Everyone knows a picture is worth a thousand words. But at Sippican School’s annual Vocabulary Day, each word chosen by students was worth at least one picture.

This April, Corinna Raznikov-Wisner photographed every student who dressed in costume to illustrate new vocabulary words. On May 21, those photographs were hung in school hallways for students and parents to see.

Raznikov-Wisner is a professional photographer with 18 years of experience. Last year, her daughter Josephine, now a first grade student, attended Vocabulary Day.

At the time, Raznikov-Wisner said she was struck by how elaborative and imaginative the costumes were. “I just had to do this,” she said. “It was so cool, I couldn’t help myself.”

For five hours, Raznikov-Wisner donated her time and equipment to photograph more than 500 students. To get the job done, teachers brought students to her in 10-minute intervals.

Children stood before a black cloth backdrop. They said their vocabulary word and were then photographed. On the experience, Raznikov-Wisner said: “It was serious, it was intense.” She credited the teachers for helping make the project a success.

Raznikov-Wisner hopes to photograph every student on Vocabulary Day until her daughter graduates from Sippican School.

Raznikov-Wisner said there are plans to publish the images in a book. One hundred percent of proceeds from book sales would be donated to the school. Families will receive the photographs when they are taken down.

For now, the pictures are getting a lot of attention.

Erin Kirk, an art teacher, said students are excited look for friends and themselves. “There’s been a big reaction. There’s a lot of pointing and giggling. It’s been taking them a little bit longer for them to get down the hallway lately,” Kirk said.

However, the bigger picture is having a large-scale art project in the school, she said. The photographs take up a lot of wall space and are impossible to ignore.

“There is an impact to having all of the photographs together,” Kirk said. “It brings the idea of a gallery space to the school.”