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Illuminating the Little Sanctuary


“The human eye does not necessarily see things; it sees light bouncing off things, and the brain interprets it. A camera does the same thing,” Lower School art teacher Sean Nolan explains to his B Form students. And, as his students are learning, they can adjust the settings inside a camera to see—and capture—light in a variety of ways.  Employing a photography technique called light writing, students “drew” images with flashlights and then used DSLR cameras set to a long exposure to capture stunning images of light. Students spent weeks in the Little Sanctuary taking the images, and then shared their work—dubbed “Let Your Light Shine”—at Lower School chapel.
 
Said Mr. Nolan in his accompanying chapel talk: “Inside this sacred space, we felt like we found something special—our own place inside these hallowed walls ... You can feel the weight of history and the hope of tomorrow in these walls. You can almost that light shines differently in here.”
 
“Now, no matter if you are new, or a lifer, here on the Close, you have a story to tell and a light to share. As we emerge from this pandemic there will be opportunities for you to add your light to others and shine bright for all to see, or you can choose to dim someone else’s light instead,” added Mr. Nolan. “My hope is that you will see that at this time in our world, we need more light. Be a better part of the community and shine your light. Make the invisible light all around you visible through your actions. You might find that you have carved out a space for yourself in this new normal.”
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Located in Washington D.C.,  St. Albans School is a private, all boys day and boarding school. For more than a century, St. Albans has offered a distinctive educational experience for young men in grades 4 through 12. While our students reach exceptional academic goals and exhibit first-rate athletic and artistic achievements, as an Episcopal school we place equal emphasis upon moral and spiritual education.