Artificial Intelligence- Veronica Nocella


Science: My 5 minutes of Science focuses on the specific aspects of AI that scientists focus on, like human biology and neurology, & what is more significant in the further advancement of AI research. I also focus on Cybernetics, and how creating artificial simulations of animals was essentially the genesis of AI research

Society: I talk about the pros and cons of AI advancement; AI robots can help in natural disaster relief and in medicine, can lead to the creation of more efficient prosthetic limbs, and can eventually solve problems as large as climate change.

Self: Personally, I researched Artificial Intelligence because I used to be incredibly afraid of it. The idea of robots having human emotion and compassion made me immediately think we could be taken over by robots; I was afraid of creating something smarter than us. However, after I did further research, I realized how much AI robots could actually help us further develop our society for the better. 




​https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/presentation/d/1kJWwT7zcZCfIEn8aPS9tl5dOWVsT2MRCfsipPvuOKQo/edit?usp=sharing

How to Lie with Statistics Podcast 2

For this podcast we reviewed chapters 6 and 7, going over the overall idea of each, then discussing and reacting to the examples in both chapters. We talked a lot about our discomfort with some of the examples, and with the realization that we need to think deeply about everything because there is a chance that it could be a lie. 
Podcast 2

Q4 Math Bm (Podcast #1) Ilker, Jamie and Brian

In Jamie, Brian and my first Podcast we introduced the book.  This first podcast proved to be very difficult because it caused a lot thinking.  Our first podcast is longer than the rest will be and this is because we were introducing the book.  This podcast hits on all points in the first three chapters.  The first three chapters are the base of the book and so we gave more detailed information in this podcast.  We all talked a lot and kept the conversation going.  We created good questions to keep the conversation going till the end.  

How To Lie With Statistics

  • Group members present during the discussion: Amanda, Adowa, Sattera, Nashay 
  • What your club discussed: Whether the methods in the book manipulate people 
  • How you discussed it: We brought up different examples and what we found deceving. 
  • Any points of conflict/disagreement in discussion: The main conflict is that we all feel like there are certain samples that are not considered as sufficient samples to derive a conclusion from. 
  • Questions that came up as a result of the discussion: How did you guys feel about the book so far? etc. 

How To Lie with Statistics Podcast 1-Tiarra & Lindsey

In our first installation of HTLWS, we cover chapters 1-4. We were both present and ready with our own thoughts and opinions on the subjects within these chapters. It's very long in comparison to some others, but we wanted to go in deph about the topics and (hopefully) not miss a single thing. Tiarra and I both listened to each other thoroughly and even challenged one another on these beliefs. The format in which we disect the book is by (obviously) reading the chapter, taking notes, and then coming up with our own questions to bring to the discussion. Please appreciate it.
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Podcast 2 // Bella, Andrew, Kristina, Kevin

​All of our group members were present for this podcast. For this podcast we talked about the next four chapters of the book, chapters 4 through 8. Basically these chapters talked about misleading graphs and how people accomplish making these graphs. We also talked about an article Mr. Miles asked us to read. We kept with our same plan by writing everything out first then recording. Again we didn't have any conflict or disagreement. No questions came up this time around. Below are the graphs we referenced. 

Here is the article
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Podcast #2 : Joie, Espi, Sydne and Cameron

​Our group discussed the chapters 4-7. During these chapters we got a first hand look on the saying "How To Lie with Statistics". We learned that it is all about showing what you want and not showing all of your collected data. In chapter 5, it was quoted,"there is terror behind numbers." The point we got from that was that you can cut a graph off and withhold certain data to the audience at any point and it wouldn't be considered as changing the data, but showing what we want. 

Glory Tribute: Capstone By Soledad Alfaro-Allah

Abstract:

I created a tribute to black Philadelphia, by making a piece of short film using many different aspects of the city including its people as well as its youth, the short film is the preface to a larger project which will end up being a documentary on Philadelphia and the abandoned buildings here, and how that relates to gentrification. However this is an artistic play on that because it involves a poem that describes the black joy and what that looks like in America and, the story of black resilience. 

I spent the school year, putting together the video and small tribute to the poem and to the people of the city, by using the time I was given in dig vid and continued to refine it over the course of the year, leaving us with the particular product. However this is not the finished product with anything in life and art it still could be further edited and refined in order to make it much more powerful.

The representation with everything (Colors, Hues of video, faces of youth) have to do with the contradictory ideals of what black joy looks like and what the situation for black lives actually is in relation to America. 2015-2016 and 2014 as well have all been years chalked full of social injustices, that are noticed more lively and loudly because of social media. The Black live matter movement has been one of the largest trending topics revolving around social media, and artistic contribution in my opinion has been one of the most essential points of the movement, in making people care about black lives. 


Annotated Bilbiography

"Trespassing - FindLaw." Findlaw. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Source is a summary of the laws within real estate that talk about the parameters of trespassing on private property, and what the legalities are behind trespassing in abandoned buildings.



"Phila. Rates Highest among Top 10 Cities for Deep Poverty." Philly-archives. 2014. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Article is a social breakdown of the daily increase in the homeless population within philadelphia due to lack of employment, and an increase in recreational and prescription drug use and abuse.



"Legality Of Scraping Metal." Scrap Metal Junkie RSS. 2010. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Reading on the legalities of taking scrap metal from buildings as well as instructions on avoiding persecution from the law by doing so.



Hurdle, Jon. "Philadelphia’s Success in Helping the Homeless Gets a Philanthropic Boost." The New York Times. The New York Times, 2014. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Article on the attempt to help the homeless in philadelphia and the potential eradication of tent cities done on a productive level allowing people without stationary homes resources.


Greene, Ilana. "Piecing Together the Scrap Metal Industry." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Reading and explanation on how the scrap metal industry works, and the fact that it is completely dependent upon the illegal acts of those living in poverty and illegal scrap metals from abandoned buildings, cars, scrap yards, and houses.



"Scrap Metal Recycling in the US: Market Research Report." Scrap Metal Recycling in the US Market Research. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Article on the benefit of recycling old metals that can be used for scrap, and prove to be beneficial resources in the newer construction of buildings.


"U.S. Is Awash in Glut of Scrap Materials." WSJ. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Subject matter and counter argument as to how the US is completely dependent upon scrap metal yet there is so much the country is practically drowning in it.



"Recycling Facts | Why Recycle Scrap Metal? | Schupan." Recycling Facts | Why Recycle Scrap Metal? | Schupan. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Rationale on why it is necessary to scrap metals, as well as a proposal to scrap metals inside of abandoned buildings on an industrial level, the question of the buildings possessing more value in pieces than as a whole.


"Scrap Metal Outlook for 2016." About.com Money. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Dialog between economists on the value of scrap metal as a temporary source of well, however currently being deemed as one of the safest investments that almost guarantee reimbursement, as well as profit.



"US Scrap Metal Exports Forecast to Keep Plunging." US Scrap Metal Exports Forecast to Keep Plunging. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Journal addressing the resources of buildings with metal and copper, aluminum, which are the metals being scrapped, whether or not it is sound to continue to sustain scrapping as an illegal means to make money.





How to lie with Statistics Podcast #1


This podcast is about the book How to Lie With Statistics by Darrell Huff Chapters 1-3.

Speakers: 
Carolyn Borock 
Alejandro Bautista-Garcia
Wilson Biggs 

Topics Discussed: 
- The bias between the numbers and how it wasn't accurate data to compare to the entire population. 
- What average means and how it's used. 
- The fact that it's so easy to mix numbers and lie with stats. 


How To Lie With Statistics Podcast #1

​Here is our first podcast about the book How to Lie With Statistics by Darrell Huff. 

Speakers: 
  • Felix d'Hermillion
  • Tamira Bell
  • Angelica Owens


Points discussed:
  • Examples of how the audience/population is deceived by statistical studies that are biased. 
  • How bias is almost unavoidable in a study.
  • Which is the better and most accurate average: mean, median, or mode?
  • How the average can be skewed depending on the spread of the data and minimum/maximum.
Each topic was discussed by pulling a quote from the text and then everyone offered their opinion. 


Conflicts or Disagreements:
There were no disagreements about what we found in the text. We all agreed that is very easy to lie or deceive an audience or population with a very biased study.


Questions:
  • Have we used statistics in our lives to lie to people?
  • How can we conduct a study that has the least amount of bias as possible and represents the population it's surveying fairly?


Link To Our Podcast:

Support SLAMedia -- Get a Magazine Subscription!

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To all members of the SLA community:

SLAMedia -- the school's student journalism group -- is thrilled to present the first issue of their print magazine! 

The website version of SLAMedia has existed for a long time, but students this year decided to branch out into print media as well. This edition includes reporting and photography on both local and global events. Read the latest student editorial, and check out the photo spread profiling SLA's Muslim community. Don't miss the quiz on the inside back cover!

The entire process of putting the magazine together was a real joy, but to keep it going we need your support. A $20 donation will help sustain the printing into next year and beyond. As a thank you, we'll send you every issue we put out next year, either mailed directly to your home or delivered via your child who attends the school. We hope to put out three issues in the next school year... of course, more donations means more funding for publication! And the first 25 people who donate this year will get a copy of our inaugural issue as well, being distributed around school this wee.

Use the Paypal link below to donate today, and we'll be in touch about which delivery method would be best. Make sure to include your email address when you donate!

Angelica Owens 5 minutes of Science- Dementia

For my project, I focused on Dementia. Dementia is a disorder that causes you to lose your memory. When you have dementia, the cortex shrivels up and that damages the areas involved in thinking, planning and remembering. Shrinkage increases in the hippocampus which is an area that works on creating new memories and the ventricles grow larger. The symptoms are loss of memory, hard time communicating and language, the ability to focus and pay attention, reasoning and judgement and visual perception. To diagnose it, doctors do physical examination, careful medication history, lab tests, characteristics changes in history, day-to-day function and behavioral associated with each type. 


For Society, A lot of people can be diagnosed with it under 65 years old,  other terms are “early onset dementia”, “young onset dementia” and “working age dementia”. In the U.S, 5 million are reported to have age related dementia and in Louisiana about 100,000 have it. 1 in 6 women and 1 in 10 who live past 55 will develop dementia in their lifetime. People with often have to have a care provider since they can’t take of themselves. 


For Self, I chose to do this project because my grandmother had it for a while. She was declining rapidly. I don’t like this because there were times where my grandmother didn’t even know who I was and kept asking who I was. I would see her struggle to remember things and to try to take care of her. Two of my great aunt’s, my grandmother sisters have it too so I wanted to find out if it is genetic. 

5 minutes of science

Finney and Co. Shut Out King; Advance to Sweet Sixteen, Face Central on Mon, 5/23

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​For the past seven seasons the Rockets have been fighting to reach the level where real Baseball takes place every day. After finally earning a win in their 9th attempt (2010), the program has never looked back. Having only lost four regular season games in the past four seasons, SLA's overall record has surged to 66-19, and a 25-game regular season winning streak has secured consecutive undefeated seasons and back-to-back DivisionTitles.

The climb out of the cellars of D and C has been hard fought, and so their seat at the A-Table next season is well-deserved. SLA's magical run to the 2015 Final Four has been backed up by another outstanding season, and a chip has resided squarely on their collective shoulder after politics got in the way of their push to become the first unranked team to ever win a City Title. Earning a Bye and hosting a 2nd Round Playoff game was a perfect way to start another run. But the entire house of royal blue dreams built off blood, sweat and tears nearly came crashing down upon them.  

In standard fashion The Rockets got off to a quick start against their rival King, a team SLA had bested 12-2 early in the season. Sophomore Tony Brown had a patient at-bat, and worked for a pitch he could smack into left field for a lead off single. He quickly stole 2nd and easily scored a heartbeat later after Leon Finney ripped a Triple into the Left Center gap. Finney scored three pitches later on a passed ball as King's starter Johnson tried to stay away from hard-hitting senior Kevin Courtney. 

Both sides expected the lead to grow exponentially each inning as it did back in March, but there it stood for the next five innings- Rockets 2, King 0. Serious chances to change that evaporated each inning as both sides bent, but neither broke.

While King discussed what could have been and reluctantly celebrated the end of a solid season, the Rockets reflected on how they had the skills, passion and collective mind to never step this close to the edge again. 

For the 2nd consecutive season SLA advances to the Sweet Sixteen and faces 4th-seeded, perennial contender Central High. If their 2015 run is any indicator, the Rockets are right where they want to be. 

2016 PIAA Public League Sweet Sixteen
B1 SLA Rockets vs A4 Central Lancers
Monday, 5/23 Central High School
15th & Somerville- 1st pitch, 315pm 



 





Finney & Co. Shut Out King 2-0; Advance to Sweet 16 vs Central on Mon, 5/23

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​For the past seven seasons the Rockets have been fighting to reach the level where real Baseball takes place every day. After finally earning a win in their 9th attempt (2010), the program has never looked back. Having only lost four regular season games in the past four seasons, SLA's overall record has surged to 66-19, and a 25-game regular season winning streak has secured consecutive undefeated seasons and back-to-back DivisionTitles.

The climb out of the cellars of D and C has been hard fought, and so their seat at the A-Table next season is well-deserved. SLA's magical run to the 2015 Final Four has been backed up by another outstanding season, and a chip has resided squarely on their collective shoulder after politics got in the way of their push to become the first unranked team to ever win a City Title. Earning a Bye and hosting a 2nd Round Playoff game was a perfect way to start another run. But the entire house of royal blue dreams built off blood, sweat and tears nearly came crashing down upon them.  

In standard fashion The Rockets got off to a quick start against their rival King, a team SLA had bested 12-2 early in the season. Sophomore Tony Brown had a patient at-bat, and worked for a pitch he could smack into left field for a lead off single. He quickly stole 2nd and easily scored a heartbeat later after Leon Finney ripped a Triple into the Left Center gap. Finney scored three pitches later on a passed ball as King's starter Johnson tried to stay away from hard-hitting senior Kevin Courtney. 

Both sides expected the lead to grow exponentially each inning as it did back in March, but there it stood for the next five innings- Rockets 2, King 0. Serious chances to change that evaporated each inning as both sides bent, but neither broke.

While Johnson kept SLA's bats oddly silent, Leon Finney and Lukas Supovitz-Aznar held it down by combining for 9 Strikeouts over 5 shutout innings of two-hit ball, setting up Ben Simon for the save. But King's best chance came in the 6th when they loaded the bases on a walk, fielder's choice, walk and error. Simon kept his composure and worked out of the jam by recording back-to-back Strikeouts. The Rockets had a chance in their half of the 6th but couldn't tack on any insurance, setting up a dramatic finish.

With the top of the order on deck, King's DH worked a lead-off walk and reached 2nd on a passed ball. Simon struck out King's lead-off (Johnson), but then walked two to load the bases. As the intensity ratcheted up the Rockets and their fan base grew nervous for the first time all year. This was certainly the kind of Baseball they had always craved, but they simply didn't expect it this early in the playoffs. 

And so the stage was set for a storybook come-from-behind upset win, only this time it would be SLA that could be "shocked and awed". How quickly the tides can turn. 

King's clean-up hitter Ellison stepped in, worked the count full but Simon froze him with a fast ball on the outside corner. With two down, Simon reached inside and found something last seen (nearly a year ago to the date) when he dealt against the heart of the order to upset #1 Frankford. In an eerily similar spot, King's 5-hitter Willburn battled the count even at 2-2. Simon attacked and the crowd erupted when Willburn struck out on a check-swing. Players started to move, but home plate umpire Derrick Seagers said Willburn held up, making the count full again. Simon was beside himself.

For a moment Mt. Airy fell dead silent. Ben looked down, both inside himself and for a sign from freshman Catcher Avi Cantor. No one was breathing as he delivered. It's cliche, but time slowed down to 960 frames per second with SLA's season hanging on the pitch. Simon's fastball snapped hard. Cantor's glove remained perfectly framed on the outside corner. Seagers called third strike ended King's season. 

As the crowd screamed in relief the Rockets slowly came off the field and lined up to shake hands. But the tension wouldn't leave them. The tension couldn't leave them. They knew how close they had come to putting their dream on hold for another entire season. Words weren't needed, but junior Lukas Supovitz-Aznar and their coaches tried anyway.

While King discussed what could have been and reluctantly celebrated the end of a solid season, the Rockets reflected on how they had the skills, passion and collective mind to never step this close to the edge again. 

For the 2nd consecutive season SLA advances to the Sweet Sixteen and faces 4th-seeded, perennial contender Central High. If their 2015 run is any indicator, the Rockets are right where they want to be. 

2016 PIAA Public League Sweet Sixteen
B1 SLA Rockets vs A4 Central Lancers
Monday, 5/23 Central High School
15th & Somerville- 1st pitch, 315pm 



 






Tomy Fleurine Capstone

​I created a mixtape/album. I wanted to host a soccer tournament but my original partner proved to be not as available as I hoped and I was not able to raise the funds that I needed in order to have a successful tournament. My goal when starting my capstone was to do something that I can really relate to, have talent in, and that I love. I have been writing music since I was younger and had some songs I wanted to produce and put out there so it was not really a hard decision for me. Furthermore, I was able to find someone else with a Capstone exactly like mind, Ameer Forte. He planned to focus on rapping in his album and I planned to focus more on singing and producing. Therefore, I thought would be smart to work with him and create the album together. 

This has been a masterpiece in my opinion. All the Science Leadership Academy core values have been incorporated into this project. I collaborated with Ameer to get it done along with his uncle so collaboration was key. I have researched different ways to sing work on my voice so it sounds clearer, editing songs and make them sound good, and getting into a good flow of songwriting so research was key. I used inquiry to use my new found knowledge and apply it into the final product. I also used the remaining two core values which are presentation obviously and reflection. Enjoy. 

https://www.scienceleadership.org/media/open/38711
01 Intro_ I Hope You Feel Me (Prod. DougieOnTheBeat)
Our Struggle(Prod. Uncle Savage AKA Ramsey Forte
Dirt (Prod. Daw Beats)
04 All My Love Feat. Tomy Fleurine (Prod. Roland Forte & Classixs Beats)
05 Right My Wrongs_When I lost it (Prod. Lobia)
06 The Scene (Interlude) (Prod. P.SOUL)
Never Trust. (Prod. beatsinmybackpack)
Rotation Feat. Sincere The King (Prod. Nique Musiq & Ameer Forte)
09 We'll Be OK (Prod. Ricky Vela & Ameer Forte)
Tbh (Prod. Uncle Savage & Ameer Forte)
All The Feels (Interlude) (Prod. Ameer Forte) 2
Love Story Feat. Keely (Prod. Curtis Drummond)
13 Intentions (Prod. Flip)
Outro_All I Know (Prod. Canary Julz)

Annotated Bibliography

"Advice for New Referees | US Youth Soccer." US Youth Soccer. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Since we will be spending so much money for the tournament, we won’t have enough to hire referees for the game. We will be doing the refereeing ourselves therefore we needed a website showing us how to referee a game. Soccer is a very fast paced and dangerous game so we need to be fair to everyone and be in favor of the safety of everyone. However, we can’t be too soft and we need to know when people are flopping and when people are being fake. There is going to be yelling at the referees especially since they have to pay money to enter the tournament therefore we need to learn how to keep our composure. This website is a really good source about referees and how to referee effectively.


"Affiliates." Tournament Travel. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


Soccer is played all through America. Especially in the youth soccer system in America, in these systems there are many tournaments. These tournaments help organize American soccer in ways that help develop soccer players throughout America in ways that help strengthen the game of soccer throughout America. This source gives an example of how soccer tournaments are supposed to be announced, documented, promoted, and hyped up to produce numerous participants and sustain organization.


"How to Organize a Soccer Tournament." WikiHow. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Organizing a soccer tournament takes a lot of time and energy. You have to promote to the public what you’re going to do, let as much as the public as possible know, and have the energy to have a successful tournament. Through hard work and dedication, a successful soccer tournament can be made. Sources like this help us understand how a tournament is supposed to work. Through making sure how everything is supposed to function to making sure everyone is having a good time. This source is an excellent way to help someone organize a tournament of any kind.


"How to Play Soccer." WikiHow. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


Soccer, who is also known as football everywhere besides the U.S., Canada and Australia, is a fun, competitive game. It is the most-played sport in the world, with over 200 million players in about 200 countries. Now, it is referred to as "the beautiful game" because of its dazzling degrees of technical skill, team play, and individual contribution. This source shows a lot of information about the sport itself and it shows a lot about what you need in order to become a successful soccer player. It also shows a lot about different kits and other objects you need in order to play the sport.

"How to Host a Kick-Ass Event - Eventbrite Blog." Eventbrite Blog. 2009. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


Hosting an event a takes a lot of work and hard dedication, and sweat and tears, blood and guts, haha jk . But forreal hosting an event is no joke, with it has to come a heart to serve your community and to have fun of course. Many events, whether they are formal events for an office party, concerts for famous singers or performers, or anything that requires an immense amount of concentration and dedication. This source helps us understand what it takes to host a successful public event.

Micah’s:

"How To Play Soccer." How To Play Soccer. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Soccer allows people to stay healthy and energized. Through this tournament, not only will the community be positively affected but it will enhance the knowledge of my partner and I to be better with our organizational skills as well as helping our community in ways we don’t have to. We plan on having money to raise to help the community through selling drinks at the tournament. We plan on even possibly teaching some of the kids at the tournament soccer as well. Understanding fully how to play soccer is necessary to complete this tournament. This source helps greatly with our cause.


"North Texas Soccer." Tournament Applications and Forms. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

This source is a  really good source. It shows a lot of different tournament applications that we need to host the tournament. Soccer is a very fun and amazing sport however, it is also very dangerous. That’s the reason why we need a lot of different forms in order for a tournament hosting to be legal. This source provided me with a lot of information and forms so that my capstone can be successful. I’m going to get people to sign the forms and I’ll be good. This website is essentially a template for tournament forms.



Oklahoma Soccer Association." How To Host A Tournament. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

This source helps us understand with much more understanding of how to create a successful tournament. We have many sources that help us make a successful tournament on this doc and this one is one of the most valuable. It helped us understand there is more to a tournament than just making it. It helped us see the true meaning of helping the community and what it means to have a successful Capstone.

"How To Play Soccer." How To Play Soccer. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.



"Tournament Brackets - Printable Single & Double Elimination." Tournament Brackets - Printable Single & Double Elimination. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


This source allows our group to understand how brackets. Brackets work different ways and work often. Brackets can work for tournaments, competitions, events, social events, athletic events, non-athletic events. Other events like baseball tournaments, bowling tournaments, football tournaments, golf tournaments, such as PGA, the Masters, soccer tournaments. Which the Champions League, Copa del rey, World Cup, and other soccer tournaments like these. Basketball tournaments such as March Madness, the amazing, incredible, world class event known as the Olympics, the NBA Finals, along with many other beautiful tournaments in the world of sports. Brackets will help us organize our soccer tournament better.


"The Philly Soccer Page." The Philly Soccer Page. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


Soccer is an amazing sport. Around the world, almost every country plays this sport, from Germany, to Australia, from Japan, to China, America, Greenland, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, France, England, Austria, Belgium, Narnia, Canada, Honduras, Peru, Turkey, Jamaica, Switzerland, Hawaii, Nigeria, Russia, North Korea, Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, the Congo, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, along with many others in the world. Soccer is a great sport. This source helps us understand world soccer better which ultimately helps us understand soccer better, which then helps us understand soccer better, in our city, which then helps us understand soccer better to do this tournament which then helps us complete this tournament because we understand soccer so well. This is a very beneficial sport.


Tamira Bell's Capstone: Photography Portfolio

To often people live their lives without meaning, simply going through the motions. They live a boring, mediocre life because they have not found their passion. A quote that I have heard many times in my youth is "A life without passion is not worth living.” The word passion in this sense can be defined as a strong or extravagant fondness or desire for anything. When you live your life without a passion or something that you have a high interest in, your life can be very dull and lifeless. My passion is photography.

For my capstone, I created a photography portfolio that features portrait and nature photography. The purpose of choosing this as my capstone was that I wanted to have a portfolio of my work so that I present it the world and expand it in college. Creating this portfolio really helped me sharpen my photography and editing skills. I took a lot of photos in a studio with a 3 light set up, so I learned a lot about lighting up my subject and adjusting my camera to the right settings under that light. I also learned about photo composition and what makes a photo visually appealing. I applied several photographic principles, one being the rule of thirds. I edited all of my photos in Adobe Photoshop. For most pictures it took me on an average of 30 minutes to edit. However some of the more complex pictures took anywhere from an hour to 5 hours to edit. I hope that you enjoy my portfolio.

Portfolio

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Tiarra Bell's Capstone: Chooli Furniture Line

We live in a world where manual skills are shunned. As technology advances, manual skills, techniques, and tools are becoming obsolete and a thing of the past. However, preserving manual craftsmanship should be an essential part of designing a product. George Nakashima, an Japanese American Architect and woodworker once said “I believe in them, not only in the act of producing a better product, but in the sheer joy of doing or becoming.” This quote is the drive and motivation of my capstone.


For my capstone, I designed and created furniture using traditional woodworking methods. The traditional woodworking is a culture that is increasingly becoming extinct with companies like Ikea. There’s a high demand for nicely designed but cheaped crafted furniture. The modernism style is an important part of our culture today but we can’t forget the classic style and traditional methods.

(I'm still working on finishing the chair plus other products)

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Mitchell Berven-Stotz Capstone

For my capstone, I had the grand scheme of, based on my constant enjoyment of digital video classes and being a member of Rough Cut Productions, creating a short film. The original goal for the project was a 35-50 minute film, but as I planned the piece, this became less achievable. Therefore, I decided to make a shorter piece that acts as a tribute to and showcase of my personal style of fiction. The final product, which you can view the teaser of below, is around 15 minutes long. It began with an initial image, which, through many evolutions of ideas, didn't even make it into the final product. Even after the initial write-up of the plot was complete, evolution occurred. After discovering the ordeal that is working with a fluid outline, the logistical trials emerged. Even with a cast of 5, and a crew of even less, I had to dance around the schedules of many to complete my piece. In production I encountered issues with audio control, filming environment, and camera setup, but learned from these experiences and am already working to fix them. I am working on the final polishing of the film. Overall, I enjoyed the project and was able to create a product that demonstrates my personal style. For the first time in my years as a Rough Cut member, I had full control of the project. 

Teaser below, Rough Cut, due to technical difficulties, will be uploaded 05/20/16:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-is-1eDqx8


Annotated Bibliography


August, John. "Johnaugust.com." Johnaugustcom RSS. N.p., 7 Feb. 2007. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


Screenwriter John August gives his tips on writing dialogue. 1. Eavesdrop, because real sounding conversation comes from hearing real conversation. 2. Craft your dialogue around the flow of your scene. Run the scene through in your head multiple times, until dialogue starts manifesting. By building a clear image of the scene in your head, you are able to pace your dialogue in such a way that it makes the scene feel real. 3. You need to match the dialogue structure or presentation of the information to the scenario (setting, mood, character relations, known knowledge). 4. Write a rough version of the scene, super rough, before writing the actual scene. 5. Step it up. 6.  


"Film Lighting Techniques and Tips: With Pretty Pictures!" Free Online Film School: Learn Filmmaking. N.p., 30 Apr. 2010. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


There were a few takeaways from this source, all revolving around lighting. Without lighting, your imagery will look flat and uninteresting. You can bring in many different moods and looks through the use of lighting techniques. A technique I will definitely attempt is the shadowy look from a soft front, heavy backlight. I hadn’t realised how important lighting was. It is required for essentially every scene you would shoot, even in circumstances with a lot of natural light. Color correction cannot help with everything. I will attempt these lighting techniques, and I will make a focus in my storyboarding on the effects I can achieve with light. This is from a director’s blog.


Helmy, David K. "Adobe Premiere Pro CC." How to Edit Videos with Premiere Pro. Adobe, n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


Premiere is my editing tool, and this source goes over how to use it. It is similar to Final Cut in many ways, but there are a few key differences, especially when it comes to detailed selection of my clips. It is important for me to be able to use Premiere effectively, as I will have limited time to work with it. This resource has given me the ability to efficiently edit my footage. I can further use this resource to delve deeper into the uses and techniques I can pull off. This source comes from the official Adobe site.


Howell, John M. Homicide Investigation Standard Operating Procedures. N.p.: Policeforum.org, 1999. Print.


This pdf details police procedure for crime scenes, circa 1999. The investigator goes in to survey the scene of the crime. They must document every essential piece of information. You begin by taking the time, weather conditions, and receiving information from and questioning the first officer. Make sure every officer at the scene has done their job, and that all loose ends are covered. You talk to and tend to the needs of the witnesses, if there are any. I used this source to give me an idea of what type of work my protagonist would be used to. How does one go about investigating a crime scene?


"Introduction to Three-Point Lighting & Other Video Lighting Techniques." 3-Point Lighting. Nikon, n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


I am really trying to step up my lighting game for this project, as lighting is extremely useful for setting mood and tone in film. This source is an educational tool for three point lighting, a method which, because of the use of only 3 lights, I have the ability to pull off. Light reflectors are also important, as they can help bring the dark parts of my subject into view. The video goes over the use of LED lights, which are what I have access to. The main takeaway is that you can set the lights up in such a way that you are able to fully illuminate your subject with a minimal amount of light sources. This source is from Nikon.


"Mass Murder, Shooting Sprees and Rampage Violence: Research Roundup - Journalist's Resource." Journalists Resource. N.p., 01 Oct. 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


My film, even though it is wrapped up in the supernatural, wants to look at what creates violence, and how violence moves through society. This is a compilation of research and analysis of violent crime statistics, used as a resource for reporters. US has a much higher (6.9% higher), crime rate than other countries at its socio-economic level. My piece has to do with a teen who murders a group of their friends. This research tries to examine the causes of mass murder. However, the causes for these events are constantly left to debate, and new research methods are necessary for better analysis.


Mott, Parker. "Suspense Film Editing | Art of the Guillotine." The Art of the Guillotine. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


For making suspense in your visuals: Have your camera or a character have a voyeuristic, observational feel. Distant, spaced, watching. When showing the room, cut in close ups of objects that are of importance to the plot. Hint at them, giving audience a “what purpose will they have” feeling. When not zoomed, give pannings of the room, wide looks. Montage can be used to good effect, allowing you to show what all is happening, without actually revealing it entirely, which ruins suspense. Humour can make suspense even lighter, showing that the characters don’t know what you know about the situation. Have multiple things happen at once. Thumbs up for plot twists. This is from a writer, director, editor.


Sakula, Dora Ash. "How to Create Suspense in a Screenplay - Raindance." Raindance. Raindance Film Festival, 23 July 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


“Suspense is the anticipation of action, it’s not action itself. The moment you have action, your suspense is gone.” Suspense is about keeping the audience wondering what will happen, how something transpired. You are meant to feel as if you are empathizing with the character, so that you feel like you are in danger with them. I am planning on making my film very suspenseful, and this is a succinct definition of what suspense is, surrounded by a very good example of how it can work. Suspense can work with any event that a character is put into, that becomes dangerous or goes against their wishes. Source is from a film fest seminar.


Sullivan, Jack. "'Hitchcock's Music' Scores Big on Suspense." NPR. NPR, 10 Feb. 2007. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


An important part of suspenseful film is the soundtrack. This NPR article discusses different pieces of music and how they build suspense. You want to match the speed of your music to the speed of your imagery. By having music over silence, you are able to make things less “stark”, and give them emotion. The music you place gives the emotion of the scene. However, music can become overused, making it less impactful, and detracting from the feeling of the scenes. The amount of sound layered in the music has to do with the level of importance or emotion. More instrumentation, more emotion.


Urry, Allen B. "Modern Police Interrogation Techniques Use Subtle Psychological Manipulation." Everest.edu. Everest Universities, 8 June 2008. Web. 4 Feb. 2016.


How does one go about suspect interrogation? This is a very important part of my piece, as the middle segment of my film focusses on/ is structured by an interrogation. THis article focusses on the Reid technique of interrogation. It features nine steps: 1. Lay out the evidence. 2. Give the suspect a setup where other people put them into the situation. 3. Don’t let the suspect speak, assault them with the many ways in which they are to blame. 4. Turn whatever objections they make onto them. 5. Play good cop. 6. Voice several different ideas, looking for unique reactions. 7. Give them two scenarios, and look to see if the suspect chooses the safer option. 8. Get them to repeat the confession. 9. Document. From Everest Universities.





William Derry Capstone

Abstract:


I created The Empire: All Things College Basketball In Philadelphia last year with my good friend Benjamin Simon after attending a journalism conference at Germantown Friends School (GFS) and being inspired by National Baseball correspondent Tyler Kepner. Kepner shared a magazine of his own creation from when he was younger, which led to our sports website idea.

I prepared for the upcoming season by writing recruiting profiles for incoming freshman who were recruited by the six schools that we decided to cover (Temple, Saint Joseph's Penn, La Salle, Villanova and Drexel). The recruiting profiles helped us lay down a foundation for the site.

Once we were informed of the media polices related to covering a college basketball team by two collegiate media relations directors, we began to conduct our first interviews with players and coaches.

We added more writers to our staff by sending out a tweet from our @PhillyEmpire Twitter handle. Shortly after, two writers agreed to join us. We gained traction by posting articles to Twitter and Facebook, which led to a staff of nine writers and a photographer.

From having access to the media room at the Palestra and Hagan Arena, to sitting courtside next to professional journalists at games, to listening in on Phil Martelli and Steve Donahue’s post-game press conferences, this has really be an exhilarating experience and one that I could not have even dreamed of. My website has come a long way in the past year and I want to continue the success.

Link to website

Annotated Bibliography



Delaney, Tim. "Tim Delaney Villanova." Telephone interview. 11 June 2015.

This is a telephone interview recording between myself and Tim Delaney. Delaney is college basketball player who currently attends Villanova University and is in his freshman year there. This interview was conducted before the season started but while he was on campus preparing for the season. Many questions were asked during this interview that had to do with his high school basketball career, his decision to attend Villanova University and what he like’s to do off of the court, among other things. The content of the interview was used for an article written about Delaney in June of 2015, that featured a Q&A section that contained some of his responses. This telephone interview recording was credible.           



Donahue, Steve. "Steve Donahue." Personal interview. 2 Jan. 2016.


This is a press conference recording of Steve Donahue from after Penn’s game against Binghamton. Donahue is Penn’s head men’s basketball coach and is in his first year with the team. Since it is a press conference recording, the recording included questions from many reporters who attended the game and responses from Donahue and a current Penn men’s basketball player who also attended the press conference. The content of the press conference recording was used in an article about Penn’s freshman players playing big roles on the team this season, that included quotes from head coach Steve Donahue about the freshman. This press conference recording was credible.          


Gianni, John. "Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Teleconference." Telephone interview. 18 Jan. 2016.


This is a telephone interview recording of John Gianni from the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Teleconference on January 18th of 2016. Gianni is La Salle’s University’s head men’s basketball coach and has been with the team for 12 seasons. Since it is a teleconference recording, the recording includes questions from many reporters who called into the conference, as well as Gianni’s responses to those questions. The content of the teleconference recording was used as background information in an article that previewed La Salle’s matchup against Big 5 rival Temple, that included Gianni’s opinion about how the season has gone so far which led to me forming my own opinion on their season. This telephone interview recording was credible.                     


"Home." City of Basketball Love. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


City of Basketball Love is a website that covers men’s basketball throughout the tri-state area, more specifically they write about high school and college basketball. The editor-in-chief of the site Josh Verlin, who graduated from Temple University with a degree in broadcast journalism, has served as a resource for the site and has aided us with his knowledge of  journalism and media. His blog has served as an example of high quality sports journalism, as well as high school and college men’s basketball media coverage, which in turn has given us guidance and led to our site being what it is today. This site is credible.            


Interview by Daniel Jeremiah. Audio blog post. Move the Sticks with Daniel Jeremiah & Bucky Brooks. N.p., 17 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 Dec. 2015.


Move the Sticks with Daniel Jeremiah & Bucky Brooks is a podcast series where two former NFL Scouts talk about football, more specifically they discuss current NFL and College events. Jeremiah is currently an analyst on the NFL Network and writes for NFL.com, while Brooks is a former NFL player and writes about the NFL for Sports Illustrated. Since Ben and I conduct our own podcast, Move the Sticks with Daniel Jeremiah & Bucky Brooks has served as a quality example of a sports themed podcast. Ben and I have incorporated this source in our own podcast by following their lead by starting the podcast with music for an intro. This podcast is credible.             


Kepner, Tyler. "Imported Stars Give Red Sox a Chance at a Worst-to-First Repeat." The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 Apr. 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.


The New York Times article “Imported Stars Give Red Sox a Chance at a Worst-to-First Repeat” was written around the same time Ben and I attended a journalism conference at GFS (Germantown Friends School) by Tyler Kepner. Kepner, who is a GFS alum and national baseball correspondent for The New York Times, spoke at that conference and I was inspired by his experiences as a teenager when he created his own sports magazine. He also had the opportunity to interview Philadelphia Phillies baseball players at that youthful age. I have used this source by following in Kepner’s footsteps by creating by own media during my teenage years. This article was credible.    


Kimble, Lamarr. "Lamarr Kimble Saint Joseph's." Telephone interview. 22 July 2015.


This is a telephone interview recording between myself and Lamarr Kimble. Kimble is a college basketball player who currently attends Saint Joseph’s University and is in his freshman year there. This interview was conducted before the season started but while he was on campus preparing for the season. Many questions were asked during this interview that had to do with his high school basketball career, his decision to attend Saint Joseph’s University and what he like’s to do off of the court, among other things. The content of the interview was used for an article written about Kimble in August of 2015. This telephone interview recording was credible.   


Martelli, Phil. "Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Teleconference." Telephone interview. 18 Jan. 2016.


This is a telephone interview recording of Phil Martelli from the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Teleconference on January 18th of 2016. Martelli is Saint Joseph’s University’s head men’s basketball coach and has been with the team for 21 seasons. Since it is a teleconference recording, the recording includes questions from many reporters who called into the conference, as well as Martelli’s responses to those questions. The content of the teleconference recording was used as background information in an article that previewed Saint Joseph’s matchup against Big 5 rival Penn, that included Martelli’s opinion about how the season has gone so far which led to me forming my own opinion on their season. This telephone interview recording was credible.          


Martelli, Phil. "Saint Joseph's Press Conference 12-29-15." Personal interview. 29 Dec. 2015.


This is a press conference recording of Phil Martelli from after Saint Joseph’s game against Maryland-Eastern Shore. Martelli is Saint Joseph’s head men’s basketball coach and is in his 21st year with the team. Since it is a press conference recording, the recording included questions from many reporters who attended the game, which the Hawks won and responses from Martelli. The content of the press conference recording was used as background information to better understand the team’s mindset at the time, which turned out to be the same as it was in the beginning of the season “Win the day”. This press conference recording was credible.   


"WFUV Sports Halftime Show." WFUV Sports Halftime Show. WFUV Sports. Philadelphia, PA, 16 Jan. 2016. Radio.


This is a halftime radio broadcast recording from Saint Joseph’s game against Fordham University. The halftime radio show was conducted by Fordham University’s radio station WFUV Sports at Hagan Arena, which is Saint Joseph University’s basketball arena. WFUV has been in existence for more than 65 years and is based out of Bronx, NY, where Fordham University is located. Ben was featured on the broadcast as a member of PhillyEmpire, which served as a promotion opportunity for the site. I used this source as a way to promote the site to a different and larger audience through social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. This halftime radio broadcast recording was credible.  

Nashay Day's Capstone

Abstract: For my capstone, I decided to do a clothes drive. I am a person who is incredibly passionate about fashion, however, at the same time I am someone who really enjoys assisting people and making sure that those around me have the necessities they need to survive. My capstone consisted of me requesting that my peers give me clothes that they did not desire. I then sorted through to make sure everything was acceptable and in good condition. I then gathered them to wash them. The last and final step is to drop them off at the Salvation Army and to sell the clothes in pristine condition, the proceeds will be going to the SLA Debate Team. 

Annotated Bibliography: 

Brock, Catherine "How To Clean Thrift Store Clothing"

Part of completing this process was how to thoroughly clean the clothing that I received. This article goes into detail on what to use in order to remove certain scents and tells us how to maintain the clothing's quality. 

Hancher, Julie, "Where to Donate Used Clothes in Philly: WCI Wed" 12 Feb. 2014

This article was incredibly informative as it gave me an idea of where to donate clothes in the Philadelphia area. It lists a few sights from each area in the city which made it very easy for me to navigate people in to local stops. 

Big Green Purse "How I Collected 30 Warm Coats at my Cookies for Clothing Drive" 

This was a fascinating read! It was a unique take on collecting clothes for the greater good. It's amazing to see what people will give when there is a bit of an incentive to give. I really enjoy how she lists what to do step by step which was helpful when trying to figure out the timeline. 

Used Clothing Drive "How Do I Start?" http://www.usedclothingdrive.com/start/ 
This article was an amazing resource. First because it was stellar in terms of preliminary research. While the clothes drive seemed to be easy there were still many things that I did not know how to do. For example, I had no idea on how to organizing and this source laid this out incredibly. 

"How to Organize a Clothes Collection Drive - Volunteer Weekly." Volunteer Weekly. N.p., 11 Jan. 2013. Web. 20 May 2016.

This was also a vital resource. Again, this is a source that was apart of preliminary research for my timeline. This source again gives a list of how to organize what a clothes drive. The previous source had things that I could imagine but this source was the opposite. It talked about NGO's which I had no idea could play part.





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Taylor Washington's Capstone

​For my capstone I decided to become a vlogger and capture important moments of my senior on video. I decided to do this because I wanted to learn how to edit my own video on my own without asking for help every 3 seconds. Another reason why I chose to do this was because I really wanted to just have fun while learning what it takes to not only be behind the camera but behind the computer screen editing and uploading media.
So far I think the hardest thing about filming was the actual editing the video on a professional program. Even though it would have been 50 times easier to use iMovie. Having the patience and sticking to you idea was extremely important in this process. I learned that it's not always gonna be perfect and that's okay, something I wish I difrfrently is chose a better mentor and actually upload video once a week.

Cole Hinton Capstone

For my capstone, I wanted to add items to the SLA apparel. The person who helped me with this was Travis Fields, who works at Philly Kid Grafix The first thing that I did was make a survey to find out what people would like to see in the school store. The next step was to find a place to produce the products. From there, the next step was to produce the products and sell them. But, that couldn’t happen. Unfortunately, my capstone could not get started and happen how I wanted. Some of the problems that I went through were communication problems. There were days when I wasn’t available and days where Travis wasn’t available. Another problem I faced was not getting some of my questions asked and waiting for answers for a long time.


When things weren’t going well, I had to find another place to produce my products. The next thing I tired was Customink.com. This was good at first until the price came around. The problem with this source was that they were too much money. I wanted to make my products under $30 and that wasn’t the case.


Something that I would do differently is starting this a little bit earlier than I did so I wouldn’t have to go through this same problem again. Another thing I would do differently is having more than one source. This way if one source wasn’t working, I would have more to rely on.


Click here for the bibliography

Here are some ideas and pictures for my capstone. View them here.

Here are links to Philly Kid Grafix:

http://www.pkg215.com/PKG/CONTACT.html

http://phillykidgrafix.bigcartel.com/products