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I chose to do my capstone on How to Be an SLA Office Assistant. I have been doing office work around the SLA office since my sophomore year. My new class this year was community service, and with the experience I already have of being in the office, because it used to be my internship, therefore I learned a lot these past 3 years of being an office assistant. As an office assistant, making a good, welcoming environment is key to the students and staff/teachers. You wouldn’t want to be uncomfortable in your own home. Right?. I will never change my personality or how I carry myself for nothing or no one because that’s me, always has been, and always will be, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fix some flaws I have. After each year at SLA, I have gotten tame, communicate more, but still could be better, gained a lot of friendships that come with a lot of support that really helped me keep going. SLA gave me hope. Leaving this last year, I know I can be more than what I am or what I’ve been told I am. I’m proving that by completing this capstone, passing my classes, not getting into any trouble lately, and getting into Workshop U with a plan after high school, and then when I finally walk across the stage, hearing my name, Jacey Butler, as I get that diploma. That will prove the haters wrong. Clock That Tea.

My Artifacts

For my capstone, I wanted to do something that would educate people about depression. I wanted to do this because a lot of people know of depression, but they don’t really know much about depression, such as the cause, symptoms, and ways to cope with depression.

Capstone: https://sites.google.com/view/depression-and-bipolaralliance/home?authuser=2

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JSafkLP2b8_xCZLCwmo6ZoAXnAsFfIHdTMc95UJNRn8/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.hrw1tug4mylu

I was initially interested in writing a creative paper about what I want. My final goal is to write about the accuracy of diabetic screening tests for Black people. I want to write about this because I was initially curious and interested in diabetic neuropathy tests, and I realized that the tools we use aren’t always equitable or suitable for everyone. This relates to me because I want to make a career in building and innovating medical devices like those used in diabetic screening and neuropathy tests. I will examine the evidence and factors of disproportionate inaccuracies of screenings for Black people.

My capstone is about how music affects academic performances

Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rtAe4HXhdBhq9GTO37eA2pdpCsNFd8wMLw7L3QvFgWM/edit?usp=sharing

Student Bicycle Repair Access Initiative

My Capstone project, the Student Bicycle Repair Access Initiative, focused on improving access to bicycle repair knowledge and tools for students and community members. My original plan was to install public bike repair stands alongside a website that could help users diagnose issues with their bicycles. Due to permitting delays and time limitations, the project evolved into creating a detailed bicycle problem diagnosis sheet and organizing tools that could eventually support a student-accessible repair station. Throughout the project, I spent many hours at my bike shop’s Manayunk location learning bicycle maintenance and repair techniques so I could better understand how to identify common mechanical issues and explain solutions clearly to beginner riders. I also worked on organizing and preparing tools to be transferred for future student use. Through this process, I learned not only technical repair skills, but also how real world projects normally require adaptation, problem solving, and changes in direction while still maintaining the original focus. My final product is a diagnosis guide and collection of repair resources designed to help people troubleshoot and better understand problems with their bicycles in an approachable and accessible way.

Student Bicycle Repair Access Initiative

My Capstone project, the Student Bicycle Repair Access Initiative, focused on improving access to bicycle repair knowledge and tools for students and community members. My original plan was to install public bike repair stands alongside a website that could help users diagnose issues with their bicycles. Due to permitting delays and time limitations, the project evolved into creating a detailed bicycle problem diagnosis sheet and organizing tools that could eventually support a student-accessible repair station. Throughout the project, I spent many hours at my bike shop’s Manayunk location learning bicycle maintenance and repair techniques so I could better understand how to identify common mechanical issues and explain solutions clearly to beginner riders. I also worked on organizing and preparing tools to be transferred for future student use. Through this process, I learned not only technical repair skills, but also how real world projects normally require adaptation, problem solving, and changes in direction while still maintaining the original focus. My final product is a diagnosis guide and collection of repair resources designed to help people troubleshoot and better understand problems with their bicycles in an approachable and accessible way.

For my senior Capstone project, Adrian Marrero and I wrote a small comedy tv series. Over the summer we came up with the idea to mock our own community through filmmaking in a way that brings joy to the viewer. At the time, we didn’t have the proper equipment to do so but as soon as school started we both agreed that it would be a good idea for our capstone. With me being in the digital video program and Adrian being interested in it as well, it was very easy for us to bring our ideas into light. We began writing the first and second episodes in October and finished around December and started filming the pilot episode in February. Our cast was our friend group and we wanted them to have some creative freedom as well so they gave us feedback on our scripts, improving them along the way. While I directed the first episode with my three years of knowledge, Adrian researched acting methods to teach our cast. Our original goal was to write and film 5 episodes with an overlapping plot. We didn’t realize how ambitious we were until beginning the first episode. We quickly redirected our goals to have a polished first episode that we could submit to Rocket Fest. In doing so we won first place in Narrative Films with over 50 people watching it. The first episode is based on a combination of true stories that we experienced in our life. It follows a group of not so bright young men in their twenties who are from south philly. They go to their good friend Xav’s house to celebrate his twenty-first birthday. Things get rocky from there…

(The Real South Philly, Episode 1, Pilot, 2026) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Elz0sN9NMDbSdHRWdYVa03HvypvvUX7t/view?usp=drive_link (The Real South Philly Script) https://docs.google.com/document/d/19X6GO2y43stCPBs0SRennpTV0AtxEJc_MEXUbpXi8XA/edit?usp=sharing (Bibliography) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PSyYGs-0whSOusH-v6X6uVqs11KL6xC8OZrd3xx8p_0/edit?tab=t.0

I chose to do my capstone on How to Be an SLA Office Assistant. I have been doing office work around the SLA office since my sophomore year. My new class this year was community service, with that and the experience I already have of being in the office, because it used to be my internship, therefore, I learned a lot these past 3 years of being an office assistant. As an office assistant, creating a welcoming environment is key for students and staff/teachers. You wouldn’t want to be uncomfortable in your own home. Right? I love doing my office work. If it were something I didn’t wanna do, then I wouldn’t have done it. Nothing but the truth. When starting my capstone, it was supposed to be a book with 10 chapters, which is my manual. I don’t really like to type at all. I wrote my chapters down in my book first, transferred that onto a Google Doc, finally printed the chapters out, and then put them in order in a binder.

I interviewed three Local Leaders in different fields to gain multiple perspectives. Especially their personal experiences and perspective on Leadership as a whole, and the specific differences within each field. The first person I interviewed was Chris Lehmann, who gave an interesting perspective on Leadership because he is a former teacher who is now the CEO and Principal of Science Leadership Academy (SLA). A key point of his interview was discussing servant leadership. This project idea actually stems from a conversation I had with my dad, where he and I discussed the importance of young people building and mending relationships, especially with those who are in places and spaces they want to be. Some of the best perks of being a young person are the immense potential, so I thought about what would happen if a young person is connected with an adult who is in their dream or preferred career options. They would build a valuable relationship, see how that person operates in their specific career and how it affects their lifestyle, and get a full picture of what it would be like to pursue that career. My capstone project most definitely incorporates the SLA core values almost perfectly. First, it took an immense amount of time and energy to reach out to people that I have a connection, and it is even harder to branch out in order to get new connections.

I have always been interested in pets and mental health, and what are the things they can do for a person’s health. So initially, I wanted to do an event where students would be able to bring their pets to school and showcase some interesting facts about their pet and in what ways they help them with stress, sadness, or school work. Eventually, we came up with the idea to make a website that will talk about pets and their owners, and in what ways pets encourage their owners to be better when it comes to school work, life, and other things. I started to make a form where people that I know or even people I don’t know can fill out and tell me their story so that I can put it into my blog each week. I set them up, incorporating designs that I know the owner likes of the pet and building off of what they said in the form to make it sound more interesting for people who are reading.

For this project I created a website with videos that will help future college students eat well with home made meals instead of having the majority of the time eat fast food. When making the videos I had to think about the ingredients I had to put in for each meal. Every person is different, so some students might be allergic to some things while other students wouldn’t be and that led me to have to research ingredients that people are least likely to be allergic to.

To make these instructional videos I decided to use Capcut since that was the best thing that I had available and I think it made the videos come out very well. As the hours went by doing this capstone I learned a lot of new ways to make food since I made things that I’ve never tried before until I made this capstone. Not only was this a learning experience for me, but also a way for me to help students like myself be more comfortable with cooking In the kitchen. I had help from my Aunt who is a catering business owner and help from my mom who has been cooking me home cooked meals ever since I was born. The two of them really taught me a lot especially when it comes to saving food and how to make a lot of something, so I can be fed for at least a week.

https://abanks26.wixsite.com/college-cooking-101

1.Mike Bakes NYC. “How to Develop and Write a Recipe.” Accessed February 19, 2026. https://mikebakesnyc.com/how-to-develop-and-write-a-recipe/. In “How to Develop and Write a Recipe,” Mike Bakes NYC provides a comprehensive guide for aspiring cooks and food bloggers on creating clear and effective recipes. The article outlines essential components, including ingredient lists, precise measurements, and step-by-step instructions, emphasizing the importance of clarity and organization. It also discusses the significance of testing recipes to ensure accuracy and consistency, offering tips on how to adapt recipes for different dietary needs and preferences. This resource is particularly valuable for beginners who may feel overwhelmed by the recipe-writing process, as it breaks down complex concepts into manageable steps.

2.Jenny Blogs. “How to Write a Recipe.” Last modified April 16, 2024. Accessed February 19, 2026. https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2024/4/16/how-to-write-a-recipe. In this article it taught me how to create a thorough recipe the correct way. I had to research the type of ingredients in each recipe to make sure people know what it contains and if there are any allergies within the ingredients.

3.YouTube. “How to Write a Recipe.” Directed by , Video, Accessed February 19, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKROYBYfi9c. This video provides a step-by-step guide on writing a recipe, covering essential elements such as ingredient lists, measurements, and cooking instructions. It offers practical tips for clarity and organization, making it a valuable resource for both novice and experienced cooks looking to improve their recipe-writing skills.

4. PureWow. “Easy Dinner Recipes for Beginners.” Accessed February 19, 2026. https://www.purewow.com/food/easy-dinner-recipes-for-beginners. This article presents a collection of simple dinner recipes designed specifically for beginners. It emphasizes easy-to-follow instructions and accessible ingredients, making it an excellent resource for those new to cooking. The recipes cater to a variety of tastes and dietary preferences, encouraging novice cooks to experiment in the kitchen with confidence.

5. The Kittchen. “12 Easy Recipes for Beginners.” Accessed February 19, 2026. https://thekittchen.com/12-easy-recipes-for-beginners/.

6. Bai, Y., J. Chen, X. Wang, and Y. Zhang. “The Role of Cooking Methods in the Nutritional Quality of Food: A Review.” Frontiers in Nutrition 7 (2020): Article 815607. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8156074/.

7.Zhang, Y., and J. Liu. “The Influence of Cooking Methods on the Nutritional Quality of Food: A Review.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 174 (2021): 123-130. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1878450X21000020. 8.Create My Cookbook. “Create Your Own Cookbook.” Accessed February 19, 2026. https://createmycookbook.com/home?srsltid=AfmBOoq5LajxIMuXj7rD-bRtMxKDh8kgihcS1kn1-YW2MuKgV5RFyhup.

I started this project because I came to realize that many new student athletes come into highschool wanting to run track without any idea of where to start due to bad coaching and guidance. For this project I put together a google site that shows the best ways to prepare for a track meet, recover from a track meet and how to fuel your body for the best performance. I chose this as a project because it’s something that I have a strong love and passion for and believe my experiences can help future student athletes of SLA be prepared for. The SLA core values are a big part of this project. This project shows inquiry by showing students that asking questions is part of the process to succeed and we all start from somewhere. I’ve shown my research by giving my experiences and thoughts into the information I want my peers to remember. My project is also built on collaboration through the talks I’ve had with coaches learning more about myself as well as finding out how my peers should be shown my ideas. My presentation is important because it shows how much my topic means to me that I can have a quality presentation to share. My reflection has shown me that I am capable of a quality project when it comes to something that I’m passionate about and enjoy to share.

My capstone is called Black Excellence in Action. It was a non-profit event on February 1st, an event kicking off Black History Months centenniel anneversery. It was a mindful celebration of Black Culture and Black history, allowing for a closer community by elevating local black businesses, showcasing local Black artists, and promoting local community organizations. I wanted to unite and ignite the month-long celebration of Black Excellence with the themes of Resistance, Pride, and Joy. The event was exciting, joyous, and motivational.

Link to the essay and bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11uQJCFIv1G5ryCddlBsAnMkg0Z7y9-1BMIDzufrV_RY/edit?tab=t.nbsqp28smlqh]

Here are some photos from the event as well

This Capstone is an encapsulation of the SLA art community, along with the importance of creativity and art in a school setting. The goal of this project is to allow people who have an interest in SLA to see how the school functions as a community and how art plays a major role in the academics at SLA. The final product is a website that allowes anybody to see the ways that students are able to express their creativity through art and art-based creations. My hope is that this website can answer questions that future SLA students may have about what SLA is truly like as a high school and how creativity is often prioritized.

https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/slaartcommunity?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16aG07BSIGdBEJJSFGUIqwD67k7w1C1TNW1Tpzfn9EQA/edit?usp=sharing

The goal of my capstone project was to improve the mental health of the staff and students of Science Leadership Academy. In order to do this, I planned and executed monthly events that I knew could help improve their mental health and give them something to look forward to. In February, I hosted a yoga session led by Ms. Siswick, in March I did bake sales where I altered between free treats and treats for sale,In April I hosted an “acts of kindness” week for people to send kindness notes to each other which included a fidget toy, and in May I provided free nail services to help with prom for juniors and seniors, and an art session. I chose this project because I find myself struggling mentally at times so, I know how much of a toll it can take on you with nobody even noticing. To execute the events I came up with I firstly gave myself a time frame of when I’d do each event because I knew I wanted to do multiple things. To let everyone know about my events I made flyers that I hung around the school, and sent them out in emails to try to let everyone know as best as possible.I’m glad to say I’ve left my mark at SLA in the most positive way possible.

Click the link below to see all the pictures and videos I’ve accumulated over the year!

To see a more in-depth view of my Capstone, click this link to view my planning doc.

For my capstone, a friend and I worked together to build a series of devices we called nodes that would sync together in a mesh system that would allow people to communicate with each other without the use of cellular service, mainly focused on people who enjoy the wilderness, where service may be spotty depending on location. To do this, we used the basic software of an open-source project, mixed with added elements like a GPS antenna and our own cases to store everything in.

This capstone taught me a lot about building a product and the engineering process for perfecting one. While I’m not sure I want to pursue a career where I have to invent new things, this experience building my own invention will help me find new creative ways to solve problems. This project also taught me how to store and analyze different data points to better understand how the nodes were working and what we could do to improve reliability.

For my capstone, I created Cheer Foundations, a beginner-friendly website designed to teach the fundamentals of cheerleading through instructional videos. My project focused on making cheer more accessible, specifically to beginners, by providing clear, step-by-step lessons on motions, jumps, and tumbling, while highlighting safety in each lesson. Throughout the process, I researched proper cheer techniques and safety guidelines while also filming and editing my own instructional videos. I faced challenges during the project, including weather conditions while filming outdoors, and recovering from a pulled ligament in my ankle, but I reworked my schedule and continued working on other parts of the website. From this experience, I learned about time management, leadership, and the importance of clear communication in teaching, especially when teaching physical skills. My final product is a professional website that encourages beginners and people who are less fortunate to learn cheer safely, confidently, and at their own pace.

For My Capstone I wanted to do something that educates people. I decided to make a website that focuses on the history of evolution of African-American hair. care has always been more than just a style and a black community, it represents identity, culture, creativity and self-expression. When I leave SLA I want to become a licensed cosmetologist, and making this website talks about things we don’t really hear about anymore that includes the history of African American hair. I created this Capstone to inform people of the significance and beauty of something I love doing. I also want people who do want to work in the beauty field in the future to know the history of what they love doing and just like me. A style isn’t just a hairstyle, it has a meaning behind it, it has a history behind it. Hair connects to confidence, representation, and definitely culture and it will continue to be an important part of African-American culture.

Capstone: https://yadiangeles.my.canva.site/heading

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ESWpflQw0LfZ1pzkiuL7RlL5pCWir4flX6QRH-3EE_A/edit?usp=sharing

For my capstone I decided to work with a young and inexperienced thoroughbred horse named Rakia who is one of the horses owned by Northwestern Stables. Rakia is a four year old gelding who previously wasn’t being worked with frequently which resulted in a lack of exercise. A lack of exercise and activeness in horses has the potential to lead to health complications and behavioral issues, so my goal was to provide a higher quality of life for him. I chose to do this for my capstone because of my passion for horses as well as my many years of experience as an equestrian, so this was an exciting opportunity to do something I love while making a positive impact on my community!

The process involved many training sessions where I had Rakia practice exercises to improve his ground manners and behavior. My goal was to have him become more tuned into his body and the space he takes up, as well as getting him to have more respect for my space as his handler. The final event of my capstone involved my participation with Rakia in Northwestern Stables’ annual spring horse show on May 17th. We competed in the Grooming and Showmanship class where the significant improvements to Rakia’s movement, attentiveness, and condition as a whole were demonstrated at the walk and trot. In the end, our efforts won the two us won a fourth place ribbon in the class! Overall, my capstone really helped me understand how important consistency is to progression, and how even small victories can prove to be very rewarding.

For my capstone project, I created a fitness and exercise education website focused on helping people better understand workout training, exercise selection, and the anatomy behind human movement. I combined personal interest in strength training with research into exercise science, muscle anatomy, and workout programming. Throughout the process, I designed multiple sections of the website, including an anatomy tab explaining major muscle groups and movement patterns, an at-home workout section for accessible training with minimal equipment, and a gym exercise library containing descriptions, targeted muscle groups, and recommended set and rep ranges for exercises. I researched reliable fitness and anatomy sources to ensure the information was accurate and educational while also organizing the website in a way that would be easy for users to navigate. Through this project, I learned more about web design and how difficult it can be for new users. I also gained a deeper understanding of how anatomy connects directly to exercise performance, injury prevention, and workout effectiveness. Overall, this project allowed me to use science, health, and education as a resource designed to make fitness knowledge more understandable and accessible for others.

https://sites.google.com/view/intro-to-exercise/home

My capstone was centered around blending my CTE engineering education and music experience to improve the SLA music spaces. I did this in two main parts; first by starting the SLA Rock Band and then subsequently improving the band room using direct feedback from the musicians using it. It was also important to me to get the SLA band involved in school events so that I could cement it as part of the community. I held rock band practice every Monday, and we played at both the SLA Game Show event and the SLA Art Show in the spring. We also collaborated with Juni’s capstone by playing several hours of music at the fundraiser.

For the engineering portion of my capstone, after playing with the band for a while and assessing what would be the most beneficial, I decided to focus on organization and simplifying the sound system process. Using funding from Braskem, I was able to organize the room using a pegboard and buy new equipment to fix and replace broken instruments. I created a binder to guide students that includes explanations about setting up for a performance, how to fix common issues they might encounter and a long list of song suggestions for future bands at SLA. Overall, my capstone renovated and created a friendly space where experienced musicians and new musicians can play together, as well as simplified the technical process of live music so students are capable and feel comfortable performing in SLA future.

• Below I have attached images of the pegboard I put up in the band room to organize new equipment, the guitars I was able to replace strings on and the secondhand bass we purchased with remaining Braskem funding.

Here is a picture from one of our three sets at Juni’s capstone event!

Here is a link to the information I left in a binder for the band room (to help guide future students):

Band Information

Here is a link to my annotated bibliography:

Annotated Bibliography

I created a 5 part miniseries centering around the 5 core values that have been so ingrained into us students since the first day of high school at SLA: Inquiry, Research, Collaboration, Presentation, and Reflection. As a CTE Digvid student, I put my focus in utilizing the skills I learned in Adobe Premiere Pro and personal art and creative skills to answer the question, “how is growth and development demonstrated in different ways within these core values?” As students, we are always growing. Though we may not know it, we enter high school as vastly different individuals than we leave as. I created this film not only to document my experience but to show other students the ways in which we can learn more about ourselves as we progress.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MNnyW9hlyzz_vL63c3yO1ysthycwvNx5

For my senior capstone, I co-led RocketFest, which is a legacy capstone at SLA. It’s a student-run, city-wide film, photography, and (newly this year) graphic design festival celebrating the creative work of Philadelphia high school students. Working alongside my teammates Henry Blakelock and Desmond Maggione, our advisors, Ms. Ro and Mr. Rivera, and our mentor from WHYY, our guiding question was: how could we expand RocketFest’s annual tradition to uplift and recognize district students’ voices through media as much as possible? Our process began in September, when we started building our social media presence, researching venues, and coordinating community outreach. As head of Communications on our team, I managed all external relationships from reaching out to schools and participants, to partnering with a nonprofit for printed programs, to presenting to Braskem, and speaking at a CTE fair at Temple University! Our biggest obstacle was securing a venue within our limited budget, which kept us without a confirmed location for months. Ultimately, hosting at SLA’s auditorium turned out to be the right call, and on May 15th, we welcomed over 200 people to celebrate student artistry! The most important thing I learned is that a closed mouth truly never gets fed. Every connection, venue, and opportunity that made RocketFest successful came from someone being willing to ask. I grew enormously as a communicator and advocate, and I’m proud to have carried on a legacy that gives young artists, especially those in an underfunded district, a real public platform for their work. 🚀🎥

RocketFest 2026 Photobook

Hi everyone, for my capstone, I decided to do a voting guide for SLA students, which gives them all of the information on how to register to vote and what elections are coming up. I also have sections that talk about the importance of voting and why( for any students who are not sure if they want to register). Voting is something that gives us all a voice, and that voice gives us power, and that’s why I decided to do this as my capstone.

Full voting guide: file:///home/chronos/u-8b5de5fe6926e62fa2df8d87d4823f976178174b/MyFiles/Downloads/SLA%20VOTING%20GUIDE%202026%20-%20Google%20Docs.pdf

Annotated Bibliography: file:///home/chronos/u-8b5de5fe6926e62fa2df8d87d4823f976178174b/MyFiles/Downloads/Capstone%20Bibliography%20-%20Google%20Docs%20(1).pdf