Dayan Parker Capstone

The form of my capstone has significantly varied, but all versions have been centralized around combining music and engineering. I love making any form. Synthesizing an idea into a tangible product is one of the most joyful interactions imaginable, and music is where I most often find this joy. Because of that, the fundamental goal of my capstone is to “spread music.” At first, I believed the best way to accomplish that was through a digital program that would allow anyone to start writing original music quickly. However, when I tried to put this idea into practice, I swiftly realized its infeasibility as it would take no less than 10,000 lines of code to begin to make a semi-final product, and I could barely write 10. After seeing the impossibility of completing my audio program, I switched my capstone to something I have more experience with and is more intuitive to me, building a bass guitar. Making a bass was attractive to me not just because I would get a new bass out of it but also because it allowed me to understand an aspect of music that I previously had no insight into. My first step in this process was designing the bass using fusion 360 to create a profile. Once the design was finalized, I cut the wood, glued it together, messed it up, and had to cut it back apart, then glued it once more. I am continuing to make my bass and should be done soon.

Website with pictures: website

Annotated bibliography: bibliography

Rakim Ford Capstone 2022

How can I make a difference in the world? That’s the question that drove me during my capstone and I always wanted to do more with each interpretation of my capstone. For my Capstone, I created a video and website based on the homeless crisis currently taking place in America. I chose this topic because I wanted to make a difference with my capstone. I wanted to impact other people’s lives in some capacity. The journey to do this was long and hard but thinking realistically was the key to accomplishing this capstone. The first thing I had in mind was a bench of some kind for homeless people who are not in any shelter and are roaming in the city. But given the anti-homelessness and political discourse in the current political spectrum, I deemed that too hard to accomplish. So I looked elsewhere here you can see me emailing the participant at Project Home which introduces the core aspect of my project collaboration.

Collaboration with an organization elevated this Capstone into a more interactive project and allowed me more ways to be active in the real world. I continue to contact Project Home over a series of months until eventually, I settled with John Owen In-kind - Gift coordinator the overseer of volunteering. From there we schedule a meeting over zoom for talks for me to interview John Owens for my Video Capstone.

After the successful zoom meeting, I was granted permission to interview John Owens at Project Home. This really shows my ability to lead and have the initiative to direct my capstone in the direction I wanted it to go. From there I went to Project Home and interviewed John Owens where I asked him a series of questions that were tailored to the students of Science Leadership Academy. I wanted the future Students at Science Leadership Academy to be given the video for decades to come so they always know what they can do to help the world. And to benefit themselves specifically the Juniors and Sophomores who will need a LIP so that they can choose Project Home for that. To go above and Beyond the collaboration of my capstone project, I also made a website. This website is my own personal creation to raise awareness of the homeless crisis happening right now in Philadelphia. As well as a tutorial on how to directly volunteer at Project Home to make an immediate impact.

Video Linked https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wtAfHL4DsFFqkVCpVhZwPyaEMXLwZFWh/view?usp=sharing

Website Linked https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/aslahome/hall-of-volunteers?authuser=0

Annotated Bibliography https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f8z39sibCNgOqIhzVSz31RL58hkkOaV-xiwAu_FMGwk/edit?usp=sharing

Daniel Lin Capstone

For my capstone, I wanted to find out how I improve the experience of volunteers at non profits using 3D printed using computer aided design that I learned in CTE Engineering, specifically a cloud-based 3D modeling software platform by the name of Fusion 360.

The goal was to create a design for a produce cutting tool for uses in a non-profit food distributor to the local homeless population for volunteers to use, named Manna on Main Street, located at 420 N 20th St, Philadelphia, PA 19130.

I had decided to bring other seniors to volunteer at Manna with me, however I encountered obstacles of the product I made being too small to function, and for the size to be able to properly be used as intended, the 3D printer would not allow for such size. When speaking to people at Manna, they informed me that foreign objects were not allowed in the kitchen, so that hindered the completion of my capstone in that regard.

Fusion 360 Designs:

Final Product:

Bibliography:

Riley Chobert

I built 2 picnic tables one regular size and one for pre-schoolers and 2 benches a few months back for SLA. I have now furthered this idea by making another picnic table for the preschoolers I work for. it’s roughly the same design as the last table but smaller and better for the environment of the school. One thing I improved on in the second table was making sure to sand the boards prior to putting them together making the table safer for younger children. I also made sure all of the corners were dull so as no not to poke someone’s eye out if they fall. The main idea behind the benches was to be able I left something behind once I move on into college and the next part of my life. I found that in doing so I have given the communities something to enjoy. Even the steps that didn’t involve the tables, like the carwash, gave something to the community which I am proud of.

Inquiry- I first started this project on the basis that I love making things with my hands. I found it to be fun and relaxing and wanted to find ways to challenge what I have already made. So I asked myself how I could make this Picnic table better than it already is.
Research- To make the best picnic table possible I would have to research. I began researching the best materials and strategies for making them. I then realized this wasn’t enough, I would also have to find out what uses the table could be used for such as storage and comfort.

Collaboration- I have had many family members and friends help so far and are excited to have many more people help in the future.

Reflection- While in the moment and really up until writing this I thought of this as just some project to get me through high school, I now see it as my opportunity to give back to the people who have given so much to me.

Presentation- The final presentation of this project will be the picnic table I am creating, along with my outline of what I have done to pursue this goal of finishing. I would like to show SLA what I am capable of.

Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.11.17 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.11.17 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.04.03 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.04.03 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.11.24 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.11.24 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.04.50 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.04.50 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.04.50 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.04.50 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.03.51 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.03.51 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.03.31 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.03.31 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.04.32 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 6.04.32 PM

Guy Bayan Capstone

As a method of air-breathing propulsion, turbojet engines have the advantage of being highly efficient, but this comes at the cost of mechanical complexity and consequently high manufacturing price. With this in mind, the primary goal of this project was to explore the ways in which turbojet complexity could be reduced while still maintaining high levels of efficiency. This was done by researching the principles on which turbojets operated, identifying the causes of fuel efficiency as well as the conditions necessary for combustion. A design was hypothesized that utilized solid fuel with a weak chemical oxidizer, in theory allowing for compressor efficiency to be low while still achieving combustion. Because it was unknown whether a partial chemically-oxidized fuel could still be further oxidized by compressed air, several preliminary tests were conducted. The results showed that this was possible, supporting the feasibility of this engine and allowing the experiment to continue. The next step was to test whether a partially-oxidized fuel could solely sustain compressor start-up, as this would precede atmospheric oxidation and the combustion would be inherently weak. A solid-fuel turbine was designed and built, being designated as Prototype 1. In addition to testing deoxygenated compressor startup, Prototype 1 demonstrated whether the simple materials used in construction could withstand the extreme conditions of a turbojet engine. The results of the test revealed that the turbine accelerated to 6,300 RPM in 2.33 seconds, proving the feasibility of deoxygenated startup.

Capstone - Guy Bayan (1)
Capstone Documentation - Guy Bayan (1)
Capstone Bibliography - Guy Bayan (1)

Antje Cramer Capstone

Accessibility in the Shop

Bibliography

For my capstone project, I created resources to help new engineers in SLA get their footing. I started by labeling each machine with easy to read, laminated cards. Then, I focused on the laser cutter, which was about to endure the Rube Goldberg project, which uses it heavily. The guide that already existed was bare-bones, so I added a lot more detail. After the laser cutter guide was finished, I was unsure of what to do next. That’s when mr. Kamal introduced me to the wonderful world of 3D printing. Over a few months, I wrote tutorials for all four printer models in the shop. Each tutorial is connected to a 3D printing master document. It has a set of stats comparing each printer alongside recommended uses. For example, the Form 2 is arduous to use and clean, but the result is beautifully smooth. Alongside the master document, I printed the same model on each printer. I chose 3DBenchy as the example model, which is a small cartoon boat commonly used to calibrate printers. I then mounted them side by side. Using the mount, a beginner can scan the QR code and reference the example prints to decide which printer to use. Overall, this project was engaging the whole way through. I never thought I’d be interested in 3D printing; it always seemed too limited to be useful. I’m more excited than ever to learn more, and maybe even get a printer of my own in the future.

The 3D printing master document

Above are the example prints and the 3D printing master document.

Sasha Mannino Capstone

After creating Into The Basement, a short documentary about the Philly underground music scene in digital video class (with Leo Cohen, Nick Werner, Ellis Measley, and El Newburger), Nick and I were inspired to continue the project. The original plan was to basically make a longer documentary, interview more artists, and go more in depth about the scene and everything surrounding it; the good, the bad, and the ugly. That plan did not work out. So, now working alone, I resolved to take the documentary idea, and instead turn it into a magazine. With the help of a lot of people, including Nick, I was able to interview many more individuals involved in the underground music scene, not limited to artists/musicians, archivists, and sound engineers. After the hair-pulling process of fundraising, transcribing interview after interview, coming up with article topics, writing the articles, pulling quotes, doing more research, gathering photos, designing a layout, and making graphics, the magazine was finally here. Covering what the underground and the concept of ‘DIY’ actually means, the analysis of punk rock as a genre, the differences between the past and the current state of the scene, and more, as well as full interviews with artists who are able to give two different perspectives, I sincerely hope I’ve represented everything accurately and fairly(and also remained just the right amount of self-insertive). This is the digital version, and I’m in the process of getting the final product printed professionally. If you are curious, and would like to know more, I invite you all into the basement.

Here is a small excerpt from my interview with Cheshire Agusta of Stinking Lizaveta:

4F441B9A-A286-4DB0-8DD8-0591DBFEF281
4F441B9A-A286-4DB0-8DD8-0591DBFEF281

And here are some pages of my final magazine:

Into The Basement_ March 13, 2022
Into The Basement_ March 13, 2022
Into The Basement_ March 13, 2022-2
Into The Basement_ March 13, 2022-2
Into The Basement_ March 13, 2022-6
Into The Basement_ March 13, 2022-6

Fudayl Hopkins Capstone

For my capstone project I chose to do a donation drive around my neighborhood and then use those donations that I collected to donate them to different organizations around the Philadelphia area. The reason why chose to do this as my capstone project is because around my house there’s an old man who often comes by our house because he has no place to live so our family normally gives him some clothes and food so I wanted to give back to the less fortunate by donating the clothes that I cannot wear or don’t like. In order to get a perspective on if people would donate or not I made a survey asking them if they donate and they don’t donate then why so. From that survey the results I got were that while people want to donate they can’t because either their schedule is too crowded or they don’t know where to donate. I then went around my neighborhood to collect donations from my neighbors. I did this every weekend for a month. I then went to different donation centers and donated the clothes that I got to those places.

Bibliography

Hersch, Elizabeth G. “Know Homelessness .” Know Homelessness, October 2020. http://philadelphiaofficeofhomelessservices.org/. I found this source to be useful because I wanted to know how many homeless people are in the Philadelphia area. The reason why I wanted to know this is because whenever I am on the subway or when I’m around my neighborhood I always manage to see a homeless person or someone in need. This source allows me to know how big the homeless problem is in the city of Philadelphia. I am surprised how there are fewer homeless people than I had initially thought but it is still a problem that needs to be addressed before it becomes too big to handle. Lu, Diana. “Where to Donate Stuff in Philly.” https://www.inquirer.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 18, 2018. https://www.inquirer.com/philly-tips/donate-furniture-clothes-philadelphia-pickups-20211018.html. This source provides information about some good places to donate in philly. I say this is a good source for me because it tells me some good places where I can donate clothes, toys and other things. This can help me find the perfect place to donate all the stuff that the people that need it. Another reason why this helps me is because I don’t know the city of philadelphia like the back of my hand as I stay inside often due to Covid regulations so this website helps me find some good places in which I can donate the stuff that I have collected. Colón, Siani. “Here Are 7 Places Where You Can Donate Clothes in Philly.” Kensington Voice, August 14, 2020. https://kensingtonvoice.com/en/here-are-7-places-you-can-donate-clothes-to-in-philly/. I chose this article because it provides some more information about where to donate in philadelphia. This can be a helpful article when it comes to my capstone project because it provides more places for me to donate the clothes that I get during the drive. Another reason why it helps is because I can narrow down the places to the donation centers that are close to where I live. This would allow me to be able to be as efficient as possible when it comes to traveling to the donation centers as I could find the ones that are closest to where I am. Mers, Tony. “The Importance of Donating Clothes.” GoGreenDrop Blog, August 20, 2020. https://www.gogreendrop.com/blog/the-importance-of-donating-clothes/. I chose this article because it shows the importance of donation and why people should do it. Since I want to run a donation drive as my capstone then I would need to be able to teach people about the importance of donating and how that can positively impact someone’s life. Another reason as to why this is a good source is because I can use this source to compel other people to donate their stuff to the drive. This is the main objective in why I want to do my capstone so this source helps so that to the people that I am presenting to.

Mers, Tony. “How to Plan A Donation Drive for Charity.” GoGreenDrop Blog. Accessed January 28, 2022. https://www.gogreendrop.com/blog/how-to-plan-a-donation-drive-for-charity/. The reason why I chose to use this source is because since I have a lack of knowledge in terms of planning a donation drive this website can help me make a good plan for that in terms of my capstone project. This can help me in a big way as I won’t be as confused on what to do and as such make my work for planning this event more efficient and less stressful in terms of my mental health. Another upside to this is that it also puts less stress on the mentor (Mr Symonds) as he can focus on other things to help with the capstone.

Zau, Renee. “10 Tips and Tricks for a Successful Donation Drive.” DonationMatch. In-kind Donation and Marketing Platform | DonationMatch, April 24, 2018. https://www.donationmatch.com/blog-list/index.php/10-tips-tricks-successful-donation-drive. I chose this article because I want to make this capstone as successful as possible so I believe that through this article it can help me do the best drive that I can do within my power.This can help me in a big way as I won’t be as confused on what to do and as such make my work for planning this event more efficient and less stressful in terms of my mental health. Another upside to this is that it also puts less stress on the mentor (Mr Symonds) as he can focus on other things to help with the capstone. “Philadelphia Clothing Donations.” GreenDrop, LLC. Accessed January 27, 2022. https://www.gogreendrop.com/philadelphia-donations. The reason for me choosing this source is because it is another organization that could potentially help me with this capstone project. This could be a helpful article when it comes to my capstone project because it provides more places for me to donate the clothes that I get during the drive. Another reason why it helps is because I can narrow down the places to the donation centers that are close to where I live. This can help reduce the amount of time it takes for me to find organizations to help with my capstone and reduce the amount of time that it takes for me to plan the event.

“Where to Donate Clothing Here in Philadelphia.” Temple Sustainability Blog, October 22, 2020. https://sites.temple.edu/tusustainability/2020/10/22/donate-clothing-in-philadephia/. The reason as to why I chose this article is because it provides some more information about where to donate in philadelphia. This can be a helpful article when it comes to my capstone project because it provides more places for me to donate the clothes that I get during the drive. Another reason why it helps is because I can narrow down the places to the donation centers that are close to where I live. This would allow me to be able to be as efficient as possible when it comes to traveling to the donation centers as I could find the ones that are closest to where I am.

Screenshot 2022-05-13 5.10.11 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 5.10.11 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 5.12.09 PM
Screenshot 2022-05-13 5.12.09 PM
20220513_154626
20220513_154626
20220513_154151
20220513_154151

Karston Singleton Capstone- OEC The Musical: Karston's Reflection

As a kid, I was fortunate enough to grow up with theatre. Because of this, I wanted to do a project that could help spread a former passion of mine. I decided to make a documentary on the theatre program at Overbrook Educational Center (OEC). OEC is an elementary/ middle school located in West Philadelphia. With their recently developed theatre program, I wanted to explore its effects on the youth that participated. Since March, I’ve been going to their rehearsals 2-3 times a week, documenting their production of High School Musical. The more I attended rehearsals, the more I fell in love with the stories I could tell about their experiences. I learned very quickly how theatre improved the characteristics of many of the participants. Some people grew more confident and others found a voice they didn’t know they had. With all of that in mind, I realized that making a documentary solely for this senior project wasn’t enough. Even after I am finished with my senior year, I will continue to produce the project as a full-length documentary. Every member of the cast deserves to have their voices heard about something they care about.

The video I prepared as my capstone is a reflection of my time thus far with them. It recaps what I learned and what I’m excited about in the future. It features interviews with a few of the cast members and ample observational footage. I hope you enjoy!

Annotated Bibliography

Some Extra Pictures!

Documentary Film Treatment

Seva Staack Capstone

Clothing is a necessity, people don’t realize that when they purchase clothing it mostly uses non-renewable resources in the material and production. A large portion of clothing ends up in landfills and waste. For my capstone, I wanted to inform people about an environmental problem known as Fast Fashion Waste. I not only wanted to provide valuable information but also inspire people to be creative and learn new ways to help prevent global waste. I learned about waste creation and the multiple effects fast fashion has on our world. Fast fashion is economically, socially, and environmentally very harmful. I created an informative magazine filled with articles and fashionable outfits that are fully recycled. The articles include research I have done on fast fashion and how to prevent it. These articles are connected to photographs I took of friends in fully recycled outfits. There are multiple different sections of the magazine that demonstrate different ways to recycle clothing. The reader will learn about creative recycling methods as well as the overall effect fast fashion has on our environment

Fashion Waste

Annotated Bibliography:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dFgCaapfTWb5oiJu9uts0_NGfCEKbYULRRTwy13hapc/edit?usp=sharing

Nick Werner Capstone

For my capstone, I wanted to study the relationship between film and music. Music and film are two things I enjoy and I have always been interested in the relationship between the two. I wanted to explore what techniques composers use to draw on specific emotions and connect their music to what is happening onscreen. My main goal was to get information about the way that people react to music, especially in the context of film. To accomplish this, I split my project into three different parts. First, I filmed a short video, with a couple of friends as actors. I intentionally shot this video in a way that was very ambiguous, without a clear story. The reason for this is the second part of my project: the music. I composed three different pieces of music with the goal of having each evoke a different mood or emotion. For the last part of my project, I sent three groups of people a version of my film, each with a different score. The video is exactly the same in all three versions, only the music changes. I then had each person fill out a form asking them what they thought about the tone and plot of my film. This allowed me to analyze the influence each particular piece of music had on my film.

All versions of my film:

https://youtu.be/tfBt4ZMbJFk
https://youtu.be/6kyvsQICkC8
https://youtu.be/qlKNzjaoArA

Responses to my form:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1h3159JsHlM7cMnPxMk8dpOlodSqoo687oYDnHOhwnZs/edit?usp=sharing

I changed my project after I had already done my bibliography, so I don’t have a bibliography for this project. Here is the bibliography for my original project:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v8Fnk4PbAweOwRG8pwYk11ytn6q6T42VJPpMgo0H5qw/edit?usp=sharing

Alana Finney- Capstone

For my capstone, my goal for my final product was to create a 3D printed model of one of my characters. I briefly worked with people to create a character. I did this by interviewing and collecting data about characters people want to see. I learned styles of art to draw this character. I learned manga style art because that’s where my style developed from and was my inspiration for this capstone. I communicated with people in order to create some backstory for the character. Over the course of a year, I spent time learning tools and techniques used for fusion360( a 3D modeling platform I created my 3D model on) and modeled my character using the techniques I’d learned. I also learned how to use two types of 3D printers in order to make my final product.

Screenshot (8)
Screenshot (8)

These are my models from fusion 360

Screenshot (9)
Screenshot (9)

This is my model being uploaded to the 3D printer i used

Screenshot (10)
Screenshot (10)

These are the final products

annotated bibliography:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ivkqXwU8-vNo64Kt99EUjnuYueprdYqj7MDDwUQ81Pc/edit

Alana Finney- Capstone

For my capstone, my goal for my final product was to create a 3D printed model of one of my characters. I briefly worked with people to create a character. I did this by interviewing and collecting data about characters people want to see. I learned styles of art to draw this character. I learned manga style art because that’s where my style developed from and was my inspiration for this capstone. I communicated with people in order to create some backstory for the character. Over the course of a year, I spent time learning tools and techniques used for fusion360( a 3D modeling platform I created my 3D model on) and modeled my character using the techniques I’d learned. I also learned how to use two types of 3D printers in order to make my final product.

These are my models from fusion 360

Screenshot (9)
Screenshot (9)

This is my model being uploaded to the 3D printer I used

Screenshot (10)
Screenshot (10)

These are the final products

annotated bibliography:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ivkqXwU8-vNo64Kt99EUjnuYueprdYqj7MDDwUQ81Pc/edit

Isabel Boix Capstone

When we moved to the new building I couldn’t help but notice the bare walls. At the old building on 22nd and Arch, the walls were covered in paintings and student expression. 2 years after the move, after asbestos and after a pandemic the new school building still didn’t feel like SLA. In March I interviewed students, 100% of students interviewed said that a mural would make the new SLA building feel more like home. After that survey, I was sure that a mural had to be painted. The mural was painted by mostly seniors and freshmen. I designed it based on parts of the SLA experiences. The whales in the mural are based on my favorite mural in Philadelphia which was the whale mural near the Schuylkill River Trail. The mural ended up being 8ft by 10ft and was painted using acrylics on masonite panels. After lots of hard work by not only me but the SLA community, the mural was finished. I hope that this mural inspires other artists at SLA and helps make the new building truly feel like SLA. I also hope it shows what happens when people come together as a community to create something that will leave a legacy. Thank you to Braskem who helped fund this project.

Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Sb1LGF-tBWEL8SguLKSPqpplGPKNFCAzr2lWmtg-MYQ/edit?usp=sharing

IMG-1782
IMG-1782

El Newburger Capstone

For my capstone project I decided to make a documentary/interview series about how mental health and tattoos are connected; as well as why people get tattoos. I interviewed several people, unfortunately less that I anticipated, but ultimately I learned a lot through this process. Throughout this process I learned a lot more about how to communicate and collaborate with people during the making of a film. The final product is a collection of 8 interviews talking about their experience with tattoos and the meaning behind them, finally talking about the connection with mental health and tattoos. I spent half of my time planning interviews, scheduling, and recording the interviews and the other half was spent editing. For the final product I had to come to terms with the fact that this is not going to be perfect. Although that’s what’s great about capstones, you can keep working on it; capstones are more about the process than the final product, as long as you have something to show for it.

Below is the link to the final documentary and my bibliography.

https://youtu.be/OTjjtHY0ahk
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QFyCUhlqiYisfbZI2VaH2Q64-Ms2eYLr10cs9ws6LVc/edit?usp=sharing

Jo Steining - Go Skate

For my capstone I made a documentary. My documentary is about the skateboarding community and is titled go skate. This film highlights the struggles of misogyny within the skateboarding community. I interviewed multiple women skaters about their personal experiences with skateboarding. I also interviewed several men about what they think of the skateboarding community to bring to light the sexism within it. The end of my documentary is finished up with a collage of skate clips I have collected throughout my years of being a skateboarder in Philadelphia.

Here is a link to the documentary:

https://youtu.be/ylHbQo0-5q0

Here is a link to my bibliography:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XL76lY2fpYKdh-tE9gHQqoIxgEV10VLqxuaEh3kkSzU/edit?usp=sharing

Ava McLaughlin’s Capstone

For my capstone, I explored whether or not schools are progressing or regressing and also whether or not students enjoy the content they are learning. I chose this because I have personally felt like schools do a poor job of preparing me for the future, and where I once found joy in learning, I now find boredom or hatred.

So there were two main goals in mind, one to look at ways how schooling has progressed and then how it has regressed as well. I then wanted to see if any of these had an impact on the way people view schools. That would all be done through my own research online. The next goal was to hear from some of the students how they felt. I know how I feel, but am I alone in this? I also found out that I needed to also hear from the teacher’s perspective as they can also become annoyed by the school and the people within it. With that in mind, I interviewed students and teachers about their feelings surrounding the school system. In the end, I made a slideshow to talk about what I found and came across and the ways that we can all work to improve these things. The slideshow not only addresses students’ concerns but teachers’ as well because oftentimes their emotions and feelings get pushed to the side and ignored. I truly hope that people listen close and well because this is our education and it is to my understanding that we are not learning nor catering to what people really need.

7C1835DD-1044-4491-9316-44F070D8F05C
7C1835DD-1044-4491-9316-44F070D8F05C

Most of my time was spent reading this book, Tinkering Towards Utopia. This book was provided to me by my mentor Mr. Clapper. This book essentially covered many of the major questions I had stepping into this project. What does reform look like? How does reform happen? Has there been any sort of progress since 1995 when the book was first published. This was my starting point. After that I started my interviews.

721766D0-0606-4E0F-872B-FE2C5F2F05A9
721766D0-0606-4E0F-872B-FE2C5F2F05A9

From left to right you can see Mr. Clapper, Ms. Gasser (the best advisor), and finally Profe Hernandez. Each of these wonderful teachers allowed me to interview them and gain insight into what makes them enjoy their job and what also makes school difficult for them. It is essential that I was able to speak to them seeing as they become just as affected by school life as us students.

F4AA5528-271C-450D-AEC5-09D31C5CA7BA
F4AA5528-271C-450D-AEC5-09D31C5CA7BA

We then have four SLA students that I also interviewed. From left to right you can see Isabel Boix, Cia Klot, Mikkel Watts, and Maya Robinson. The purpose of their interviews were to gain some of their insight within not only SLA but their middle schools as well. From their interviews I gathered that most of their opinions around school started to generally shift in middle school, and those opinions were only enhanced in high school.

5235522A-5108-4C03-BD7E-5DBE526493B1
5235522A-5108-4C03-BD7E-5DBE526493B1

These lovely four people are some of my friends from CAPA and my cousin. From left to right, we have Leah, Charlie, Lily, and Cinnamon on the bottom. Seeing as I had the perspective from teachers at SLA and students at SLA, I knew I needed to know what people thought about school outside of SLA. The overall opinion for them is that school needs to be reworked. There are things that work and things that don’t. Lily, goes to school in the suburbs so it was a key part that I get the perspective from outside of the city.

From conducting my own interviews and reading, Tinkering Towards Utopia, I have learned that majority of the problems that were once present in 1995, we don’t see as much. There are others that have stood the test of time, such as standardized testing. To learn more about what the teachers and students have to say you can see the slideshow I put together here.


Annotated Bibliography

Dickinson, Kevin. 2020. “7 subjects that should be taught in U.S. schools.” Big Think. https://bigthink.com/the-present/subjects-taught-school/. This source brings up a really good point as to why we need these classes taught in our school. However I disagree with religion being its own separate class, I think that it should be taught in a world history class setting as a unit. Only because of the multiple ways religion can be connected to the atrocities throughout history. Religion connects to the world’s development and that’s why it should be taught in a World History setting.

Douglas, Nick. 2018. “You Shouldn’t Have to Read These Books in High School.” Lifehacker. https://lifehacker.com/you-shouldn-t-have-to-read-these-books-in-high-school-1828549376. Ok I completely agree with this for the most part. I don’t like the Great Gatsby. It is completely overrated and being asked to break it apart and interpret it makes no sense after how many times it has been interpreted. Books in general at school have a way of telling one single narrative to teach a different lesson but ultimately nothing is different. During my time at SLA I have only read 3 books written by women all of the rest have been written by men, mainly white men. This is where I am telling you that there is only one narrative, there is hardly any diversity. Most books, I, at least haven’t been able to to connect with or enjoy reading.

“Filing Taxes Should Never Be Taught In School.” 2017. Integrated Social Studies. https://integratedsocialstudies.com/2017/10/29/filing-taxes-should-never-be-taught-in-school/. The problem with the source is that they think there isn’t time to learn these things, or that children simply would not be interested in learning how to prevent themselves for being thrown in jail for tax evasion. It’s not that we don’t have the basic skills of reading and writing, it’s the fact that when it comes time to pay the government we have no idea how much we could possibly owe to the government. This is not on teachers to know because even if they don’t, teachers should be teaching students the basics to taxes, how much they should hold back incase of a situation where their job didn’t take enough money. They can also talk about the different forms of taxes so people can understand what they are being taxed on and why it is important.

Fischler, Jacob. 2021. “Understanding Charter Schools vs. Public Schools | K-12 Schools | US News.” USNews.com. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/understanding-charter-schools-vs-public-schools. This source provides information on the differences between a public school and a charter school. It allows one to gain insight into what the benefits are, the amount of control the schools have by themselves, and what class size and course work.

Lynch, Matthew. n.d. “18 Reasons the U.S. Education System is Failing.” The Edvocate. Accessed January 28, 2022. https://www.theedadvocate.org/10-reasons-the-u-s-education-system-is-failing/. Although this lists some reasons as to why the school system is failing us it does not always apply to every single school in the private curriculum. However it is nice to know that there are other ways people see the school system is failing students.

Pierce, Emily. 2021. “Private School vs. Public School | K-12 Schools | US News.” USNews.com. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/private-school-vs-public-school. Similar to the first source, this one compares Public Schools to Private Schools. All of this information can help me compare and contrast the differences for all three to help make a distinction between all of them and how each one suffers in its own way.

Porter, Sara. 2019. “Reader suggestions: Books we should teach in schools.” MPR News. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/02/08/custom-required-reading-list-for-high-schoolers. Books taught in school should be something that kids can identify with to some level and relate to the world they are in. Especially if they are going to be required to write an analytical essay. Granted yes, there will be those who don’t connect with the material, however I do believe that more students would enjoy and connect more with a book that relates to the world they are in or experiencing rather than the books that were taught to our teachers, and their teachers, and their teachers.

Srinivasan, LaVerne E. 2021. “What Changes to the US Education System Are Needed to Support Long-Term Success for All Americans? | Future of Learning & Work.” Carnegie Corporation of New York. https://www.carnegie.org/topics/topic-articles/future-learning-work/what-changes-us-education-system-are-needed-support-long-term-success-all-americans/. This source is beneficial for me to start taking already processed ideas of how to change the school curriculum and adding it to my own. It also touches on the effects that the pandemic had on students and their education, and how many people noticed the flaws in the curriculum.

“The Times Have Changed—Our Schools Haven’t | What Isn | Oregon’s Challenge.” n.d. Oregon Learns. Accessed January 28, 2022. https://oregonlearns.org/oregons-challenge/what-isnt-working/. So this one takes all thoughts I already have about the school system and organizes them perfectly. The entire school system is completely ridiculous with the things that are taught. Most schools are extremely competitive and look for you to not make mistakes. When in the real world you need to be able to work with people and not only make mistakes but learn from them. Not be reprimanded for them. Also school itself is just straight forward if that makes sense. Like we sit all day, have to ask permission to use the bathroom, we’re only supposed to speak when spoken to and just no no no no.

“Why School doesn’t Prepare us for Life?” 2022. The Black Sheep Community. https://www.theblacksheep.community/school-doesnt-prepare-us-for-life/. This is gold yes ma’am! It speaks on the ways the school system itself has not prepared students for the world. They talk about the lessons we are taught in school and how they are useful to those who are going into specific fields that require these kinds of things. But they also go into the lessons that aren’t taught to us, the ones that we have to figure out by ourselves; and some do figure them out, but others need guidance and help and never get that help!

Jade Njie Capstone

For my capstone, I created a mini-course centered around bringing awareness about climate change. Climate change is an overlooked topic that I thought everyone should be concerned about, especially the 9th grade class because they are the youngest generation in our school. I thought that art was a great way to capture someone’s attention. Therefore, I had the freshmen design rockets, which is our school’s mascot, completely out of recyclables. Each rocket they designed pertained to a different aspect of climate change. I split them up and allowed them to get to work. For the display, I will be hanging the rockets from the ceiling to give the effect that the rockets are flying through the sky as well as have people become more concerned about climate change issues. My next group of freshmen that I had was given the task to come up with ways they contribute to climate change. I created a Padlet and allowed them to put weekly challenges for them to slowly become self-aware about their effect on the environment. Their next project I had with them was to design a poster board that sheds light on the ways people contribute to climate change. They were inspired from their Padlet task and got to work making a giant poster that could be a self reflection. For the display, I will be hanging up the boards and connecting them like puzzle pieces. In the end I hope that the freshmen are more encouraged to be environmentally aware and continue to use creativity to speak out about a cause.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qpmbX6AKM_zN8Ce0Zv63nZoG0ECVDvCnaIzRFUGgSy8/edit
Rocket Project
Rocket Project
9th Grade Philly Magic Gardens Trip
9th Grade Philly Magic Gardens Trip
Poster Board Project
Poster Board Project

Josie DiCapua Capstone

In the future, my goal is to teach students, specifically highschoolers, an English curriculum. Because of this, I wanted to put myself in the shoes of a teacher in order to better prepare myself. For my Capstone project, I created mock lesson plans as if I was an English teacher. I created two main units based on my own interests. One of them is called Passing Gatbsy, in which the unit is based around the books Passing by Nella Larsen and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The other is a Cinema Studies unit, which works as an abbreviated introduction to film course. I started with an inquiry into teaching in a way that was creative, engaging, and effective. I also wanted to explore how to incorporate film into an English classroom, as I am a CTE DigVid student, and film is a passion of mine. I figured that the best place to begin my research was all around me, interviewing my own teachers as guides. From there, after conducting my own research, I began to assemble my lesson plans. Each lesson plan, done in a UBD (understanding by design) format, contains several links to resources that I created or curated for the course, including relevant articles, project descriptions, and slide decks.

Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 12.49.51 PM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 12.49.51 PM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 11.30.50 AM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 11.30.50 AM

For research, I emailed (see above) several of my teachers, both past and current, asking if they would be willing to talk with me about the process of creating lesson plans. In addition to physical notes (see above),I voice recorded each interview, which can be found in this Google Drive folder.

moonlightnotes
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 12.42.19 PM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 12.42.19 PM

In addition to the research via teacher interviews, I also researched on my own. For the filmmaking curriculum, I watched and took notes on (see above) several films and analysis videos. I also physically traveled to the Museum of Moving Images (see above) to deepen my understanding.

Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 11.47.41 AM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 11.47.41 AM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 1.06.16 PM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 1.06.16 PM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 12.52.00 PM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 12.52.00 PM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 12.53.46 PM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 12.53.46 PM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 12.52.58 PM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 12.52.58 PM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 1.01.47 PM
Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 1.01.47 PM

You can find the links to the lesson plans here:

Passing Gatsby UBD

Cinema Studies UBD

Each UBD doc contains hyperlinks to the other learning resources.

[Annotated Bibliography] (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z3nk-BjRiqpxi5nvDKiqjkPNWpBvw3fwhA4iEyJHx1E/edit?usp=sharing)

Mira Young - Capstone 2022

SLA’s Inquiry Capstone Project is a senior project worked on throughout the year to consolidate the project management skills we have learned during benchmark seasons and SLA’s core values of Inquiry, Research, Collaboration, Presentation, and Reflection.

I wanted SLA to be at the heart of my capstone, either by giving back to the school or creating something based on my experience at SLA. This school has provided me with a caring community and unique education, and I feel incredibly grateful for my four years here. I was also curious to learn more about others’ experiences at SLA. My guiding questions were ‘how has SLA’s uniqueness as a school impacted individuals in the SLA community?’ and ‘how can I represent those experiences theatrically?’ Based on those inquiries, I chose to create a one-act play based on a series of interviews with various members of the SLA community that combined my curiosity with my love for theatre and acting. The project challenged me to explore a new aspect of theatre, push myself as a writer, and discover new experiences within SLA. Overall, I hope to have created a play/collection of monologues and scenes that capture a piece of the heart of SLA and teach people more about what SLA is truly like as a school.

Linked here is my annotated bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1goRgkD89rVSNXxcbco2YbTA3PXfAPU6rCskTX4rAQ7w/edit?usp=sharing

And below is the pdf of my final one-act play.

Full Script - Capstone - Mira Young

Softball Clinic

Softball has been a large part of my life for as long as I can remember. Many months ago, when brainstorming ideas for my capstone project, I knew that I wanted to do something having to do with softball. After a lot of thought and talking with family, friends, and coaches, I decided to create and host a clinic for younger softball players. I spent months doing research, reaching out and communicating with people and organizations, and planning specifics of my clinic. I had everything planned out down to the small party favors that I would give out at the end. At the last minute, disaster struck. I was informed that I wasn’t going to be able to host my clinic at the field that I had planned to. In panic, I tried to find a new field to run my clinic but I was not able to. Every field that fit my criteria: safe, reliable, somewhat close, etc, was filled and therefore my clinic that I had spent months working on and planning, could not happen. Not that my two hour clinic would’ve been life changing, but now these kids aren’t able to improve their skills, meet other young softball players, and grow their love for the sport. Once I got over the frustration and sadness that I felt, I became frustrated for a different reason.

Capstone-3

Alonso Lai Capstone

With technology being an ever-growing and evolving field, schools must continue to evolve and grow with it. Science Leadership Academy prides itself on being a very tech-savvy school. It is here where technology is ingrained into the curriculum itself. However, there is always room for improvement when it comes to how SLA uses its technology.

With that, I took up the challenge to try and answer the question, “How can I improve the way SLA uses technology?

Over the course of several months, in answering the question of what can be done, you can see the results and final end product here. Thank you!

-Alonso Lai

alai22@scienceleadership.org

alonso.lai004@gmail.com

Capstone Presentation
Alonso Lai - Annotated Bibliography (2)

Estella Son's Capstone

For my capstone project, I created posters and a website to help low-income families find the resources they need and to also get people to take action and give back to the Philadelphia community. The posters are meant to attract people to my website in the case that a student at SLA finds themselves needing these resources. I chose to focus my topic on low-income families because it affects many families and students in Philadelphia. Some families may not want to ask for help or may not know who to ask. My goal was to do research on resources that would be helpful for low-income families or SLA students. For example, bill assistance, food drives, affordable child care, how to apply for FAFSA, and ways we, as members of the SLA community and Philadelphia citizens, could help.

Link to website: https://heretohelp.squarespace.com/

Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w0Ej1Ly6Geu5FlXXQOqsG0nClOItxILU5nCZAFtN_Y4/edit