Did you see the Halloween Special Edition from last Friday? The spookiest images submitted were highlighted in a surprise top 20 countdown.

With only four weeks remaining of contest, The Regional Office of Education has an exciting announcement: During the student photography exhibition, Regional Superintendent Patricia Dal Santo will present the nine featured students with trophies created and engraved by Image Awards.

“We have been receiving a lot of positive feedback this year from community members. Readers of Kane County Connects are looking forward to the top 10 student photos every week, ” Dal Santo said. “We wanted to award the students with trophies to commemorate their submissions. They stepped it up a notch, and the ROE wants to recognize their effort and the effort of their instructors.”

The student photo exhibition will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8, at Water Street Studios in Batavia, thanks to generosity of Batavia Enterprises. Music will be played, appetizers will be served, an award ceremony will be presented and the photos from the past weeks will be on display.

The Top 10 Photos for Week 5

1. “Water Colored Pencils” — Matthew Alfaro

• Aurora Central Catholic High School
• Junior
• Digital Photography
• Instructor: Samantha Wascher

2. “Drown” — Jacqueline Bennett

• West Aurora High School
• Senior
• Digital Photography
• Instructor: Kristi Rhodes

3. “Green Thumb” — Tyler Cabrera

• St. Charles North High School
• Senior
• Digital Photography
• Instructor: Karissa Schulten

4. “Queen of the Court” — Therese Niedbala

• Geneva Community High School
• Senior
• Digital Photography
• Instructor: Danica Fahmy

5. “Flight of the Hummingbird” — Alec Hickman

• St. Charles East High School
• Senior
• Digital Photography
• Instructor: Nathan Shackelford

6. “Tripping Up” — Jessie Hopkins

• Geneva Community High School
• Senior
• Digital Photography
• Instructor: Danica Fahmy

7. “Eye” — Gianna Petersen

• West Aurora High School
• Junior
• Digital Photography
• Instructor: Kristi Rhodes

8. “Runner” — Mac Doherty

• Aurora Central Catholic High School
• Sophomore
• Digital Photography
• Instructor: Samantha Wascher

9. “Empty Lot” — Alec Crawford

• St. Charles East High School
• Freshman
• Digital Photography
• Instructor: Nathan Shackelford

10. “Candid at Work” — Anna Ruffalo

• Aurora Central Catholic High School
• Senior
• Digital Photography
• Instructor: Samantha Wascher

Would you like to participate in the Kane County Student Photo Contest? All public and private high schoolers are welcome to participate! Please have your art or photography teacher contact Ellen Kamps at the Regional Office of Education for more information. The top 10 photos are posted for the next nine weeks, every Wednesday morning on Kane County Connects. All the featured #1 photos will be used to decorate the Kane County Regional Office of Education.

Want to catch up on the previous week’s featured photos?

• Photo Contest Week 1: St. Charles North’s Photography is on Fire
• Photo Contest Week 2: Geneva High School Dances to the Top
• Photo Contest Week 3: Batavia Maintains a Sharp Focus
• Photo Contest Week 4: St. Charles East Scores a Victory
• High School Photo Contest Bonus Edition: Fall Foliage and Spooky Fun

• This article was written by Ellen Kamps of the Kane County Regional Office of Education. Sign up for the Kane County Regional Office of Education’s newsletter here.
• Click here to sign up for Kane County Connects daily or weekly e-newsletter.