The BEAM-Asset Builders Click-Em Photography Group
Flash Entrepreneurs
Flash Entrepreneurs
board. Business is starting to boom. It is a training business. It gives kids an opportunity just to see the bigger picture. We have a couple of
kids who are very much into the computer part of it. So they enjoy taking some of the work into Photoshop. So there is something in it for
everybody.”
The students have been taking notes on photography and how Click-Em prepares them for life.
Cheyenne Chim-Nook, eighth grade – “This gives me the opportunity to learn about business and things I can do. Maybe one day I’ll decide to
be a photographer just like my poppy.”
Ambryon McKinnie, seventh grade – “I just thought it would be fun, but there are also some hard parts to it too because you have to learn
how to set up the equipment and everything. It’s fun and I suggest that everyone try it at one point in time. It has to do with education because
it teaches math. You have to listen to every single thing or you will mess up the complete picture. With Photoshop, you really have to pay
attention. You have to know good grammar. You have to know how to speak professionally. It’s just really hard. You really have to study.”
Kerigiti Jackson, seventh grade – “I like to set up the equipment. I like to learn about the different parts of the equipment. When I grow up,
I want to be a chemist. I think the photography business has to do with that because there is a lot of math involved. If I want to be a chemist, I
have to be great at math.”
JaMisha Mota , fifth grade – “I thought it would be a wonderful experience to learn something new. When I first started, I didn’t want to do
photography. But now that I’ve done my first convention kind of thing, I learned that photography is fun, but it does take a lot of hard work.”
Savian Wheeler, seventh grade – “ It’s a good career. You learn how to take photos. It helps me interact with people.”
KaJaiyaiu Hopkins – “My favorite part of being here is taking the photos. I really love interacting with people and this is just a great way
to do it. This job teaches me responsibility skills. I can’t mess up the equipment. I have to keep tabs on it and have to know where it is at all
times. It’s expensive equipment. In the future when I’m doing my job, I have to make sure I’m turning things in on time to my boss. The
responsibility that comes with this is going to help you your entire life.”
Ramsey Wheeler, seventh grade – “I think it will help me by just learning how to deal with cameras. One day, I might just want to become
a photographer.”
While photography is what attracts the students to Click-Em, it is the ability to navigate the world that they leave with. “One thing that I
think is extremely important is that it helps kids develop social skills, especially speaking Standard English,” Leazer said. “That is always
enforced no matter where the kids are with me. I gently correct them constantly and they know now. I’ve had some of these kids for several
years and they just know. I teach them that part of the way to be successful is how you speak and interact. People make judgments when they
see you. We can’t help that. We all do that. But the next chance you have to make an impression — negative or positive — is when you open
your mouth. That’s real important to the club. They see that they can interact any place in the world. I teach them there is a standard no matter
what, whether it is behavior or language. And if you can step up to that standard, you can compete and be any place in the world that you need
to be.”
The Click-Em Photography crew were definitely acting and looking like they belonged at Marketplace 2009.
kids who are very much into the computer part of it. So they enjoy taking some of the work into Photoshop. So there is something in it for
everybody.”
The students have been taking notes on photography and how Click-Em prepares them for life.
Cheyenne Chim-Nook, eighth grade – “This gives me the opportunity to learn about business and things I can do. Maybe one day I’ll decide to
be a photographer just like my poppy.”
Ambryon McKinnie, seventh grade – “I just thought it would be fun, but there are also some hard parts to it too because you have to learn
how to set up the equipment and everything. It’s fun and I suggest that everyone try it at one point in time. It has to do with education because
it teaches math. You have to listen to every single thing or you will mess up the complete picture. With Photoshop, you really have to pay
attention. You have to know good grammar. You have to know how to speak professionally. It’s just really hard. You really have to study.”
Kerigiti Jackson, seventh grade – “I like to set up the equipment. I like to learn about the different parts of the equipment. When I grow up,
I want to be a chemist. I think the photography business has to do with that because there is a lot of math involved. If I want to be a chemist, I
have to be great at math.”
JaMisha Mota , fifth grade – “I thought it would be a wonderful experience to learn something new. When I first started, I didn’t want to do
photography. But now that I’ve done my first convention kind of thing, I learned that photography is fun, but it does take a lot of hard work.”
Savian Wheeler, seventh grade – “ It’s a good career. You learn how to take photos. It helps me interact with people.”
KaJaiyaiu Hopkins – “My favorite part of being here is taking the photos. I really love interacting with people and this is just a great way
to do it. This job teaches me responsibility skills. I can’t mess up the equipment. I have to keep tabs on it and have to know where it is at all
times. It’s expensive equipment. In the future when I’m doing my job, I have to make sure I’m turning things in on time to my boss. The
responsibility that comes with this is going to help you your entire life.”
Ramsey Wheeler, seventh grade – “I think it will help me by just learning how to deal with cameras. One day, I might just want to become
a photographer.”
While photography is what attracts the students to Click-Em, it is the ability to navigate the world that they leave with. “One thing that I
think is extremely important is that it helps kids develop social skills, especially speaking Standard English,” Leazer said. “That is always
enforced no matter where the kids are with me. I gently correct them constantly and they know now. I’ve had some of these kids for several
years and they just know. I teach them that part of the way to be successful is how you speak and interact. People make judgments when they
see you. We can’t help that. We all do that. But the next chance you have to make an impression — negative or positive — is when you open
your mouth. That’s real important to the club. They see that they can interact any place in the world. I teach them there is a standard no matter
what, whether it is behavior or language. And if you can step up to that standard, you can compete and be any place in the world that you need
to be.”
The Click-Em Photography crew were definitely acting and looking like they belonged at Marketplace 2009.
The Click-Em crew: Teacher La Donna Leazer (l-r),
Cheyenne Chim-Nook, Kerigiti Jackson, JaMisha Matos,
Savian Wheeler, Ambryon McKinnie, KaJaiyaiu Hopkins,
Ramsey Wheeler
Cheyenne Chim-Nook, Kerigiti Jackson, JaMisha Matos,
Savian Wheeler, Ambryon McKinnie, KaJaiyaiu Hopkins,
Ramsey Wheeler
By Jonathan Gramling
At Marketplace 2009 on September 16, it seemed as if it had become a media
event with a cadre of young photographers present at each session catching the
moment on film. They could be seen walking through the halls in their business attire
coordinating strategies and making sure that the entire event was covered.
This was no ordinary group of students. They were the Click-Em Photography
Group out of Milwaukee’s Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee, BEAM
for short. Click-Em is a student photography company that was put together last year
by La Donna Leazer, a lead teacher at the school. Through a grant from Asset
Builders of America and support of community members like Tomas Matos of The
Grand Studio, the students have been learning the business of photography, from
booking business to the set-up and care of the equipment to even paying back some
of their business loan from the proceeds of their business.
“We’ve done jobs as small as individual family portraits to big venues like the
Stein Scholars,” Leazer said. “Today is a big job for us, Marketplace 2009. We’ve
done our in-house graduation. We’ve done just about anything. It’s a school-based
company. It’s getting really crazy now. We get at least 8-10 jobs per year. We don’t
know what we’re going to do at this point. We have to get some more adults on
At Marketplace 2009 on September 16, it seemed as if it had become a media
event with a cadre of young photographers present at each session catching the
moment on film. They could be seen walking through the halls in their business attire
coordinating strategies and making sure that the entire event was covered.
This was no ordinary group of students. They were the Click-Em Photography
Group out of Milwaukee’s Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee, BEAM
for short. Click-Em is a student photography company that was put together last year
by La Donna Leazer, a lead teacher at the school. Through a grant from Asset
Builders of America and support of community members like Tomas Matos of The
Grand Studio, the students have been learning the business of photography, from
booking business to the set-up and care of the equipment to even paying back some
of their business loan from the proceeds of their business.
“We’ve done jobs as small as individual family portraits to big venues like the
Stein Scholars,” Leazer said. “Today is a big job for us, Marketplace 2009. We’ve
done our in-house graduation. We’ve done just about anything. It’s a school-based
company. It’s getting really crazy now. We get at least 8-10 jobs per year. We don’t
know what we’re going to do at this point. We have to get some more adults on