Anyone walking by would assume that the cardboard box covered in aluminum foil was something, but most people certainly wouldn’t think that it was a camera. It’s a pinhole camera, to be exact.
“You lift the aperture cover for a period of time to expose the film, then you close it,” explained Al, a Boys Ranch resident who is taking an engineering science class.
As you talk to Al and his classmates you’ll come to understand that learning to build and then operate their pinhole cameras was a step-by-step process.
“If you don’t follow the process, then your results aren’t going to improve,” stated Al.
“I learned how to build a working camera, which I didn’t think was possible,” said Trae.
For Boys Ranch high school students like Trae and Al, Rebecca Gaffney’s engineering class has been an experience that will benefit them long after they leave her classroom.
“Engineering teaches our residents to problem solve and that’s a skill they can use for any problem they may face,” said Gaffney.
Problem-solving is an invaluable life skill that ties back to principles Boys Ranch staff strive to teach youth who come to call Boys Ranch their home.