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Students, teachers urge committee to keep darkroom in new Salem High School
Summary
High school students and photo teachers told the committee the darkroom is a low-cost, high-value instructional space that supports STEAM learning and hands-on photography; they asked the schematic design to reserve a lightproof room with basic plumbing. Committee members asked to add the topic to future agendas.
Students and teachers from Salem High School asked the School Building Committee on Wednesday to preserve a darkroom in the plans for the new high school. Nicole Miller, department head for science and performing arts, introduced seniors who described darkroom processes such as cyanotypes and film development and said the space is an important, hands-on complement to digital photography.
The students told the committee the darkroom requires minimal square footage and equipment. "It just needs to be lightless so that it doesn't expose the photos before they're ready," one student said, summarizing the functional requirement for the space. The students and instructor emphasized that film-based instruction teaches manual camera controls, chemistry and a tactile process that many find educationally valuable.
"It's a part of modern STEAM education," photo teacher Kirsten McCarthy told the committee, arguing that the darkroom is not nostalgia but an instructional program that draws students and supports career and technical learning. McCarthy and students said the darkroom is among the most requested art classes and that keeping it would preserve a low-cost instructional opportunity.
Committee members thanked the visitors and said the student input would be noted. The committee did not make a formal binding decision on whether to alter the schematic in tonight's meeting; members scheduled further discussion and asked staff to include the topic for future agenda consideration.
The public comment came early in the meeting by committee agreement to accommodate the visitors. The committee directed staff to capture the input and consider how darkroom space requirements (lightproofing, a sink and minimal footprint) might be reflected in the ongoing schematic design work.
