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For my Capstone, my former sixth-grade teacher and I collaborated on a creative project for her students to engage and grasp more in class. As a student, I’ve always struggled to concentrate in class and would get lost in my thoughts, doodling in my notebook. However, everything changed after I entered SLA. All of the creative writing assignments and benchmark projects made me want to do more and look forward to school. This made me ponder how much more interesting middle school would have been if we had more creative assignments. As a result, I made the decision to return to my old school and try to make some positive changes.

Here’s a link to my Google site with all of the information: https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/samirascapstone/home

My annotated bibliography is available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T8LHn9Z7Up1whXHWniPDmax67bnTw3nLWSSetEAFqZU/edit

For my Capstone I wrote a 10 page paper on Viktor Frankl’s book “Man’s Search for Meaning.” I really enjoyed reading it and wanted to analyze those ideas of what makes life meaningful. I did this through analyzing how people act from my own experiences, as well as studying Viktor Frankl’s experiences with helping people through his own form of therapy called ‘LogoTherapy.’

Paper: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1460_Ozg1XqoYW58ZF5ac6SNGesUiycZsrgS2PNSLfcA/edit?usp=sharing

The U.S. Government, as well as the countries they collaborate with, spie on U.S. citizens. I know this, you know this. It’s been common knowledge since the Edward Snowden leaks.

Now they wouldn’t be allowed to do this because of the 4th amendment preventing unnecessary searches and seizures. However nothing really stops companies from collecting data on users and thus having the government buy that data from them.

So instead of waiting for the 4th amendment to get a fix, here’s how to take your privacy into your own hands. Basically I made a list of certain tools and strategies to make it harder for anyone to collect data on you whether it be via encryption to make it harder to get or just make it not there to collect. Can’t collect what doesn’t exist.

Blue stream did and forever will hold a special place in my heart. I made efforts to create a video showing all the great, funny, and creative sides of Blue Stream. I spent all my time from April 2019 to June 2019 creating the blue stream video. It was roughly 8 minutes long. I gathered at least one person from each friend group in blue stream to collectively give everyone superlatives. It was my goal to make sure everyone felt included. That was the toughest part about making the video. The video as of today has been lost on my poor laptop. Lesser quality videos or I can try to actively retrieve them if requested.

People seen in photo: Entire Blue Stream of 2018-2019

I am having trouble actually submitting the video so the link will be at the bottom of my caption. This one is really short. I wanted to decorate SLA for the holidays! I remember freshman year some kids (I don’t know what club) made SLA look amazing for Halloween and I couldn’t do that for Halloween so winter break worked! This is just being said because I have a really cool video with the lights off decorated so I can include it.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/12WFkGRBWwPxxvYb7

People in Video: Jakob

I started SATing SLA Green stream African American history at the beginning of the year. It was the best experience working with children. I knew that I wanted to be a history teacher but being able to volunteer to help and work with these students was a blessing in itself. SATing was something that was very different from my other “deeds”. This was something that became very personal to me because as the year went on I started growing with them. They were at times too much for me and that’s really when I wasn’t only helping them but they began helping me. Green stream was such a challenging class to deal with at times and honestly, that was the most impactful thing I feel like I gained in this capstone. Being their SAT helped me figure out what kind of teacher I wanted to be and how I wanted to do it on my own terms. They were amazing and from what I asked some students, they gained as much as I did.

People in photo: Carla & Eden

The following collection entitled, Woman is The Cattle of The World, serves as an analytical commentary on women and society through art. The title itself was derived from the controversial John Lennon song, Woman is The N——r of The World. The song’s purpose was to highlight the discriminatory living standards of women in American society, which was bold and necessary. However, the song ignores one large and fairly simple fact. There is already an N——r of the world. At its core, the song acts as the pinnacle of white feminism. It advocates for women’s rights and highlights the discrepancies women face while disregarding the existence of black women and minimizing the historical mistreatment of black people. Unlike feminism, womanism advocates for women’s rights while prioritizing intersectionality. The ideology was popularized in the U.S, by the famous activist, Angela Davis. This collection was crafted and will be presented through a womanist lens. It’s essential that first, you understand a few things. For starters, these clothes are not meant to be worn— they are art pieces created solely for creative interpretation, activism, and aesthetic purposes, Each piece is comprised only of leather, no other materials would be used(or should be mistakenly assumed) if these pieces were to ever exist in a state that is not digital. The use of leather in this manner was a direct creative decision. In modern society women are viewed as commodities, they are so often dehumanized that the treatment they face is comparable to that of cattle. They are herded, traded, sold, and diminished to worthless figures despite their inherent vitality. Leather, in some sense, is just a second skin meant to constrict women’s freedom and mobility. It’s an inescapable prison that grows from their flesh yet is an active tool in their oppression. As intricate as it may be, the following 7 pieces exist to dissect the oppression at hand.

https://prezi.com/view/lUX5z6BsNj7NaKhJFRm4/

My project was to build a community through a super smash bros tournament. I did this by making a tournament and getting a bunch of different people to come, then recording the whole thing and making it into a documentary style video. When I started this project, I along with many SLA kids had very unrealistic expectations for my capstone. I wanted to do the biggest and grandest things for this project but I quickly realized that I couldn’t do all the things I had planned for this project. So as push came to shove there was a lot of stuff that I wanted to do that I wasn’t able to do. Things like starting a social media campaign or livestreaming the event. Even with the things I took out I still had the workload of 2 capstones. I had to start off by making all the rules for the game and finding out all the logistics that were going into this tournament. Number of players, Number of Switches, Camera equipment, and stage lighting were all things I had to do. I then made sure that the event was going to run smoothly by getting people to go and assist me. I think the coolest thing I had to do was figuring out how to work the mics in the auditorium. After the actual event happened I still had to go through the hours of footage I got and piece together a documentary.

Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ONhay95DaCCDXsGl_-UjgVn44K6jSFeLj70bWEO6uiQ/edit?usp=sharing

Video: https://youtu.be/QigJFIm-12s

For my capstone, I created a podcast with a few SLA staff members to learn more about them as people and to emphasize the importance of a teacher and student relationship. My final product is two video podcast episodes. However, they were derailed a little due to me testing positive for COVID last week. I recorded two episodes, one with Mr. Lehmann and one with Ms. Gasser. My goal was to be able to learn more about their story and who they are beyond the classroom. The bonds that I have created with teachers are so special that I wanted to be able to show them through this podcast. I want to show how SLA is able to give students such a special space to be able to connect and feel comfortable with the teachers and staff. I want this to be able to be listened to by students, parents, alumni, and prospective students.

Below is my annotated bibliography, some pictures from recording the episodes, and the 2 official episodes of Teacher Talks!

I hope you enjoy!!

Thank you!!

— Max Blakelock

My capstone project is a 15-minute documentary about some insight into Nigerian culture and traditions. It doesn’t cover every single aspect, but I tried to include as much as I could within the time frame. The process of this documentary started with planning what the running theme would be, who I should interview, and then the materials needed and where I would go. I also had to keep in mind of the scheduling. Then after filming each interview (which did not happen all at once) I had to begin editing which took weeks to finish. This was not easy, but I was eager to get it done since I’m very passionate about Nigerian culture and video/film production. This video focuses on Nigerian clothing, perspectives, food, and music.

Annotative Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YHfAtxqm3XZ8Dq—VKyXXI2eFihvGo9NEHBan_987Vo/edit?usp=sharing

Kane Burgos Senior Gasser Advisory Mentor: Gade

Capstone Abstract Some say they hope their capstone will leave behind a legacy. However I know my project will outlive my high school career by about 10 to 20 years. My work consists of two parts: a fully bio active vivarium and a detailed leopard gecko care guide. To be more specific, I am preparing the habitat and instructions for Miss Gade’s class pet! We have been working closely to ensure that the health of the animal is a priority. I have given this animal the best of the best. A fully bioactive vivarium. No paper towel or carpet substrate and no plastic plants. As well as a full set of instructions for Miss Gade and her students; in order to guarantee that, with care, the leopard gecko will be taken care of without having to navigate several care guides, cross reference, and verify in order to give them the best possible life. Below I have linked the other necessary documents.

CARE GUIDE https://docs.google.com/document/d/10rEpva_eFVAiw0AxdWeZW1LK2cS4YUEN1xflf5W_LsU/edit?usp=sharing

BIBLIOGRAPHY https://docs.google.com/document/d/11W00NHBTW4MSz698gFhjFWQAAxTfuKTizLwDIChQr-I/edit?usp=sharing

My name is Vincent Ochwo, and my capstone project,”Decoration For Motivation” was based on the question, “What’s something I can do that could benefit the current, future, and maybe even the past members of the SLA community.” So I came to the conclusion that I wanted to decorate the bare walls around the school with creative paintings. There are fourteen paintings in total, which will have motivational quotes and drawings on them. Members of the SLA community will be able to admire, and be motivated by the paintings I put around the school, even after I graduate. This project features all of the SLA core values, while benefiting the SLA community in a unique way.

Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18sc6SPRhntWhl5lx_05eYNrYHi7VdV8M9m3Id162hZk/edit?usp=sharing

Capstone Pictures: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W459g5FBnejkQEnMcElYn2POaiG7pJUPsAHkO_93Q4c/edit?usp=sharing

Shaharaim Gill, Capstone

For my Capstone I wanted to create a reference for other students who don’t necessarily know what they want to do with their lives and find programs and also use the programs that I went through to help them find some options that they can use to get through high school and also provide them with some scholarships for college. For my 4 years of high school I didn’t know what I wanted to do as a career and I still don’t know and that’s fine and I think that a lot of students get overwhelmed with that so using the programs that I went through can help find them career paths in get them scholarships to go through college.

https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/http-college-careerpath/home

Link to my Annotated Bibliography

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j5CGlwfQhHNyG6PHvIr8CY1AHXiJhhEzZb_8_TD85vQ/edit?usp=sharing

I decided to focus on helping African American teenagers around the city by assisting them in learning that there are good things about the city. Here, I helped create a program where we got to discover a different section of the city. We organized bookbag drives, helped local law enforcement agencies, etc. There were also a few different field trips that took place. I wanted to show teens that being in a police officer’s presence wasn’t as bad as they thought. Growing up in this city many African American teens were faced with the hardships of losing close friends and family members. I also partnered with a police chief to reach out to non-profit organizations that offered therapy sessions.

https://marnae1021.wixsite.com/philly4you

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12JGmCwLztsDJqc-k5_LQSfoAzSjtV3pjlH1K0uXja4A/edit?usp=sharing

How are tools made? How were they made in the past? How could one make their own tools? These were some of the guiding questions that had shaped my Capstone. I set out to make some of the common tools that we take for granted from scratch. These tools being a flat head screwdriver, a Philips head screwdriver, and a claw hammer. I made these tools through a combination of blacksmithing and woodworking. While these seemed to be very simple tools, they still took hard work and plenty of sweat to make. Rather than the easy practice of making a model in cad and having some machine make it for you, these tools had to be forged from the ground up. The process started with identifying which tool I was going to make and what it had to do. Then I had to research designs for that tool and start work on my own design. After finishing a design, I would prototype and modify the design and finally make a finished product. However, while I was used to the practice of blacksmithing, there was still much I had to learn in order to make these tools. For example, to make the hammer I had to learn how to weld because I didn’t have tongs that could hold the large piece of steel. The purpose of making these tools was to inspire thought on where tools come from, and thus the tools I made will be donated back to the school.

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F-OMBacHPXgmXZGHgseAX5k5KyShAZY0fBOekSneXhU/edit?usp=sharing

How are tools made? How were they made in the past? How could one make their own tools? These were some of the guiding questions that had shaped my Capstone. I set out to make some of the common tools that we take for granted from scratch. These tools being a flat head screwdriver, a Philips head screwdriver, and a claw hammer. I made these tools through a combination of blacksmithing and woodworking. While these seemed to be very simple tools, they still took hard work and plenty of sweat to make. Rather than the easy practice of making a model in cad and having some machine make it for you, these tools had to be forged from the ground up. The process started with identifying which tool I was going to make and what it had to do. Then I had to research designs for that tool and start work on my own design. After finishing a design, I would prototype and modify the design and finally make a finished product. However, while I was used to the practice of blacksmithing, there was still much I had to learn in order to make these tools. For example, to make the hammer I had to learn how to weld because I didn’t have tongs that could hold the large piece of steel. The purpose of making these tools was to inspire thought on where tools come from, and thus the tools I made will be donated back to the school.

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F-OMBacHPXgmXZGHgseAX5k5KyShAZY0fBOekSneXhU/edit?usp=sharing

My great-grandfather was a White man and my great-grandmother was a Black woman. They had my grandmother in 1954 and then she was given up for adoption to a light skin Black family. My grandmother was a secret child and none of us really know the nature of my great-grandparent’s affair (if it was one.) So in this project, I investigated their relationship dynamic and how that reflects American society at large, even to this day. I also wanted to investigate my family history which has often been ignored or that most of the people in my family just do not know about or want to talk about. I investigated my great-grandparent’s dynamic specifically. Initially, I was also going to investigate the dynamic between Black women and White men on a larger American scale. However, it felt more personal to look at my own family and was actually easier given the time I had to complete the assignment. I created a video essay with all of the independent research I found and clips of the interviews with members of my family.

Annotated Bibliography:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a38xfCAz_IuQnQhvuUANZLcu2yC-q24NASw6JyGqJrk/edit?usp=sharing

Final Project:

https://www.wevideo.com/view/2689879358

If I was to change the title of this film I would change it to two-faced. I chose this title because during the movie you see this hotel guy with two different personalities, one crazy side and one that’s almost sane. Norman’s first side would consist of a momma’s boy that would care for anyone in the world unless he heard things that he didn’t like that would trigger his other side. Norman’s second side could be called Psycho instead of using the name for the film it could be used as one of his charcters. The name carries so much weight and I think that his personality would fit on that name perfectly. During the film I would start it off with a flashback of Norman and his mother at a young age showing how happy they are, then advance like 15 years ahead of time leaving the audience on a cliffhanger by just showing new characters to develop a new story until it’s time for a character to come across Norman and the hotel. Instead of it being a runaway girl I would make it a family making their yearly vacation trip but a snowstorm is incoming and they just need a place to stay for that night and they decide to stay at Norms. When the family gets there Norman would be showing his caring side welcoming the new guests to his hotel but he sees this boy whose super attached to his mama and in Normans head you can see it starts to get to him because his mom is no longer around but no one knows yet because everyone thinks shes still alive but only some knows she’s been passed away for awhile. As Norman constantly sees the boy during their stay it just drives him crazy for some reason and he starts to psycho and starts doing things that ends up scaring the family and once everyone is asleep the family wakes up the next day and the boy is gone. They go looking for him and contact Norman but there’s no trace Norman isnt even there anymore neither is the kid. The family then contacts the cops and they say that the place has been abandoned for years and that the owners passed away a long time ago. So now the family is going crazy but the dad notices a house far in the woods and decides to go looking for his son.

During Keystone testing, SLA will operate according to the below modified schedules

NOTE: There WILL be Advisory on Thursday, 5/19 and Monday, 5/23, making dismissal times on those days 3:45pm, not 3:05pm.

SOUNDTRACK // Redo (or make in the first place) the soundtrack for the film. Choose at least five songs that you would include. Write an explanation for each song: why would you include it, and how does the song connect to events in the film? (750 words)

The movie I’ve chosen is rear window

Smoking out the window bruno mars: and I’ve chosen this song because of the name in the movie James Stewart is forced to stay in the window in his New York courtyard in 1954 and I know at the time a lot of adults/people in general smoked cigarettes at one point in the movie grace kelly’s character was in James Stewart’s room smoking a cigarette and he seemed to be fine with it indicating that he probably often smokes too or had smoked before he became a news photographer

The lazy song by bruno Mars: I choose this song because the main character (james) couldn’t seem to stop looking out the window being stuck in the house and instead of being lazy he seems to be up and as active as possible when he has the perfect excuse to be lazy and just enjoy his time off from work

Empire State of mind by jay-Z and I’m choosing this song because the movie is set in New York and in this song jay Z vividly describes New York and you look around in this courtyard they live in it’s a small part of New York and through the alleyway we can see the rest of this huge city we all know and we all love

City of gods by fivio foreign and I’ve chosen this song because it also talks about New York and about how the city needs to go easy on Alicia keys, in the movie it seems to go fairly easy on the people who live in this small corner of the world in New York

Photograph by j cole- I choose this song because this song is about taking photographs and in the song j cole talks about not even knowing the persons name who he has pictures of and when our mc in rear window takes pictures he rarely knows anyones name he just takes pictures to see what’s going on and he calls everyone by what he sees through the lens for example the married couple he doesn’t know either of there names he just sees them close the blinds and assumes something is happening although the character he started spying on he knew the name of most likely because he’s spoken to him before

Enemy by imagine dragons and jid- I choose this song because at some point in the movie it seems like the main character becomes enemies with the man who he suspects murdered his own wife he sends his girlfriend over into his apartment to spy around when it wasn’t necessary unless he didn’t seem to like him or they where Enemies and the man at one point walks into the main characters apartment unwelcomed to try and kill him because the main character was spying on him and actively watching him commit his crime to his wife

Day n nite kid cudi- I choose this song because our main character was injured and sat and looked through the window day and night and cudi on the song talks about how the lonely loner gets to free his mind and it seemed like at night out main character freed his mind then the next day started over again with the camera watching everyone in the courtyard go about there day without even knowing them and often he would keep the lights off in his apartment to try and stay anonymous and hidden so a bit like stalking

All of the lights by Kanye west - in the movie everyone had all of there lights on and it was very vibrant and bright but not our main character he always had turned his lights off again to stay hidden while he stalked everyone but even the man who murdered his wife kept his lights on whenever even when he left out to follow the ransom note that was left by our main character

Cameras by wiz Khalifa- I choose this song because it’s obvious that the movie is based around that camera especially the fact that he is a news reporter outside in the real world and his life revolves around him filming the scoop and getting whatever is important and broadcasting whatever is interesting in the world

For my capstone, I decided to learn how to cook. Over the course of several weeks, I was able to make many different meals. I spent a long time planning out each meal and researching some different recipes. My main focus was on lunch and dinner meals although I includes both breakfast and dessert recipes in my final product. For my final product, I made a website with all the recipes I complied. As part of my process, I journaled after each meal I made and took pictures to go along with the recipes.

https://cooking-with-an-amateur.weebly.com/

For my capstone project, I wanted to do something I see myself doing in the future which is lashing. I chose this because it’s something that makes me happy and something that makes me feel good about myself whenever I get it done. Also, I wanted to go more in-depth about how lash extension contributes to today’s beauty standards because people just don’t get their lashes done because they just want it. Just like for me I get my lashes done because it boosts my confidence. I feel like a whole different person in a good way. That’s why I wanted to learn more about how to be a lash tech so I can help myself by building a career for myself and helping people feel prettier.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bYrL9fXH-3Ku_tOJcJk6wWQoUbIxIxGDSjXnox45IvY/edit?usp=sharing

For my senior project, I wanted to explore the possibility of venturing into a hair doing business. Hair for me had always held more than a superficial significance which I partially credit to my culture and upbringing as a black woman. And while I don’t view hair in the same manner as I used to, I still think that it can be empowering (if you give it that power), and generally and usually the feeling of getting your hair done to your liking is an almost euphoric feeling that I would love to be able to give to people. The project was aimed at me seeing whether or not I could be “successful” in attempting to start a hair business of my own as doing hair had always been something I was good at but I was too scared to begin it due to fears of possible failure. Combined with fears fo possible failure, the pandemic hit and it was harder for me to envision how running a small business such as that would operate properly. My project explored whether or not I could run a temporary hair business for about 3 months. I asked a few friends and family as well as a few random people in school whether they would want to get their hair done for free to sort of be my project models as well as broadcasting that I would be doing free hairstyles for the first 15 people who filled out a survey link that I had put in my Instagram biography section. This exploration did help me in my decision to begin doing hair whilst in college and that instead of working a more traditional job while pursuing my educational prowess, I’ll be utilizing my hair doing skill instead.

For my capstone, I wanted to get a community more involved in the environment. My goal was to use the skills I had learned from CTE- engineering, and design a system that creates opportunities for the community to learn more about the green around them. The community I hoped to impact was a community garden residing in University City. My plan was to design a self-sustaining self-watering system for plots in the garden. But after being denied the space at the community garden, I turned to a different community. I decided to implement my design into my own school’s outside terrace. Because I moved the space, I also decided to simplify my design so that any student or faculty member could use it. The garden would be able to both collect its own rain water and disperse the water automatically throughout the day, or as much as needed. Through the project research; I learned how to collect rainwater safely, how water flows and moves through piping, how to code a timing system, and how different plants grow and what they need. Though the design went through some major changes, the final product works and fits with the outside space perfectly. With the plan of going further with the project, I hope to get the word out about the design by using a website I have created. There is so much that this project could do for the SLA community. The possibilities of this project are endless, but it just needs that final push.

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nYWSpTwQNxzfRLUVL9Fef3DVMPSid5CzbLHuwV837zU/edit?usp=sharing

Website: https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/rocketgarden/home

For my capstone, I did a ten-page research paper exploring the impacts of greek life. Specifically, I focused my thesis and essential questions on how greek life perpetuates rape culture and sexual violence, promotes toxic masculinity and endorses the overuse of alcohol and drugs. In my paper, I argue that fraternities and sororities should be abolished. Through my research, I realized how greek organizations have a long history of sexual violence and how the toxic masculinity, that is promoted within fraternities, has a major connection to the sexual violence that is disturbingly common within greek life. Along with the connection, toxic masculinity has to sexual violence, it also is a key factor in why fraternities and sororities participate in acts of hazing. As a woman about to enter college, these are topics that are very relevant to my life. Greek life is surrounded by incidences of sexual assault, rape, and even death. I want to make sure that others around me also understand the detrimental impacts that greek life has on everyone, not just women.

For my capstone project I started a prom committee so there would be decorations and a theme for the senior prom. This idea came to me during the summer last year and I thought it would be a really fun capstone project. Last year we didn’t get a junior prom due to covid and being online so I really wanted this to be the most memorable prom possible. I wanted to combine my love for planning and art through decorating to come up with a night to remember. I started off by making a presentation to pitch to Braskem in hopes of getting funds to decorate. It was a really amazing experience. In the following weeks to come I waited for news on whether or not I’d gotten the funds, and about 2 weeks later I was notified that I got the money I asked for and a mentor to help guide me. I’d meet with my mentor every once in a while depending on if I needed help. After this I started to plan meetings out for the committee. Unfortunately not too many people showed up the times I tried to have meetings so I ended up reaching out to my friends and other seniors that were interested in helping me with decorations. I already had a theme in mind from a “Prom decor” Pinterest board I made a while ago so it made it easier to decide. I also made a mood board of the things I ordered with the title “ An Enchanted Evening”. I also visited the venue to see where the decorations would go. There were some bumps in the road with the venue at times but everything worked out in the end. In addition to all this I also sent out a google form to gather songs from seniors so everyone could have at least one song they like played at prom. I’m still waiting for decorations to arrive but I have a plan for when they do and have support from friends, family, and other community members at SLA to help make this a memorable event for the seniors.

Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iIrejrrhgggQ5e0f971yYgKd_hpzWu19axTV8dJWTGY/edit?usp=sharing