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Images taken in the period between May 30 and June 6, 2020. Philadelphia, PA, USA. Support independent photojournalism - https://bastiaanslabbers.com/support-independent-journalism/

Support independent photojournalism - https://bastiaanslabbers.com/support-independent-journalism/

Image license available through NurPhoto at Getty Images - https://www.gettyimages.com/collaboration/boards/A2hwgQyr8k68CNH7BzqEDQ or EPA - https://webgate.epa.eu/webgate?SERIESDISPLAY=1&EVENT=WEBSHOP_SEARCH&SEARCHLANGUAGE=eng_usa&SEARCHMODE=NEW&SEARCHTXT1=Slabbers

On June 21, 2013 a number of Public Schools in the School District of Philadelphia will close it's doors for good. The Facilities Master Plan by the School Reform Committee advices closure for 23 local schools in its district. This photo essay shows efforts of parents, students and educators in the days, months and years leading to the final closure. The schools featured in this essay are located in NorthWest Philadelphia. Most of the photos in this essay were published earlier on WHYY's NewsWorks.org as part of the ongoing coverage of the school closures. . . . Support independent photojournalism - https://bastiaanslabbers.com/support-independent-journalism/

How Playing with LEGO Together Helps Us Get Through the Pandemic By Bastiaan Slabbers and Jana Shea Today, exactly one year ago, our family of three — like so many others — found ourselves scrambling as we reset our lives to deal with a global pandemic. With three months left in the academic year, the School District of Philadelphia had made the decision to pull the plug and indefinitely shutter in-person education. Suddenly, we had to create a full-time learning environment for our Kindergartener, right in our home. The small screen of a laptop would become our son’s entire window to the world. As part of a package to help guide us with homeschooling, the teacher shared a simple, colorful, one-sheet page of instructions. A 30-day LEGO building challenge she found on the Internet kicked off a momentum. Not fully capable of comprehending it at the time, we now credit this thoughtful gesture as a major stepping stone into the future development of our young creator..... (More avail. upon request) “Mission to Mars” (47sec) Video produced, filmed and edited by Zane Slabbers, Jana Shea and Bastiaan Slabbers. YT link - https://youtu.be/socl5drkUIs

Revisiting Familiar Grounds - After living abroad for more than three years I recently (re-)visited my old home town. Wondering what has changed I packed both my curiosity and a camera. As expected - besides a few minor changes - everything seems more or less the same. Boats sail the ‘Spaarne’, the river meandering from North to South (or is it from South to North?) and local residents sip beers at a cafe on one of the squares. Record breaking temperatures and trees in fall colors make strolling the car-free alleys very pleasant. Is it me or are there even more tourists than before visiting the city? Is the time spend in a different locale long enough to experience once familiar spots through new eyes or do old habits die hard? The images in this collection captured the scenes of every day's life.

The 2014 Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic is a rough and inspiring ride for the riders with one local race team. In this combined photo essay the events of the week are captured as the Philly based Airgas Cycling team participates in the exciting 1-day bike race in the Northwest section of the city. Two days ahead of the race the professional riders teamed up with local high school athlete cyclist for a ride in Fairmount Park See here a photo slideshow of some of the events leading up to and including the 10lap/120mile race on Sunday when the team of young riders takes on the 17% gradient of the "Manayunk Wall". ...A selection of images from this collection is also published as part of the regular coverage of the race by WHYY's NewsWorks.org. JUNE 2, 2014 BIKE RACE 2014 - "Kiel Reijnen and Evelyn Stevens take first place at Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic second year in a row" - http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/nw-philadelphia-more-stories/item/68649-kiel-reijnen-and-evelyn-stevens-take-first-place-at-parx-casino-philly-cycling-classic-second-year-in-a-row

146th Graduation Ceremony of Germantown High School Class of 2013, New Covenant Church, Philadelphia, PA USA - June 19, 2013; These 120 graduates of the Class of 2013 are the last to receive a diploma from Germantown High School. The Germantown landmark will close its doors at the end of this school year as a result of the budget crisis in the Philadelphia public school district. This is a preview gallery. Please subscribe to access this full content (49 photos): https://bastiaanslabbers.com/final-graduation-of-germantown-high-school/ ( ©2013 , Bastiaan Slabbers - All Rights Reserved )