Today we’d like to introduce you to Erick Miseroy.
erick, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have been a teacher for almost 30 years. The first half of my career started at North High in Torrance, then in 2008 I moved to POLAHS. A non union independent charter school who allows or outside of the box thinking by its teachers to create the best learning environment for the students. The last several years I have concentrated on developing a photography program for my school. When my administration asked me to create a CTE program, I had the choice of areas that I was able to teach, the only catch was that they students had to get industry standard certification. Since i had a side photography business, I thought this would be a natural fit, along with Graphic Design. Adobe’s ACA testing would check the certification box. My previous professional photography experience allowed me to obtain a CTE Credential, and that opened the door to be as creative as possible with the curriculum.
Nikon: we are the only high school program in the country to have an educational partnership with Nikon. This relationship was developed from their West Coast Rep seeing what we were doing, and wanting to get involved. POLAHS provides each student in the program their own camera kit; there is no sharing. Nikon is instrumental in working with us to make sure that we have professional level gear in the hands of the kids.
PIXELS: In 2018, we sent a photo student on a National Geographic high school photo trip to Tanzania. This was paid for by an outside donor. Her photos were beautiful; she concentrated on the people and culture rather than the animals and safari. She did an amazing job and I wanted a way to show her work. San Pedro has a monthly Art Walk called First Thursday; which is on the first Thursday on every month. POLAHS is in the Arts District of San Pedro. I was showcasing and selling my own work every month at these events. I asked the organizer if I could bring in Tamara’s African photos, and was denied. They didn’t feel that the work on a 17 year old would be appropriate; really they just thought I was bias towards her since she was my student. The next month, I only brought her work and non of mine. Se sold more work than any of the other vendors that month. This sparked the idea of PIXELS. During COVID, I found a location that we could rent, renovate and create a space for the students to showcase and sell their work.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
All teachers have obstacles in their career; the number only depends on how much they want to change their program. I have a great administration at POLAHS; I’m on my 3rd principal here but they all have understood the value of the program and give me full trust to run it how I see fit. My program is a reason why students attend our school; they demand that it has a standard higher than what their peers may be taking at other high schools. The challenge is staying current with what the specific markets are doing and teaching to that.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I played college soccer, and ave been coaching soccer for 30 years; the last 10 years I have been a Director for the club I work for. This is always what I have done, and with photography/school there has been crossover. There is a group of people who think of me as a “soccer guy”, and there is the other group who knows me as the “creative photographer”. It’s interesting when they cross, and I shoot a former players wedding, or their family photos. But this also allows me to create more experiences for my students, as they have the opportunities to shoot competitive games. This is also how I established the relationship with LA Galaxy as I played and worked with many of the coaching staff. This is why we get to shoot MLS games as designated Media.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Because I always want new experiences for the students, I think the biggest risk is coming up with ideas that aren’t well liked by the students. We did this whole food unit were I built them up to 3 course meals. They ordered food from a local restaurant and created photos for their social media. I thought it was really great; but the feedback I got from the kids was not as good as I expected. This is an expensive unit; and I have to justify my spending. I cant have too many units that dont have great results if they cost money.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.polahs.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pixels_polahs/
- Other: https://petapixel.com/2024/01/10/how-one-la-area-high-school-is-changing-the-way-we-teach-photography/
