With help from donors and the Gloucester Education Foundation, the GHS photo lab has invested $30,000 into new computers, and editing software for students. 

After having 18 outdated iMacs, the photo lab is now equipped with 22 new 21.5-inch iMacs with Retina 4k Displays, along with the full Adobe suite of applications. 

Photo teacher Emily Harney reached out to the GEF in order to upgrade her room to help her students express their creativity more than ever. GEF donated $30,000 with the help of donors such as Mr. Rob Amory, an artist himself, who contributed $10,000.

The students of GHS had been hampered in their creative and artistic endeavors by outdated computers and slow running editing software; the photo lab needed an upgrade. 

The new computers in the Photo Lab provide students opportunities to express their artistic capabilities and increase productivity. Not only will these computers be able to edit photos taken by the students, but they will save precious minutes of class time that the other computers would be using to process software slowly.  

“I’m very excited for these new computers, and the additional computers that brought our accommodations up to 22, so all student’s needs are met,” Harney said. “These computers will allow students to build the skills they need to go out into the workforce if they are going to utilize programs like Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premier. It also provides them with a solid foundation of how the camera, both Digital and Film, functions.”

Assistant Superintendent Gregg Bach, members of the Gloucester Education Foundation, and some school committee members attended the Ribbon cutting ceremony at the Photo Lab, along with GHS Principal James Cook. 

 “All students in the class will have access to their own computer and will not have to share anything,” Harney said,  “It will provide more students with skills to go into the workforce with things like photography, digital imaging, and digital art.” 

Mayor Romeo-Theken also spoke about the photo lab upgrade.

“Because of COVID, I think a lot of people have disconnected,” Romeo Theken said. “Some kids were coming into school for the first time. These new computers are more than just computers, they can positively impact GHS as a School, and they can most definitely lead kids into different career paths even faster than years before.”  

With only 47 minutes in a block, not having to wait for computers to process things will be an asset to productivity. 

“These new computers have brought more speed which is very helpful with productivity throughout class time,” senior Devin Piscitello said. 

Thanks to the generosity of the GEF and the initiative of Mrs. Harney, Gloucester High School is now better equipped to serve the needs of its students and provide 21st century skills.