Project Based Learning Electives provided by the Berrien Springs Virtual Academy
Historic Photography Fall 2025
All students must complete a project for these classes.
*Find this class listed under the Art or Humanities category during registration.
Instructors: Jan Sigvartsen PhD, Leanne Sigvartsen
Email: lsigvart@gmail.com
Phone: 269-363-3968
Ages: 8 and up
Location: various locations, see syllabus for details
Required Orientation: August 26th or 28th, 6pm-8pm
Class Day & Time: Saturdays 2pm-4pm OR Sundays 10am-12pm, see syllabus for details
Course Overview: This Historic Photography class will take place at different historical locations in Berrien Springs. We will learn how to take professional-looking historic photos – all from a Fall perspective. You will also photograph artifacts discovered at the Tarragindi Archaeological Dig (see Tarragindi.org) and create a very important historic photographic record of the Fall 2025 Tarragindi Archaeological Dig Season for Berrien County. We will also learn about some of the fascinating history and stories of Berrien Springs that will inform and inspire our photography.
A special archive of our best photographs (crediting you) will be given to the Berrien Springs History Center for posterity so that future generations - decades or even centuries from now - can see the photos you have taken in this Fall 2025 class. Our best photos will also be submitted to the Journal Era, the Berrien Springs newspaper, which, coincidentally, is also the oldest business in town.
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- a camera, or phone/tablet camera (it doesn’t have to be fancy)
- a good pair of cold weather walking shoes
- and warm clothes suitable for being outdoors in late September and October.
*Please note: it is important to make as informed a decision as possible when choosing your student's Community Resource classes. Most locations will allow a student to drop a class after one meeting, at no charge if it wasn't a good fit for the student, but not all. Some classes plan ahead based on the number that have signed up and have purchased materials, hired teachers, etc. and there might be a fee for class time or materials given to the student if the student drops after one or two meetings. The school cannot pay for classes that students do not complete, so choose wisely; if you do not take the class off of your student's schedule by the deadline, you may be asked to pay for the class time incurred prior to dropping the class.
Teacher of Record: Lisa Van Plew-Cid
