Class of 2021: What Schoowork Are You Most Proud of This Year?

It’s time for the Class of 2021 to take a bow, #ShowYourSchoolworkNYC-style.

Throughout the year, the NYC Department of Education’s ongoing #ShowYourSchoolworkNYC series has highlighted some of the outstanding schoolwork City public school students of all grades (3K—12) have completed since September 2020. Thanks to the series, we’ve seen some truly thoughtful and amazing work from students across the five boroughs, and we could not be prouder of all our students for their efforts throughout one of the most difficult school years in our City’s history.

Now that we’re fast approaching the final weeks of the 2020–21 school year, we’d like to highlight the work of students who will soon celebrate a critical milestone this summer as members of the newest graduating/rising class of City public schools: the Class of 2021. So whether you’re a parent or a teacher of students in kindergarten, grade 8, or grade 12, or a student yourself who’s preparing for a graduation/rising ceremony this summer, we want to hear all about your favorite school assignments completed during the 2020–21 school year!

Getting Featured on the #ShowYourSchoolworkNYC Series

Have some egg-celent schoolwork you’d like to share with us? Fill out our official Show Your Schoolwork NYC Intake Form, and submit photos, videos, and descriptions of the schoolwork you would like us to highlight. We’ll then follow up with you directly if we think your entry would be a good fit for the DOE’s official Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages, as well as right here on The Morning Bell.

To improve your chances of having your schoolwork highlighted as part of our Class of 2021 #ShowYourSchoolworkNYC showcase, consider the following tips as you work through our official Intake Form:

• Make sure you complete the ENTIRE intake form

Many entries have been disqualified simply because applicants are not answering every question or uploading any video or photo content. Make sure you reach the “Thank you for your submission!” page, as reaching this page ensures that you have successfully submitted schoolwork to us for consideration.

• Hit us with your best shot.

When taking pictures or video, we suggest you consider some of the following factors, as they can make or break your chances of being featured this year.

• • • Take photos and/or pictures of the schoolwork and the student who completed the work: We want to see photos and videos of great schoolwork AND the students responsible for it, so please, don’t forget to send us great shots of yourself/your student as well as the the work you’d like us to highlight! You can either provide us separate shots of both the work and the student who completed it, or you can provide us photo/video of both the student and their work in the same shot.

• • • Keep your subject in frame: Try not to cut off important parts of your photos/videos with the edges of your frame. Keep your camera level, and watch for visible objects and logos that may distract from your subject.

• • • Horizontal vs. vertical photographs/videos: Generally, we prefer all photo and video submissions to be shot horizontally (also known as “landscape”). However, if you would like to submit a portrait-style photo of yourself/a student, you may submit a vertically-shot photo (also known as “portrait.”). Please use horizontal shots when taking photos/video of schoolwork.

• • • Better lighting = better visibility: Arguably the single most important aspect of photography and videography is lighting, so pay attention to the amount of light around you when capturing videos or photos. Watch out for any shadows you may be casting onto your subjects during your shoots, and be mindful of blur, particularly if you are capturing photos with writing.

• • • Clean your lens: Taking blurry photos? Try wiping your camera lens, preferably with a microfiber cloth.

• Don’t forget the “journey.”

Sometimes, the story behind your completed schoolwork may be more interesting than the actual schoolwork itself. Provide us with as many details as possible about your selected work. Ask yourself: why are you choosing this example? What did you/your student learn while completing this assignment? Did you have to overcome any challenges to complete this work? How many mistakes were made before completion? Any moments of inspiration?

Also, consider sending us images/photos that were taken over the course of an assignment; we’d love to see how student work can evolve as it is completed.

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We cannot wait to see what we get from the Class of 2021! Keep your eyes peeled for future entries for the #ShowYourSchoolworkNYC series on our social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) and right here on The Morning Bell!

Banner photo by RF._.studio. Used under Creative Commons license. Original can be found on Pexels.