First, if you really want to start getting better sleep you must first prioritize it. If you say you are going to sleep, actually go to sleep. A growing problem for society today is actually putting the phones and computers away when it is time to sleep. It is hard to stay away from the bright screens when the late hours come, especially when your smartphone is also your alarm. What you might not know is that smartphones actually suppress melatonin. If you are unfamiliar with the term melatonin, it is the hormone in your system that regulates sleep and wakefulness. Therefore it might be a good idea to read a book before you go to sleep. I would strongly suggest reading before you go to sleep because not only is reading the key to success, but will also not suppress melatonin and most likely help you fall asleep.

I think we can all agree that there is not that much that trumps great sleep. Feeling refreshed and ready to go in the morning is the best way to start your day. But getting good sleep is not just about those 5 minutes before you go to bed, but the process actually starts at the beginning of the day. The best way to get good sleep is to have a routine throughout the day, and make sure you are providing your body with the right nutrients throughout the day.

Another great way to enhance your sleep is to have clothes designated for sleep aka pajamas. From experience, I can recommend bamboo pajamas, they are seriously the most comfortable pants of all time and my sleep is way better because of it. Having comfortable sleep helps your body recover from tough workouts, so finding what you like is recommended.

I created a student-run internet radio station devoted to showcasing the unique talents and varied tastes of Science Leadership Academy Students. I aired a show each Friday night in May and plan to continue running each Friday night for the remainder of the school year.

I chose this project because I was personally interested in creating a podcast. Unfortunately, there was no support network or platform devoted to audio content for SLA students. SLA prior to this project had Rough Cut for students interested in cinema, The Fourth Floor for those intrigued by visual art or creative writing, and SLA Media for people who wanted to do journalism. I felt that, by creating another platform devoted to podcasts and other audio content, I could widen the variety of opportunities available to students like me.

The most important, and most difficult, thing about creating content is to make something that people like and want to experience. The presentation of that content is crucial to getting people to listen in - and reflecting on what worked and what didn’t is crucial to keeping them coming back.

My capstone can be found at slaradio.tk. I aired new shows every Friday in May at 5 PM.

​For my capstone, I designed a business plan to launch a business of my own. I created a clothing brand that carries the idea of enlightenment through our graphic designs printed on essential apparel. This brand is called Yumen. Yumen means "depressed" in Chinese. I was diagnosed with bipolar depression when I was younger; I was able to build my endurance to minimize the effect of that mental and emotional disease. With that, I wanted to create a movement that represent the growth that many other victims and I.

The Yumen team consist of a business manager, creative director, and social media manager. I take on the role as the business manager for the brand. With that, my process was very well unique compared to the other roles. I had to create the execution plan behind how everything is going to get done. In addition, all transactions, communications, relationship-build, clientele, etc. is under my list of responsibilities.

What I learned was the steps to innovating a business. More importantly, I learned the skills of an entrepreneur. There were many problems and issues that went on during the process of creating this, but I learned that it is important to build a self-driving mentality to motivate yourself to continue working at the business or product.

Yumen Website Link

The topic is international children and the effects of being abandoned or separated from family. I have struggled with being adopted out of the country I was raised in.

Working on the project I want hope to learn what are some similarities kids have when being left by them self and what are the differences in which a kid takes the experience.  This project will enable me to have a better view and give me some answer on why kids of separation have different outlooks on the world. By the end of this project I want give people an understanding of why kids that are separated may be put in the same small confined box but have to always find their way out on their own.

The project in which I will do is a video project that is interactive.  I want people not just see a movie but understand what it really all about and that's what kids can understand and have to remember in their lifetime. How growth is not all was just physical but it can be a very mental mind game.

Learning goal I have is to have independent research and interviews and get the full Idea.  I wanted to study and and learn about this goal because I have only one sided view in where I was going and to understand both sides you have to take an outsider perspective and stay true to what you believe as well.

Adoption and the effects it has on families and the adopted

PATRICELLI, KATHRYN. "Long-Term Issues For The Adopted Child." Long Term Issues for the Adopted Child Comments. Mental Help, 22 Dec. 2015. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.

This source is giving reason behind the behavior of adopted children and how to handle the adopted in long term basis. Sourced is used to be help in getting the different expectation as a parent. This site is credible and uses multiple sub sources to define the key information presented.    

“Extra-Territorial Effect of Adoption.” Harvard Law Review, vol. 22, no. 5, 1909, pp. 372–373. www.jstor.org/stable/1324355.

Laws and how to have a consecrated adoption within the justice system. Sourced used to understand how adoption was considered in the past in considered of the present adoption. Laws that have been placed by Harvard law and sourced by verdicts in the judicial system.

“Effect of Adoption by Husband Alone.” The Virginia Law Register, vol. 14, no. 8, 1908, pp. 649–649. www.jstor.org/stable/1102423.

Single Father and how a child is still part of person will can still mean that you are responsible for child. Source of how family handle children when the main parent is not around. Credible by law and how it was a case in the USA governmental system.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Impact of adoption on adopted persons. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

This is talking about adoption and the effects on the kids and why they may have these problems. Use opens up the causes of how adoption affect the adopted.U.S Department of health is a credible source and organization because they would not skim on facts and helping the public.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2005). Voluntary relinquishment for adoption. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

What are rights that be can be take away from an adoptive family or a biological family for a period of time then can regain rights. Used in explaining the loopholes in the system or adoption that people have exploited before. U.S Department of health is a credible source and organization because they would not skim on facts and helping the public.

"Worldwide Children's Statistics." SOS Children Villages USA. UNICEF, 10 Apr. 2016. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.

Updated source about the world's orphan system and data in the last couple years. Sources by Unicef and other organizations that are credible. Uses of data to see what are the changes that have been happening around the world when it comes to orphans and adoption.

Keiger, Dale. "The Rise and Demise of the American Orphanage." American Orphanage. Johns Hopkins Magazine, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

Cedrone, Alice, Millie Flores, and P. Kyler. "What Is The Difference Between Foster Care And Adoption?" Family Care For Children & Youth. Marketing 360, 03 Sept. 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

Explains the differences between what adoption is and what fostering and and how the differ and could be the same. This is adoption and foster care network that is not just throwing out random information but give clear definition to what they are speaking to. This can give a parallel to why these two things are closely connect and separated at the same time.

Duplantier, F. R. "The True History Of Orphanages -- Week of June 16, 1996." America's Future. 7800 Bonhomme, Nov.-Dec. 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2017. This is the history on how Orphanages came to be from there start to end. Give us more information on why these is not just a world topic but a systematic topic within society and why we have children have nowhere else to go. This is a history website and has and uses other credible sources for their information.

For my capstone I’ve created a website to host my work made in Digital Video, as well as a space for my own artwork made in and outside of SLA. The site showcases over 2 films I have made throughout my career at SLA and provides both a backstory on the process of each film and a commentary on my thoughts today. Much of the work was spent gathering all of the videos I’ve made, and going back into the details of each production. The organization of each film and finding out the dates, people involved, and the roles of each member of the team ate away at a lot of my time. After gathering the required information, I began constructing my website with the website builder Wix.com. The site is tedious and provides a complicated interface that doesn’t allow for complete customization, but after a few weeks, I began to get a hold of the program and figure out my overall design. Once I had the basic design of my website, I went back and wrote a brief description for each of my movies, discussing what it was like making the film and my opinions on the movie today. I also included a Creator’s Note page to house my many acknowledgements for the people that helped make the website, and my artwork possible. I am really proud of how the design of the website and the writing turned out.

Below is a sample of one of my descriptions for my movies.

Oct 9th- Media Darling (All American High School Film Festival)

For my capstone, I decided to stick to what I truly love, running. As captain of the Cross Country team my senior year of High School, I loved being a leader and watching everyone grow throughout the season. I wanted to leave something behind since Cross Country was one of my favorite parts of my time at SLA. Talking with my coaches, I decide to start a fundraiser for the team, first by opening a GoFundMe page and posting weekly updates on Facebook. Within a week I raised over $150. We also worked together as a team to have bake sales which helped with raising more money. My end goal was $1,000 but in the end I only raised a total of $500.

My overall goal was to create an ongoing fundraiser that would last for seasons to come. Since I’ve been on the team, there hasn’t been any types of bakes sales or anything to create more funds for the team. Working with Coach Giknis and Captain Krystal Cabrera , a schedule for fundraisers will be created for the Fall 2017 season. Money will used for new uniforms as well as any necessities the team decides on.

I would like to thank everyone who helped me and to everyone who donated money to support my capstone. It’s been a great learning experience working on this capstone, and I hope that this is the start of a much larger Cross Country team for my school.

Website Link: http://slacrosscountry.weebly.com

Bibliography

• Gasca , Peter. "7 Essential Tips for an Effective Fundraising Strategy." Entrepreneur . Entrepreneur Media , 13 Apr. 2015. Web. 1 Feb. 2017. <https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244966>.

Fundraising can be difficult, especially when you have a deadline and goal. The Entrepreneur provides tips and info on how to do it effectively. A website where many entrepreneurs or simple people seeking help with every day businesses can go for help. Entrepreneurs from all around the world come together to build this website for the general crowd. This website can help me get organized, with tips on how to build a team and assign tasks to everyone who is helping me.

• "Mag 7 Race Series-Race Directors Planning Worksheet." Mag 7 Race Series . The Magnificent Seven Road Race Series , n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2017. <http://www.mag7raceseries.com/Directors/PLANNINGworksheet.pdf>.

Planning a 5k can be very difficult but this spreadsheet provides detailed info on everything that might occur during a 5k. From simple things like water to number of runners, to terrain and other things. Mag 7 Race Series runs out of Indiana where runners can sign up for local races and compete state wide. They also have resources for coaches. I can use this to plan out and think of more specific things with the race so all runner are safe, comfortable and happy.

• Eiler, Melissa. “Set Goals, Get Permission, Plan the Logistics.” Active. Active Network, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://www.active.com/running/articles/set-goals-get-permission-plan-the-logistics>

Planning and setting goals to meet is essential to planning a 5k or pretty much anything. Active.com provides resources for all types of atheletes. With it’s own app, it’s a great website to help you stay active. After completing my calendar,  I now see how much planning I have to do in order to make this race possible. This will help me get organized.

• Eiler, Melissa. “Choose Your Event, Location, Date.” Active. Active Network, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Choose-Your-Event-Location-Date.htm>

Location is very important to me because I don’t want to interfere with other people and their daily exercise routines. But I also want a public space that is open to the public. This website provides tips to planning ahead and making sure that local communities and organizations know what you are planning and when it’s happening. Active.com provides resources for all types of atheletes, to help them stay active and more informed.

• Eiler, Melissa. “Build a Budget, Find Sponsors, Promote Your Race” Active. Active Network, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Build-a-Budget-Find-Sponsors-Promote-Your-Race.htm>

Money plays a big part since the whole purpose is to fundraise for my cross country and track team. I also plan to get sponsors from local stores and maybe school runed organizations. Active.com provides resources to how to reach out to those people and help build promotion for your event. Active.com provides resources for all types of atheletes, to help them stay active and more informed.

• Sanchez, Claudio. “Philadelphia Schools: Another Year, Another Budget Crisis.” NPR. WHYY National Public Radio. 4 Nov. 2014 Web. 2 Feb. 2017

<http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/11/04/360146623/philadelphia-schools-another-year-another-budget-crisis>

Budget cuts have been a big issues over the last year in our school district. They’ve impacted almost every single public school in the city and every subject. I want to make people aware of the damages caused and NPR’s interview provides insight on how it’s actually affecting people in schools. NPR has millions of interviews and has been around for many years.

• Graham, Kristen. “Budget cuts hit district athletes.” Philly.com. Philadelphia Media Network. 11 Sep. 2011 Web. 2 Feb. 2017

<http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/school_files/Budget-cuts-hit-middle-school-sports.html>

Budget cuts affected a lot of extra curricular activities like music and also sports. This article spoke about how a lot of teams not longer have money for all the equipment they may need. Going back to my project this is what I want to focus on because I think it’s important for students to have a good sports program. Philly.com works in conjunction with the Inquirer to provide daily news about the city and also the surrounding area.

• Koenig, Mark. “ 7 Tips on Asking for Donations-It’s Intimidating, We Get It.” Nonprofit Hub. Nonprofit Hub. Web. 2 Feb. 2017

<http://nonprofithub.org/fundraising/7-tips-on-asking-for-donations-its-intimidating-we-get-it/>

Starting to fundraise and asking people for money can be hard. Bake sales will be my way of getting money since it’s very popular at SLA. Nonprofit hub gives tips on how get involved in the community and fundraise effectively to reach your goal. Designed by owners of nonprofit organizations , this website provides deep insight and information.

• Graham, Kristen. “Phila. District spends less per pupil than most other cities” Philly.com. Philadelphia Media Network. 16 Jan. 2015 Web. 2 Feb. 2017

<http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20150116_Phila__district_spends_less_per_pupil_than_most_other_cities.html>

It’s interesting to compare other school districts with ours because you are able to see how much less we receive in fundings. This article digs deeper into every student and how much is really given to each and every single one. It’s current and so it’s information I can really analyze and use for my final presentation.

• “Bake Sales Step by Step” PTO Today. School Family Media. N.p Web. 2 Feb. 2017

<https://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/664-bake-sales-step-by-step>

Bake sale will be how I make my money, and making the right food can make a big difference in the amount of money I make. This website, created for parents gives details about how much bake sales actually make and how to increase profit as much as possible.

• "Sports Fundraising Ideas - The Best Sports Fundraisers Available." 15 Proven Sports Fundraising Ideas - Learn How to Raise the Most Money. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2017. <https://www.easy-fundraising-ideas.com/programs/sports-fundraising-ideas/>.

Hi, I’m Ruby. In my previous blog post, I introduced a research project about palm oil that I am doing. Palm oil is found in many common food and non-food items. It is usually produced in a way that harms the environment. In producing palm oil, palm trees found in Indonesia and Malaysia that provide habitats for animals are cut down, leaving the animals to become endangered. This is a major problem and most people don’t know that this is even happening right now. My blog post also introduced something called sustainable palm oil; a version of palm oil that is produced so as not to damage the environment. My goal is to promote and popularize the use of sustainable palm oil within my Philadelphia community and everywhere else possible.

Since I completed my previous post, I have learned so much more. I have done more research about the impacts that palm oil production has on people and on the world. In particular, I have learned more from The Union of Concerned Scientists about how palm oil contributes to climate change. When the forests in Indonesia and Malaysia are cut down for palm oil, there is a lot of carbon that is released. The Union of Concerned Scientists writes, “That's equivalent to the emissions from driving an average car from New York to San Francisco and back 76 times.” This information provides yet another reason why palm oil production needs to stop. Even though animals dying may not affect everyone, climate change definitely will.

I have also added to my knowledge of sustainable palm oil, which has continued to appear as an excellent alternative to regular palm oil. According to GreenPalm, there are eight steps that must be followed in order to make palm oil certified as sustainable. These steps address laws and regulations, economic and financial viability, growers and millers, biodiversity, individuals and communities involved and affected, new plants, and improvement. If followed, these steps will create a more healthy and vibrant product and environment.

Now, in addition to all of this, I have also gathered new information through a survey that I conducted specifically for this project. I surveyed 50 people--most of whom are high school students within Philadelphia--about their knowledge of palm oil, their contribution to the problem itself, and their interest in sustainable palm oil. One question asked participants to check off items that contain palm oil that are found regularly in their homes.

The answers I received were very interesting and informative. Only 4 of the 50 people (8%) stated that their homes do not contain a single one of the items listed. This means that 92% of those surveyed usually have at least one item containing palm oil in their home. This just shows how common palm oil is. Furthermore, participants were asked, “On a scale of 1-6, how much does the use of palm oil bother you?” In response, 70% of the people gave an answer of three or less. This means that those 70% were somewhat to very indifferent. I did not expect an answer like this, especially right after explaining that palm oil is a big issue. Even after all of my research, however, I still wonder how I can raise awareness about palm oil.

My secondary goal is to convince as many people as possible to try buying products with sustainable palm oil, rather than regular products. To accomplish these goals, I plan to create a presentation that will summarize my research thus far. I will then present this to one or two groups of students. I will also provide these groups with a taste of food containing sustainable palm oil, with the hopes that they might fall in love with the product.

Finally, make sure you stay tuned for my third blog post! And if you’re interested in further exploring the issue of palm oil production, visit my Annotated Bibliography to learn more!

The idea for the Being Fair project started right at home for me. Growing up watching Bengali television channels, I would always see commercials for skin lightening products. I never truly understood the big reason for these products and brushed off its massive impact. However, after doing research on how advertisements shape our lives and help spoon feed us ideas about the world earlier this year, I realized how much skin lightening commercials have affected my life. Subconsciously, they did impact my ideas about beauty and its connection to skin color. I wanted to learn more about the products, how they work scientifically, how it impacts skin around the world and why skin lightening is a multi billion dollar business today. However, I didn’t want to just state facts. Anyone can look up the negative effects of skin lightening creams.I wanted to share stories. After talking with fellow friends and students from SLA, I realized I was not alone. Many of them have also experienced ups and downs when it comes to loving their skin color. I wanted a platform and safe space where these stories were told and their voices were amplified. My website focuses on personal interviews and roundtable discussions accompanied by classic “Humans of New York” style portraits of the interviewee to go along with their words. This is a project about people’s relationship with their skin color and how they have or are coming to terms with loving it.

Website: https://rislam0.wixsite.com/beingfairproject

Bibliography

Shadeism. Directed by Nayani Thiyagarajah. Documentary. Refugee Productions, 2015.

This documentary identifies the issues that skin lightening brings upon communities, showing that the ideas of beauty and consequences of the ideal severely impact the relationship that one may have with their skin. This is a documentary that uses the voices of those who participated, all women of color who have realized how much their dark skin affect their daily lives. The stories drive the film, which is exactly the route that I want to direct my capstone. Through this documentary, I was able to see how a director and writer weaved in different stories, backgrounds and experiences to create a cohesive and compelling argument that makes the audience walk away with passion to change the issue.

“The Unfair and Lovely Campaign Is Embracing Darker Skin Tones.” Self, 14 March 2016, http://www.self.com/story/the-unfair-and-lovely-campaign-is-embracing-darker-skin-tones

This is a campaign, called Unfair and Lovely. They are working to actively change the narrative of what it means to be a darker skinned South Asian and also promoting self love. It is run by a community of darker skinned South Asians. They use their instagram account to share photos and stories of women who have suffered through oppression, hatred from others or just self confidence issues. This is an inspiration to me because they are South Asian women themselves, who have experiences similar situations to me. I want to use this resource in order to learn how to not just look at the negatives about this issue, but to see how other women are using this to grow as people and help others learn and evolve. In my project, I want to show how people are working to change the mindsets and how they stay positive.

Norwood, Kimberly Jade. Color matters : skin tone bias and the myth of a post-racial America. Routledge, 2014.

This book goes in depth, with some of the latest research on the issues of colorism and the discrimination that follows it. It talks about why this discrimination occurs, why lighter skin is preferred over darker skin and what implications this has for society and how far we still have to go. There is history, psychology and personal narratives weaved into this book. In my project, I wish to incorporate the issues of colorism that exist in America too, so it’s not just written off as another country or another community’s issue. It exists here, is very prevalent and will continue to affect us for years unless we take a stand. I want to use this resource to learn more about where it exists in our society and why it’s so well hidden. Then, in my project I want to expose the taboos of this topic and maybe even incorporate how media plays a role in our beliefs.

Women of Worth. She Leads. 2015-16. http://womenofworth.in/

Women of Worth is an organization based in India which through different workshops, conferences and seminars throughout schools and colleges in the country, tries to promote media literacy, redefine beauty, leadership development and more. One campaign, “Dark is Beautiful” specifically targets the issues of colorism and how to combat that in everyday life. On their website they have a blog that anyone can contribute to, with their own stories along with their events at different schools. They are partnered with She Leads, an organization that promotes confidence and leadership among women. This is an inspiration for my project because as a South Asian, even I want to know how they have been combating stereotypes and what different techniques they have been using to actively change the narrative, especially in a country so obsessed with light skin. I will use this source to give me ideas of how to reach out to different women about their stories and how to make sure their voices are heard.

Saint Louis, Catherine. “Creams Offering Lighter Skin May Bring Risks.” The New York Times, 15 Jan. 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/16/health/16skin.html

This article in The New York Times addresses the health risks that come with using skin lightening creams. Most users don’t know about the ingredients that are in them or what kind of damage they can cause. The idea that their skin can even be lightened overpowers any harm it can do. By the time they see the negative affects on their skin, it is often too late to turn back. Through my project, I don’t just want to state the issues that skin lightening can cause to one’s self esteem. I also want to prove through hard facts that these products are not healthy and will not even help one achieve what they are promised. Facts can be an extremely persuasive force, which is why I am so interested in adding it to my project.

Gabler, Roe Sam. “Dangers of skin whitening creams.” Chicago Tribune, 2010-15, http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/chi-skin-creams-safety-storygallery.html

This group of articles and studies show the different type of ingredients in the most popular skin whitening creams throughout the world and how they affect our skin. Specifically, they have a study that focused on the mercury levels in these creams. There is also an article on a bill in the U.S that calls for tighter restrictions on the ingredients that can be put in cosmetics. Again, I want to incorporate this information in different blog posts and weave it into the narratives. I also want to ask people if they know about the ingredients and what they can do to their skin and see how they feel about that. I mainly just want to have a big blog post that analyzes all the ingredients and prove with facts why it’s not healthy for our skin.

Dhillon, Komal Kaur. Brown Skin, White Dreams: Pigmentocracy in India. Dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2015.

This source is a dissertation about the pigmentocracy that exists in India. Pigmentocracy is the preference to lighter skin in a society, which leads to privilege for one group and discrimination for another. In this paper, the author shows research of how this began during colonization and how it still exists in modern day India. With the help of this paper, I want to figure out the root of this issue and where it actually started. I also want to see why after so many years of independence, pigmentocracy still exists today and what that means for Indians and others around the world. I want to use the research in this paper to back up my narrative. This will be included in my personal blog post.

Ghose, Tia. Indians and Europeans Share 'Light-Skin' Mutation. Live Science, http://www.livescience.com/41040-skin-color-genes-identified-india.html

This article talks about how Indians and Europeans share a mutation that can cause light skin. They also found that this gene is more prevalent in North India, rather than South. The study also branches out to 54 other ethnic groups in the subcontinent and finds that some groups like people from Tibet do not show this gene at all. I want to incorporate this information along with more factual information in a blog post. I think it will be interesting to incorporate this into the interviews that I do to see how many people know about this/how much genetics influence skin color.

Jones, Trina. “The Significance of Skin Color in Asian and Asian-American Communities: Initial Reflections”.  UC Irvine Law Review, 2013. http://www.law.uci.edu/lawreview/vol3/no4/Jones.pdf

In this paper, the author explores the pedestal that skin color is put on in Asian and Asian American communities and how that affects the relationship that people who are a part of those communities have with their skin. This paper also talks heavily about the role media plays in continuing to hold this message of fairer skin being “more beautiful” high and strong. It also focuses on how women are more likely to be held to these standards than men, especially when it comes to marriage and expectations of elders. I want to use how different Asian communities deal with this issue and how it exists today in a blog post about this issue exists in different communities. I will also weave it into different narratives that people share with me.

Hunter, Margaret. “The Persistent Problem of Colorism: Skin Tone, Status and Inequality”. Mills College, 2007. https://www.mills.edu/academics/faculty/soc/mhunter/The%20Persistent%20Problem%20of%20Colorism.pdf

Hello my name is Benjamin Rivera and I’m Doing a Project for my English class called You & The World which involves me studying a problem in the world and gaining evidence with pictures and sources from the internet like videos and articles about youth violence. My project choice was youth violence in Philadelphia which basically involves me and all the high school students in Philadelphia as  we are all affected and actually the cause of this problem in the city of Philadelphia. I want people who live outside of the city to see, review, and join the movement to stop youth violence everywhere. I spent some time doing research about youth violence and I found two sources from the internet and one source as an interview.

I spent some time looking for somebody to interview for my project. I found a Police Officer who was generous enough to make the interview possible. We had a conversation on the phone and I asked questions that involved gender equality, home environment, and school environment and if they played a key role in youth violence and caused attitudes and actions of high school students to change in a bad way. He answered yes and the youth violence he witnesses is getting worse and worse everyday. I also included a topic that approached after school dismissal and the safety of our community. He answered and implied that Philadelphia as a whole isn’t safe after school hours because the students are causing problems and people are getting hurt. The interview gave me the knowledge that the police witness youth violence and it can be so bad that even they cannot control the situation. As I shared in my first slate first, mobs can be up to 100+ kids and can easily get out of hand.

A big event that happened in January of 2016 gave me the perfect story to follow up on my interview. An 8th grader was caught trespassing at a high school in las vegas and it ended tragically. When a police officer came to arrest the middle school student, his sister got involved.Then a crowd swarmed around the officer’s  swat car and a student threw a rock at the officer's head. He then took out his pepper spray and the students scattered with burning eyes and throats. This officer is right for this because he was alone and he was just doing his job and the students needed to stop and mind their business. This is police isn’t brutality this is students starting a flash mob and started violence with a police officer because they have the numbers to get away with it.

I found another event that involved a crowd of young teenagers watching two girls fighting out on the streets of NYC and this is just sad how a group of people just surrounded and watched these two girls fight. Throwing each other on the floor, grabbing each other’s hair  while people just stood there watching the blows. The girls were teenagers fighting with pajamas in the middle of the street. One brave adult stepped in and stopped the fight. That women is an example of how everyone should act. To believe there should be peace and love in our youth community. Why do we have to fight? Why can’t we just be friends or walk away from a problem?

Since blog post one I learned that students and teenagers in general are careless when it comes to other people. They react and act ignorantly without thinking of the consequences of their actions. We need more heroes in the world. n my next blog post I will inform you of the heroes and people who take charge when they see youth violence in their community, and how they responded to the situation. If you want to find other sources you can check out my annotated bibliography and do some more research.

In my last post I talked mainly about facts and some percentages of Autism affect. I would like to dive more into this subject by expanding the facts. Thanks to my survey on Autism and the response I gained helped me with my project and I thank them. So I would like to talk about the responses first and talk about my new made research after I talk about my survey.

The responses to my Autism survey have really given me a great look at how people care and think about Autism. The vast majority know one or two or three and some even know 20 to 30 people with Autism or more. Many thought that the National rate of Autism was 1 in 39 but it’s actually 1 in 67, but, many also chose 1 in 82 or 1 in 99. They also picked 16% of people with Autism in the world but it’s actually 1% of people have Autism in the world. The 16% had the most people pick it. The true or false question is where many get divided. 38.3% thought it was true and 61.7% thought it was false. The real answer is ‘’false’’ because you have to ask the insurance companies to pay for it and 50% won’t pay for it. The scale chart was very pleasing to look at to see 21.3% of people feel strongly towards Autism and 34% are close to that 21.3% of people. But 40.4% of people feel neutral towards Autism and that's alright. But, what caught me off guard was the 4.3% of people who felt that Autism wasn’t that big of a deal. The yes, no, maybe question is by far one of my favorite ones. What surprised me was that 10.6% of people said ‘’maybe’’ to the idea of Autism getting more support and the ones that said yes were about 89.4. Through this survey, I have learned that many people know about Autism and help support.           

People who have Autism don’t look any different from anyone else. They just act, talk, learn, and think differently from others. Some people with Autism have different measurements to how much help they will need which goes from gifted to severely challenged. Some signs someone has Autism is by avoiding eye contact, having trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings, repeating actions over and over again and having unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste, look, feel, or sound. These facts were found on CDC which is a disease learning website.

There is no cure for Autism as of right now. But there are many therapy sessions you can go to and try to raise them different to decrease the chance of serious symptoms. There's something called ‘’early intervention‘’ which is when you give your child therapies. It involves many different types of therapies including occupational and physical. Therapist will come to the house to give the child a safe environment and because they are young and still don’t trust unfamiliar faces. Info from PA DHS and  Child Mind Institute.

Capstones are our senior projects at Science Leadership Academy. The capstone is meant to reflect the interest of the student  and make a meaningful impact to a community that matters to said student. I’ve always been very interested in the health of marine ecology. For my capstone I collaborated with Drexel Student Fellows to write and publish a short research paper and presentation about urban involvement in marine pollution. I drew from many scholarly sources and came to the conclusion that urban contribution to aquatic pollution is significant and becoming more important as marine environments become more unstable.

“Asking Probing Interview questions:Simply adapt to your subject”. Student Filmmaking(beta). Thewildclassroom.com. Web. 03 Feb 2017.

http://www.thewildclassroom.com/wildfilmschool/gettingstarted/interviewquestions.html

For my Capstone I plan on interviewing different people within the For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation. I want to have a good idea of the type of questions that I want to ask so that the interview will go smoothly. The website was created for documentary type questions which is something I can use to format my questions. The questions listed on the website covered the basic who, what, when, where and why but gave more in depth general questions that I can change and adapt to fit what I am talking about.

Every, Marissa. Personal Interview. Feb 7 2017.

She is a part of the staff at FPS and is also my mentor for my entire Capstone. I want to know how she got involved with For Pete Sake and how it changed her life. This interview gives a much needed view into the world of someone that works for an organization such as this one and why they are a good thing for the community and cancer patients alike.

For Pete Sake Respite Foundation web team. “Take a Break from Cancer”.For Pete Sake Respite Foundation. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

https://takeabreakfromcancer.org/

This website basically has the bulk of my actual Capstone. This is the official website for FPS and is where one can find all of their informations whether it be about the people who work there, the travelers or the events that  they have set up throughout the year. This is where I sign up to help out at the different events and eventually donate the money that I have made from Bake sales to their 7th annual Citizens bank park arena walk.  

Desktop-Documentaries.com. N.p., 12 Mar. 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

http://www.desktop-documentaries.com/interviewing-tips.html

For the same reason as the first source This gave me the much needed advice that I need to make the interviews that I conduct that much better. The 10 tips range from the type of questions, The behavioral conduct require to have a successful interview and the actual video compositions to make the interview appealing while at the same time keeping the focus on the interviewee. I plan to revisit this right before I do the interviews so that I can have these tips fresh in my mind while I set up and for my interviews.

Schankweiler, Marci. Personal Interview. Feb 7. 2017

This interview will take place at the February monthly travelers lunch brunch. She is the founder of For Pete’s Sake and it would be an amazing opportunity to interview her and get to know more about it’s history and how she feels about it moving forward as it continues to grow and become larger. I also would like to know her own personal account with Cancer and how she has dealt with that.  

Sr. Stevens, Jesse. Personal Interview. Feb 4.2017

As the husband of someone who has survived cancer I would like to hear his view on the entire thing and find out how he really felt about the whole ordeal. I wanted to hear the point of view of someone that didn’t directly have cancer but had someone that close and that important have it.

Hearing his outlook gives depth to my capstone by covering all of views on cancer and cancer foundations.

Stevens, Kim. Personal Interview. Feb 4. 2017

It was important to get a view of someone that has actually survived cancer. She was also selected 5 years ago to be apart of the FPS travelers program so I get to see the recipient side of things. She even continues to help out and volunteer at the different FPS events because the vacations she was sent on affected her that much. So I want to really be able to show and relay that message.

Tammaro, Alisa. Personal Interview. jan 23. 2017

She is in charge of all of the volunteers and events that FPS have and interviewing means that I now have insight on the actual livelihood of For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation.  Getting to know about the volunteers and how each event is carefully set up shows the thoughtfulness and careful planning that goes into each and every event, which is a lot. I also got to learn about her personal attachment to FPS and why she does what she does.

The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team "Chemo Brain ." Cancer.org. 16 May 16. Web. 03 Feb. 2017. https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/physical-side-effects/changes-in-mood-or-thinking/chemo-brain.html

Hey everyone its me again. This is more information on my You & The world project. If you don´t remember my last blog post you can read it here on slate. Previously, in my first blog post I talked about the rates of suicides in different countries. Furthermore the disorders people may have that cause them to commit suicide. Disorders are bipolar, mental health, depression, and etc.

Next,to further my research I interviewed my  guidance counselor Ms. Siswick. Ms. Siswick gave me very good information on my topic. A question I asked her was ´´What are the symptoms of  a kid who may be thinking about suicide?´´.  Her response was drug use/alcohol increased, depression, change in behavior, domestic violence, and Violence overall. We also discussed different techniques on how to talk someone out of suicide completely. The different techniques are therapy, trusted friends, confiding in someone. For more information you can listen to the interview here.  

adult are: divorce, job loss, and substance use. People commit suicide because they think that´s a solution to end their pain.

For more information check out my annotated bibliography!.