LAMAR — Growing up in Kentucky in the Appalachian Mountains, Jessica Edwards knew what poor meant. She was surrounded by it daily.
Then, during her junior year in high school, her dad got laid off from his job as a coal miner when the mine shut down.
She didn’t buy senior pictures, and a lot of her friends didn’t either.
That was 10 years ago, and she’d love to have them to look back at that time in her life, to see herself then, to see how styles change and to remember those years.
When she opened her own portrait studio in the Appalachian area, she noticed that for many youth the cost of having a senior picture taken was out of reach, so she donated her time and products for many of them.
When she relocated to Lamar last March she noticed a similarity in the income levels in this area, so after opening her second portrait studio, she decided to make an offer that would keep several area seniors from missing out on the opportunity she did.
“I contacted surrounding schools that I’ve had clients from and spoke to guidance counselors and principals and asked them to nominate a couple of seniors who they knew were good kids but might have a financial situation that would prevent them from getting portraits,” Edwards said. “I wanted them to have some pictures they could look back on.”
Although there were some schools from which she never heard back, there were several seniors from Frontenac, Lamar, and Pittsburg, who did take her up on her offer.
Barbara Zimmerman, yearbook advisor at Frontenac High School, called it “a generous offer” and one that she’s sure will mean a lot to the FHS seniors who were awarded the sessions.
Like many Four State area school districts, Frontenac has seen a significant increase in the past year in the number of students on free and reduced lunch programs, and the Frontenac-Pittsburg area has seen several large employers shut down and/or reduce their workforce.
“It’s just a really neat thing for her to do, and will make a difference in these kids’ lives,” said Zimmerman. “Everyone should have a senior portrait. It’s something you’ll look back at years from now.”
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