Heather Clepper

Young shutterbugs inspired by trip

By Felicia Frazar
The Gazette-Enterprise

Published April 8, 2009

SEGUIN — While some high school and college students spend their Spring Break glued to a television set, a few students from Seguin High School ventured out and broadened their horizons over their holiday.

The school’s Photography Club made a trip to West Texas to practice their photography skills. Travis McCulley, the club’s lead sponsor, started the club in the fall of 2005 with the intention of creating a safe and fun environment for students — and an alternative for Spring Break.

“It gives kids something to do during Spring Break other than sitting at home and playing video games,” he said. “I think they have a good time and I enjoy it.”

The organization offers a trip during the Spring Break holiday to spots that are not only breath–takingly beautiful but educational as well.

This year’s voyage took the 10 young photographers and three adult supervisors out to a West Texas national park for a six–day, five–night trip that was cut short, McCulley said.

“We spent two nights on the ground in Cottonwood in Big Bend National Park,” he said. “The second two nights we moved into cabins at the Crow’s Nest Ranch up in the Davis Mountains. We had planned on staying an additional night, but the weather turned bad and we came home.”

Even though the trip was not as long as planned, senior Heather Clepper, said that it is an experience she can take a lot away from.

“Getting it on film is nothing compared to seeing it with your own eyes,” she said. “It was indescribable and really fun. It was amazingly fun getting to hang out with all these people — all of your friends and forming new bonds.”

Their journey to Big Bend included trips to Santa Elena Canyon and Hot Springs, both of which are located within the park, and Crow’s Nest, which is not.

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The rest of the story is at http://seguingazette.com/story.lasso?ewcd=dfdae5ffc83eda7b

For more information or pictures on the photography club http://www.culleynet.com/shs/shspc/index.html.