Where is your favorite view of nature in Melrose? What about a place that makes you feel proud of your community? Is there a place or object you would like to learn more about in the city?

These were some of the questions posed to students in the Melrose CARES Community Mentoring Program during their "Eye on Melrose" photography project. In its first year, the Community Mentoring Program links seventh-grade students from the Melrose Veterans’ Memorial Middle School with adult volunteers from the community. The mentors and students meet in a group setting and on a one-to-one basis. Recently, the Mentoring Program teamed up with Hunt’s Photo and Video and Seaboyer Photography to create the "Eye on Melrose" project. At the February group meeting, each mentor/student pair was given a disposable camera and asked to take pictures from a list of categories, including a picture that represents Melrose to them. They were also asked to keep a journal for each of the photos including why they chose that site and what the weather conditions were like that day.

Ron Seaboyer, professional photographer, served as the group’s guest speaker, sharing some of his work, as well as giving helpful tips for taking pictures with disposable cameras. When the students and mentors completed their project, Hunt’s Photo and Video generously provided the film developing for the entire group.

At the March group meeting, mentors and students shared their finished work with each other and the rest of the group. We had several goals with the “Eye on Melrose” project. First, we wanted to provide a structured activity for the mentor/student pairs’ one-on-one time. Secondly, we hoped to give students a basic introduction to photography. Finally, we thought the students would feel a strong connection to their community by taking photos of their favorite sites in Melrose. The results were stunning photographs from around the city, which will now be in the form of a traveling exhibit first stopping at the Melrose Public Library from June 2 through June 12.

The Community Mentoring Program hopes to add additional "Community Partners" to their list. Seaboyer Photography and Hunt’s Photo and Video received window decals to showcase their support of the program. To learn more about the Melrose CARES Community Mentoring Program, please call (781) 662-2010 or visit www.maav.org

Jackie Lavender Bird is the Mentoring Program Coordinator for the Melrose CARES Community Mentoring Program.