ABOUT US
Our Story:
SchoolPictures.com is the newest division of a 31 year old photography firm originally focused on 'special events.' After photographing over 3 million images of students as well as over 10,000 class panoramic group portraits, management had the vision to help those very schools which had been patrons during those three decades.
In 2005, the firm's president, Skip Cerier, was a parent who kept seeing cuts to his child's school district in the arts, music and teaching support services. Later he learned that each teacher in his district was expected to spend an average of $750 of their own salary to pay for classroom supplies. That's when Mr. Cerier realized that school finance reform issues were very real, indeed. So, he sought out the guidance of four retired principals to help him build a business whose mission was to augment funding to those very schools districts that had been his clients for 30 years.
Our Mission:
Our mission is to relieve a small portion of the increasing financial burden put upon school administration and ultimately improve the academic environment for school children.
Mission Accomplished:
In 2005, SchoolPictures.com was formed on the premise of providing economic relief for its future clients.
In just 4 short years, SchoolPictures.com has contributed nearly $2 million back to only 170 schools while at the same time reducing pricing to families by up to 25%.
Our Inspiration:
The program to accomplish this mission was designed by 4 retired school principals with the ideals of being fast, friendly and fair:
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Ron June. An educator for 33 years with principal positions in Tecumseh and Saline Michigan. "My favorite part of the job is distributing $1,000 checks to principals on Picture Day to new clients. They always wonder if they will have to give it back! Seeing their faces when they get their subsequent check just after Retake Day is even more rewarding." |
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Beth June. 33 years as an educator and principal in the Adrian, Mi district, Beth had seen her fill of stressful picture days. Beth says: "I was all too happy to be involved with a way to create a program through the eyes of a secretary rather than those of the vendor." |
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Chuck Brown. 34 years as an educator and principal in Adrian and Pinckney, Mi. Given the reality of the socio-economics of his community, Chuck was always conscious of the school's families receiving value for their money. "The coolest part of the program is the principal's freedom to set their own pricing to reflect their community's needs." |
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Rich Durda. 36 years as a principal in Pontiac, Berkley and Birmingham, Mi. Rich brings a perspective from large diverse communities. When Rich was invited to be a part of the program, he saw it as a way to continue to advocate for children. |
Why we continue to grow:
There is a reason SchoolPictures.com boasts a retention rate of 99%
"With the stress it created, I used to want to stay home in bed on picture day. But ever since we changed over to SchoolPictures.com, it's just like any other school day."
Darlene Sensoli, Principal's Secretary, Garden City, MI
"I was skeptical at first, but when I received a check for 4 times more than from our previous vendor, I was a true believer. This has provided us the opportunity to enhance the learning for our students, beyond what would normally have been available to them."
Mike Perez, Middle School Principal, Adrian, MI
"My secretary and teaching staff have never been so complimentary of a vendor in our building."
Dr. Tim Falls, Intermediate School Principal, Novi, MI
"It was refreshing to see an order form I could easily understand… and with lower prices than I was used to paying."
Meg Stenger, Parent, Birmingham, MI
"The mission of SchoolPictures.com is truly visionary."
Rita Traynor, Asst. Superintendent (Ret), Novi, MI