DOWNEY — The students of Downey High School’s photography and journalism classes got to experience a near true-to-reality art show experience, displaying their work at Stay Gallery last week for the viewing pleasure of friends, family, and passers-by.

According to Downey Photography and Journalism teacher Michelle Napoli-Cooley, more than 200 freshmen through seniors in Downey High’s Photography 1 and 2, Photojournalism, Newspaper, and Digital Imaging classes were featured.

“This is actually our third annual photo/digital art show,” said Napoli-Cooley. “What we do is we have all of our [photography] classes submit their three best [photos] of the year…we thought we were only going to feature 160 [students], but [Stay Gallery] chose one [photo] from each of the students, so we have 223 prints.”

Stay’s new executive director, Gabe Enamorado, also had a major hand in deciding which pieces were put on display, selecting each student’s best work from the options submitted.

“We’re really excited to have all the students show their work,” said Enamorado. “This is a great opportunity that I wish I would have had when I was younger, and I’m really blessed to be able to do that for other students.”

On top of showcasing their work, students also had the choice to keep their photos or offer them up for sale to the general public. Those who decided to sell were rewarded with any profits made.

“It’s just a good experience to see what that feels like or how that works, and how to put value on their art,” said Napoli-Cooley. “Normally the gallery would maybe take a percentage, but if they sell them the full amount goes directly to the student.”

Downey High's photojournalists showcase work at Stay Gallery