Photo restoration effort a success

May 4—RUSHVILLE — Thanks to the efforts of a local business, the photos hanging on the Award Wall at Rushville Consolidated High School have never looked better!

Charlie & Rae Photography was asked to assist in the restoration of the Award Wall housed in the Laughlin Center at RCHS.

The project was initiated by Principal Rob Hadley, who noticed some of the portraits were in rough shape and wanted to find a way to preserve them for years to come.

Some of the images had severe damage from the constant UV rays that came in through the windows at the Laughlin Center.

Charlie & Rae personnel worked to restore the damaged images, update them, and place them in new frames that will provide UV protection to preserve the photos for years to come.

The original prompt for this undertaking was the need to add another RCHS student to the Speech Award Wall, Elizabeth Haskett, State Champion Spoken Poet from 2022.

While in the midst of the restoration project, another photo earned a place on the Speech Wall of Fame, an image of Lanea Adams, 2023 National Qualifier on Informative Speaking.

"A huge thanks is due to my studio manager, Kallie, who saw to it that each image was accounted for, properly restored, and framed," Kristen Martz of Charlie & Rae Photography said. "She spent many hours finding the best solutions for this restoration project."

Martz added that being able to honor these past award winners by restoring their images was a project that was close to her heart as a RCHS alumnus, and that it was also humbling to add her own images alongside the former photographer, Dan Green's (Photography by Green) portraiture.

As one of his final contributions to RCHS before his retirement, Hadley has again proven his dedication to both RCHS and the community through this project.

Rush County residents and former RCHS students are encouraged to take a walk through the newly renovated Laughlin Center upon its completion and take a moment to view the elite RCHS students of years past that are on display for assorted honors.

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