June 1 - 7, 2010
COMMUNITYNEWSPAPERS.COM
300 students with cameras converge at Miami Metrozoo
Ron Magill, Miami Metrozoo’s director of communications and renowned wildlife expert, feeds the giraffes as students snap photos of the action. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
BY CRISTINA PLANAS
More than 300 Miami-Dade County Public School students recently converged at Miami Metrozoo to participate in the firstever Mercantil Commercebank Zoolens Photography Project. A partnership between Mercantil Commercebank, Miami Metrozoo and the Zoological Society of Florida, the Zoolens Photography Project is a photography contest designed to foster a deeper understanding of the world’s wildlife among MiamiDade County public school students, while also broadening their artistic expression and appreciation for the beauty of nature through photography. Students had the opportunity to enjoy a field trip to the zoo and were given digital cameras to take pictures of the animals. They also had the unique opportunity to learn from experts such as Ron Magill, Miami Metrozoo’s director of communications and a renowned wildlife expert, and Rosario Martínez-Cañas, New World School of the Arts Visual Arts professor and curator, who offered tips on how to best photograph the animals. The participating schools included: ASPIRA-South Youth Leadership Charter, Doral Academy Preparatory, Hammocks Middle, John F. Kennedy Middle, Madison Middle, Miami Lakes Middle, Ponce de Leon Middle and West Miami Middle. A panel of renowned photographers that include Magill and Martínez-Cañas will judge the photos, selecting three overall winners. The winning students will be eligible to
receive Mercantil Commercebank savings accounts among other prizes, while participating schools will receive a monetary donation for their art department. The panel of judges also includes internationally acclaimed photo-artist María MartínezCañas, Miami Herald photographer Suzanne Lee Mast, and Alex Gort Jr., one of Miami’s best-known photographers. “It is great to see the business community come out and support art and technology education for the students,” said Ana Medina Fernandez, a teacher at West Miami Middle School. “It was a really fun experience learning about each animal and seeing how they live. Taking the animals’ pictures really inspired me,”said Ponce de Leon Middle School student Marisen Liebl. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the first-ever Zoolens Photography Project to public schools in our community,” said Millar Wilson, president & CEO of Mercantil Commercebank. “The responses from the teachers and students have been extremely positive and we greatly appreciate their support in piloting this program with us.” Additional partners in the pilot program include Olympus Imaging America Inc. and the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). The long-term goal of the Zoolens Photography Project is to broaden the number of participating schools, allowing an increasing number of Miami-Dade County Public School students to participate in this innovative program.
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