Do you have any pictures that perfectly capture you playing your favorite sport? Or maybe in the play or musical? How about the Bulldog Stampede or graduation?

If yes, then we have another question for you: Do you know who takes those pictures? And if you do, how well do you know him? Do you only know him by name, or do you know him more personally?

WACS News wanted to shine a light on Rick Penny and his coverage of Alden school and community events. We interviewed Mr. Penny as well as some students and staff he’s impacted with his work.

Back  in the 1980s, Mr. Penny became a volunteer firefighter. He was the only one with a decent camera, so he took pictures for the department.

You often see Mr. Penny on the sidelines of sporting events.

“I try to get a good cross-section of the kids,” Mr. Penny said. “I try to get the stars in there. I try to get the guy who sits on the bench who doesn’t get in all the time. I just want to try to get everybody in there.”

The most common question students and staff asked about Mr. Penny was, “How does he have the time to be at all the events?”

Mr. Penny’s photographs are so popular that the Town of Alden declared an official day in his honor: July 24, 2019.

Last summer, Rick Penny’s website had 4.8 million views. That number shows just how much people love his photos. On behalf of everyone in the Alden Central School District thank you Mr. Penny for all that you do for our community.