Clyde River (Apr 11/05) - College students in Clyde River recently learned how to write press releases and shoot digital photos like a pro.

The classes were offered as part of an office administration program offered at the Arctic College.

For Elizabeth Joanas, 31, it was an opportunity to realize her photos were pretty good.

She says the sketching she did in high school probably helped.

Still, she said she learned a few tips from the course.

"I know not to cut off limbs," she said. "If I'm going to include them, I'm going to include the whole hand."

The classmates all brought in old photos, good and bad, to show.

They then discussed how to improve them.

Everyone laughed at some awkwardly-framed shots of squirming babies. Joanas says dogs can also be tricky to shoot.

The class then got into the nitty-gritty of how digital cameras work, and what to look for when buying one.

They then learned how to write a press release.

Joanas decided to write hers about the impact of recent snowfall on the community.

"The town has so much snow that the hamlet's heavy loaders have been running day and night for the past week, just clearing the roads around town. Some snow drifts blocking the roads were about five feet high," she wrote.

Later in the release, she describes how the weather prevented water delivery to some homes, while at others, children climbed on to the roofs of houses and leaped off into the soft snow below them.

"They told me it looked so professional, and I was so proud of it," Joanas said.