students participating in the project, the campaign had a great turn out.

“I thought it was a really unique thing to do because we’ve never done anything like it before,” junior Miranda LeBlanc said, one of the student photographers.

“I think they got to see how many things they could be when they grow up and how many opportunities they will have in high school.”

“What we really wanted to build was that connection,” McGough said, “So that the school spirit from what elementary school you go to, towards what middle school you go to, so that everyone sees that we’re all going to end up at Akins High School.”

With graduation requirements changing, students are now expected to come out of school, career ready. Conveniently, Akins has programs such as Ready, Set, Teach in the Social Services academy and the opportunity to work with real animals in the ACES academy that help students get ahead and meet the required expectations.

“I think that’s where the excitement from everyone came from,” McGough said. “Students at Akins have an idea of what they want to do or what they want to study in college and that’s something that everybody can be excited about.”