Fort Shafter Hawaii--Some children and teachers can't wait until the last bell however, for Mrs. Moore's after school photography class; they are excited for a different reason.

The Fort Shafter Elementary afterschool photography course ended May 16th with a Gallery Night held at 1Lt Brostrom Community Center here. During this event all students, ranging from 3rd through 6th grade, were afforded the opportunity to show off images captured from the class to family, friends and classmates.

"Over the eight week course students learned, discussed and applied creative and technical elements of photography," said Christine Moore, teacher for the photography class and a native of Phoenix. "We also discussed Photography in general: photography careers, famous photos throughout history, contributions of famous photographers and responsibilities surrounding digital photography."

Students were able to participate in the class with any type of digital camera, making it accessible to all students. Each week's lesson focused on creative and technical elements and upon the completion of each lesson, the students then emailed their photographs to be discussed in the next class.

The Gallery Night culminated with an awards ceremony, with the best pictures chosen by their peers.

Awards were given for outstanding examples in areas of technical and creative achievement. James H. Dickinson, the commanding general of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command participated in the selection of one of the awardees.

Classes like this provide teachers a change from the traditional classroom and allow for further exposure in the world of technology.

"I enjoy teaching enrichment classes and working with students outside of a traditional academic environment. There is always an excitement in the room when the kids know they are learning something, but they don't consider it school," said Moore. "As a teacher, it's a wonderful feeling to see a student who may not be the best at math or the fastest reader take interest and excel at something alongside their peers, it really builds their confidence and self esteem. Enrichment classes are a great opportunity to explore various interests and build confidence outside of the classroom, but still be school-related. I am very proud of these students!"