Dayton photographer donates photos and design for Class of 2020 banners

DAYTON-Communities around the nation are coming up with creative ideas to honor their high school's Class of 2020 in the midst of a pandemic. In Dayton, Scott Kirk and Bette Lou Crothers teamed up to raise money for banners to display on Main Street. While Bette Lou handled the fundraising efforts, Kirk, owner of Scott Kirk Photography, donated his time to design the banners and ensure each student had a senior portrait for the project.

The banner idea came from a few Facebook posts that Scott saw from other communities, and then he saw a few local people share similar posts in local forums. Little did he know, Crothers was on the same track, and within a couple of days, the two got in contact and the idea took off.

One of the challenges in a project like this is to get high resolution photographs for each of the seniors to use in the banner design.

"There were a few students that, for different reasons, had not had a chance to get senior pictures," Scott said. "A lot of the parents have supported my business long before these kids were in high school, and it felt like the right way to give back and say thank you."

Over the past couple of weeks, Kirk took senior pictures for six Dayton High School seniors. He met with the students, took the photos, and processed the images so they would print clearly on the banners, all free of charge and on his own time.

Kirk designed the banners, working with Crothers and Molly Weatherhill-Tate of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce, before sending the artwork to Integrity Design in Walla Walla. All of the funds were handled through the Chamber.

"Scott has the technology and the skills to handle the photos and design. I was glad he was able to take care of that part and do what he did for the kids," Crothers said. She confirmed that the donation request had been met and the funds were secured last Friday.

"This is a bad time for the kids. We are just trying to make the best of it." Kirk said they had three students decline the banners. The banners will be taking the place of the traditional All Wheels Weekend banners and will remain up through the summer. Once the banners are taken down, they will be gifted to the students.

"Scott has been taking graduation, sports and formal dance photos for the Dayton School District for the majority of the past 20 years. He has offered to do graduation photos this year when they decide on what type of ceremony they will hold.

The students and parents have always helped me out. Doing this for the students, well, it just felt right," said Kirk.