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For my senior capstone I was inspired to design Moroccan Takchitas that are shown below in order to display the talent I have not only in art but in design as a whole. I also decided to do this in order to share my culture with the SLA community and educate students who have little knowledge about Northern African fashion that is mainly based on tradition.

I took many steps over the past few months to complete this project of course, because there are many steps to put this all together. This project required lots of time and thought. In order to do this I needed to brainstorm my thoughts first then I need to create my templates and sketch out my dresses. After that I needed to outline everything with black and then begin designing. Lastly, I needed to put in the color and accessories. After that, I had to completed all of those steps I need to begin planning how I will put together my slides to show my process. To put all of those steps together I included the real life examples as well when presenting. Throughout this process, I also met up with with Moroccan women and classmates for input and advice on my designs. My grandmother and my aunt were my biggest inspirations during this time, not only because of the huge amount of assistance they provided but also because they passed on their love for our culture and fashion onto me. I am delighted to say that I am proud to continue this family traditional talent.

Bibliography:

Bañez, Zyra. “TUTORIAL - Fashion Figure for Beginners | 9 Heads.” YouTube, YouTube, 12 Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gpbtwUI7to.

This video is more simple and an easier way for me to make template as well as design the dresses over it  and its useful to know many techniques so I can try many ways and have a lot to pick from.

“Clothes | Women's & Men's Clothing & Fashion | Online Shopping – Boohoo.” Boohoo NA, us.boohoo.com/.

This website also inspired me because I usually shop from here and many teens nowadays and women. The clothing they have is very unique and catches the eye. From this website I can also gather ideas of how they’re clothing is and incorporate it in what I’m doing as well with my design.

Helena. “How to Draw a Fashion Croquis?” Fashionista Sketch, 10 Nov. 2018, www.fashionistasketch.com/draw-fashion-croquis/.

This website is also a written site that explains how to draw a fashion figure croquis in depth with images and steps incase the video wasn’t helpful and I wanted to do something different that can be easy.

Helena. “How to Draw a Fashion Croquis?” Fashionista Sketch, 10 Nov. 2018, www.fashionistasketch.com/draw-fashion-croquis/.

This is also a written site that helps and explains how to go about drawing fashion figures in depth  but also has images incase I am confused and come across a complication

“Home.” Coats And Jackets | Coats & Jackets | Outerwear | PrettyLittleThing USA, www.prettylittlething.us/clothing/dresses.html/?style=maxi&id=67&ajax=0.

This website is located in the uk but many Americans shop from it because they have great prices and great clothing. This website inspired me because most of the people shop from it and they have nice things I can get ideas from for my capstone.

Parsons, Whitney -. “Fashion Sketching 101: How to Draw Fashion Figures.” College Fashion, College Fashion, 12 Apr. 2013, www.collegefashion.net/college-life/how-to-make-fashion-sketches/.

This is more of a written one and explains how to go about drawing fashion figures in depth like going off what I said before on how its good to have a lot of things to pick from just incase I come across any complications.

“Special Occasion.” Fashion Nova, www.fashionnova.com/collections/special-occasion.

This website inspired me because of the designs they have for their clothing and dresses for their special occasions. A lot of people, celebrities and many people shop from this website. They have high rates and great reviews and looking at this website gives me ideas of what people like to see as well as this website being modern.

Verreos, Nick. “How To Draw A Croquis.” YouTube, YouTube, 18 Mar. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=99hkDvR01MQ.

This video teaches you how to draw a croquis and it was very helpful because I need to make many templates and through this video I can learn and gather ideas so that I can design my dresses on it.

www.fibre2fashion.com. “Fashion Designing History | Evolution of Fashion Designing | Growth of Fashion Design Industry.” Fibre2Fashion, www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/3730/fashion-designing-the-then-and-now.

This is more of a historical website on how fashion came about and as well as how it was before and how it changed. I feel like that is important to know when doing a project like this because you compare the two and gather ideas from many different places.  

Verreos, Nick. “How To Draw a Fashion Croquis.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpibEOJGM0c.

This video has more on how I can design my dresses and how I will be able to draw the dress on my template and also how his techniques are like with measurements and all.

How can you incorporate technology into modern day learning to make it both more interesting and accessible?

The internet has become the first point of contact for many people when they have a question. Our computers and mobile devices have given us access to so much information with a simple search. Technology has been incorporated over the years in schools all around the world to improve the quality of learning in classrooms. Although public school education is available to everyone in the United States, many inner-city schools, especially in the Philadelphia area where I grew up, are underfunded and understaffed. In addition, it is rare for them to provide education in highly-technical STEM fields, which are generally where the high paying jobs are.

I want to make education, especially in technical fields, more accessible to people around the world. I had the luxury of having an engineering program in my high school, which not many schools in my area have.

After many hours of research, meetings with my mentor, weekends spent filming, and countless days staying after school editing, I have finally created a dedicated YouTube channel featuring a series of videos sharing what I've learned over the years in my engineering program.

Bibliography

“Brief Introduction to Circuits.” Electricaleasy.com, www.electricaleasy.com/2014/09/brief-introduction-to-circuits.html.

Circuits are the hidden structures that power all electronic devices. A circuit allows current to flow from one place to another, from the source to the places that need it. This website serves as an introduction to circuits, addressing the different types of circuits and the different laws that govern circuitry. I will use to this explain the basics of circuits in one of my videos.

“Force and Motion: Facts.” Idaho Public Television, idahoptv.org/sciencetrek/topics/force_and_motion/facts.cfm.

A force is a push or a pull. We experience forces in our everyday lives. Some forces include normal, gravitational, and friction forces. This website dives into the different kinds of forces and what they mean. I will use this website to talk about forces in one of my videos.

“How to Read Engineering Drawings – a Simple Guide.” EEF, 24 Nov. 2017, www.eef.org.uk/training/blogs/2017/nov/how-to-read-engineering-drawings-a-simple-guide.

Engineering drawings serve as detailed instructions on the specifications of an item and how to manufacture them. They are a language used by engineerings and manufacturers to communicate how an item is made and serves as a contract in the event of factory errors. This website explores what engineering drawings are and how to read them. I will use this to give a brief introduction to engineering drawings in my videos.

NASA, NASA, www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/newton.html.

Newton’s laws of motion govern not only our everyday lives, but also the universe. There are three laws of motion and they all address a fundamental truth about our world. This website explores the different laws of motion and what they mean. I will use this website to talk about Newton’s laws of motion in one of my videos.

Plastic Forming Methods, iwww.the-warren.org/ALevelRevision/engineering/materials1.htm.

Everything is made of something. Material science is the study of how existing materials behave as well as the designing of new materials. Examples include woods, metals, plastics, etc. This website explores the different mechanical and physical properties of materials and what they mean. I will use this to inform my audience about material science.

ProEdify. “Units of Measure: Scientific Measurements & SI System.” YouTube, YouTube, 5 Mar. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAtDAoqdExw.

Si Units are a standardized language used by scientists and engineers around the world to communicate ideas and concepts without confusion. When speaking quantitatively, it is very important to know the exact units of an object, as the same number with different units result in different dimensions. This video covers what SI Units are and why they are important. I will use this to explain what SI units are in my videos.

“Simple Machines: Facts.” Idaho Public Television, idahoptv.org/sciencetrek/topics/simple_machines/facts.cfm.

Simple machines have been around for thousands of years. In the absence of motors, simple machines have allowed humans to move heavy objects with only a fraction of the amount of force required with just hands. This website explores the different types of simple machines and how they are used to do things faster and better. This will help provide content to discuss in my videos.

“Types of Gears.” KHK Gears, khkgears.net/new/gear_knowledge/introduction_to_gears/types_of_gears.html.

Gears are the most iconic mechanism ever, with the ability to turn rotational movement to linear motion. They are simple yet effective. This website covers the various types of gears and when they can best be used. I will use this website to talk about gears and their uses in one of my videos.

“What Is Binary?” Computer Hope, 13 Nov. 2018, www.computerhope.com/jargon/b/binary.htm.

Binary is a language used and interpreted by computers to store data. It is a base 2 number system that uses only two numbers: 0 and 1. A 0 indicates OFF and a 1 indicates ON. This website dives into the ins and outs of binary, including what they are, how they work, and how to read them. I will use this to explain what binary is in one of my videos.

Work Documents, Working Drawings, Building Plans, www.flooringtech.com.au/unit16_hand_and_power_tools/section1_types_of_tools/lesson1_general_hand_tools.htm.

People use hand tools to do all sorts of things. From the iconic hammer to the drill, there is a plethora of tools used everyday. This website explores the different hand tools and what they are each used for. I will use this website to briefly discuss what hand tools are and what situations each of them are good for.

Below is one of the videos I made. To check out my other videos, here's the link to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKooALxxFw2y3emSZQlgSig

"Garlic Mustard – New York Invasive Species Information". 2019. Nyis.Info. Accessed January 25 2019. http://nyis.info/invasive_species/garlic-mustard/.

This source provides information about Garlic Mustard. Garlic Mustard is one of the three invasive plants that I will focus on removing from the area around the reservoir. The site gives the history of the plant like where it came from, identification, it's origin, the impacts, management, specific characteristics as well as other useful information. I will use the information from this source to properly identify the plants when I remove them but also to include information about them on my website.

​"Wineberry – New York Invasive Species Information". 2019. Nyis.Info. Accessed January 25 2019. http://nyis.info/invasive_species/wineberry/.

This source provides information about Wineberry. Wineberry is one of the three invasive plants that I will focus on removing from the area around the reservoir. The site gives the history of the plant like where it came from, identification, it's origin, the impacts, management, specific characteristics as well as other useful information. I will use the information from this source to properly identify the plants when I remove them but also to include information about them on my website.

"Japanese Knotweed – New York Invasive Species Information". 2019. Nyis.Info. Accessed January 25 2019. http://nyis.info/invasive_species/japanese-knotweed/

This source provides information about Japanese Knotweed. Japanese Knotweed is one of the three invasive plants that I will focus on removing from the area around the reservoir. The site gives the history of the plant like where it came from, identification, it's origin, the impacts, management, specific characteristics as well as other useful information. I will use the information from this source to properly identify the plants when I remove them but also to include information about them on my website.

" Rudbeckia Hirta - Plant Finder ". 2019. Missouribotanicalgarden.Org. Accessed April 30 2019. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=277225.

This source provides information about the Black Eyed Susan. The Black Eyed Susan is one of the two native plants that I will focus on planting in the area around the reservoir. The site gives the history of the plant like where it came from, identification, it's origin, the impacts, management, specific characteristics as well as other useful information.

​" Fragaria Virginiana - Plant Finder ". 2019. Missouribotanicalgarden.Org. Accessed April 30 2019. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=291715&isprofile=0&=.

This source provides information about the Wild Strawberry. The Wild Strawberry is one of the two native plants that I will focus on planting in the area around the reservoir. The site gives the history of the plant like where it came from, identification, it's origin, the impacts, management, specific characteristics as well as other useful information.

"PA Native Plant Society". 2019. PA Native Plant Society. Accessed January 25 2019. http://www.panativeplantsociety.org/.

This source provides information about some different native plants. It also gives information about what is currently in bloom. It gives a description of what a native plant is. A native plant is one that occurs naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat without direct or indirect human intervention. We consider the flora present at the time Europeans arrived in North America as the species native to the eastern United States. Native plants include all kinds of plants from mosses and ferns to wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. This source will help me better understand what plants are native and which ones aren't and when each of them is in bloom.

"Invasive Species | National Wildlife Federation". 2019. National Wildlife Federation. Accessed January 25 2019. https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Threats-to-Wildlife/Invasive-Species.

This source provides information about what makes a plant or animal invasive. It specifically talks about what classifies it as invasive, how it spreads, and the impact that it has on the environment around it. I will use this source to better understand the impact that the invasive plants and animals have on the environment. This will make it clear and help me to understand why it is so important to remove them and replace them with native species.

"Combating Invasive Species | National Wildlife Federation". 2019. National Wildlife Federation. Accessed January 25 2019. https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Environmental-Threats/Invasive-Species.

This site provides information about the impact of invasive species in both plants and animals. It also provides means for how to stop the invasion as well as examples of things that are invasive and the area that they are in. Once invasive species become established and spread, it can be extraordinarily difficult and costly to control or eradicate them. As a result, the best approaches for dealing with the invasive species is to create effective mechanisms to prevent their introduction in the first place, create monitoring systems for detecting new infestations and move rapidly to eradicate newly detected invaders. I will use use source to help m determine the best possible way to get rid of the plants and replace them with new ones.

2019. Extension.Unh.Edu. Accessed January 25 2019. https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/resource000988_rep1135.pdf

This source lists some of the native plants. It talks about some of the different care for them and the different conditions that they live in. It also includes why it is helpful to have native species and the means needed to plant native plants at home. I will use this site to help me determine which plants I should plant in the spring.

For my senior capstone I created an after school club that introduced students from various areas of the city to different topics pertaining to STEM. The purpose of this club was to expose students to the opportunities that the field of STEM has to offer and to introduce more female students to the field as a whole. I had initially begun my capstone by speaking with school officials from my middle school to confirm that I would be able to use it as the site for my club. While our first meeting had gone successfully, the school’s lack of keeping up with communication and inability to confirm a club dates after our first meeting caused me to go back to square one.  

When coming up with possible solutions that would fix the challenges I faced, I determined that it would be in my best interest to turn the club into something that was portable and relevant to a wide range of ages. This would allow me to be able to broaden the spectrum of people that I taught and it ensured that I would not have to rely on one specific group of people. Ultimately, this process taught me that every challenge, no matter how hard it may seem, has a feasible solution. It just takes some time and well thought out brainstorming to come up with the right idea.When reflecting on what I was able to accomplish, I was able to have thorough club meetings with students ranging from the grades of 1st to 12th grade, and I completed various activities with them that were inspired by activities I come across during my time as a student at SLA.

Bibliography

“10 Simple STEM Activities for Kids That Will Stimulate Young Minds.” Rasmussen College - Regionally Accredited College Online and on Campus. www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/simple-stem-activities-for-kids/.

This website from Rasmussen College lists 10 STEM related activities that are meant to stimulate the minds of adolescents. I will use this list to choose and find the activities that I want the students to complete during my club. Using this list ensures that all of the activities are STEM-related and relevant to the topic I choose to teach the students every week. Overall, this source is relevant to my project because it allows me to plan out my club beforehand while also providing me with a list of materials that I need to fundraise for and obtain beforehand.

“36 Resources for STEM Project-Based Learning Activities.” Global Digital Citizen Foundation, Global Digital Citizen Foundation, 20 July 2018,

http://globaldigitalcitizen.org/36-stem-project-based-learning-activities

I will use this website from the Global Digital Citizen Foundation in conjunction with the list of activities that I obtained from my Rasmussen College source. I am utilizing both sources because I want to have a wide variety of activities to choose from and present to the students since I plan for them to be involved in the activity selection process. The activities in this source specifically are split up by categories such as engineering, mathematics, and general STEM. Each category has a variety of activities (that are split up by specific age groups) listed under them so that will be a useful element to use when catering activities to specific grades. Overall, this source will be used to help craft the lesson plans and activities necessary for my club/capstone.

Dispatch. “Is STEM Education Beneficial in the Elementary Classroom?” Center for Health Identity Behavior and Prevention Studies CHIBPS, 14 May 2018, https://wp.nyu.edu/dispatch/2018/01/30/is-stem-education-beneficial-in-the-elementary-classroom/

This website from the Center for Health Identity Behavior and Prevention Studies (CHIBPS) at New York University (NYU) debates whether or not STEM education is beneficial for students in elementary school. In their article on the topic, they begin by giving an overview of STEM, what it is, and it’s importance in society. They then explain their reasonings for why they think teaching STEM is extremely important in elementary schools, and they end their article by speaking about the need for gender diversity in the field. I will use this source to corroborate my justification behind my capstone impact.

“How to Write a Lesson Plan.” Homeschooling vs Public Schools: The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling, www.middleschool.net/write-lesson-plan.htm.

This website from Middleschool.net provides a detailed outline of how teachers should go about creating their lesson plans. On the site, it lists ten detailed steps to follow when creating a lesson plan, and it has a condensed list of other resources to use as a reference listed at the bottom of the page. I will utilize this source religiously when creating my lesson plans because it proves useful and beneficial advice. It will make this process much easier when it comes to creating my content. Overall, this source will be used to create the lesson plans for each week of my club.

“Importance of STEM Education in Elementary School | College of Education - FSU.” FSU College of Education, 10 Jan. 2019, https://education.fsu.edu/importance-stem-education-elementary-school

This website from the Florida State University College of Education provides their reasonings as to why they stress the importance of STEM education in elementary schools. In this source, they address how America has fallen behind other industrialized countries in terms of STEM-related fields and they make the case that a STEM-focused education not only opens students to new subjects but it also allows for different learning methodologies to be utilized. I will use this source to prove the benefit and long-lasting impact of my capstone. The skills the students will learn in the club are skills that will stick with them forever.

O'Malley, Oscar, et al. “The Benefits of STEM in Elementary.” STEAM Powered Family, 8 Oct. 2018, www.steampoweredfamily.com/education/stem-in-elementary/.

This website from is one out of three sources that I have relating to the impact/importance of my project. In this source, they explain that learning should be both influential and engaging. Saying that “If an education destroys a student’s love of learning, then it has failed.” This quote truly resonated with me because it couldn't be more true. Students should love what and how they’re learning. They should feel that it’s been catered to them with the intention of meeting their best interest. That’s the intention of my club, thus explaining why I am choosing to integrate this source into my capstone.

“Science Leadership Academy: What Will You Create Today?” NGLC, www.nextgenlearning.org/articles/science-leadership-academy-what-will-you-create-today.

This article from the Next Gen Learning Center is a deep dive into SLA and the uniqueness of our curriculum. It analyzes our core values, capstone projects, and ILPs while explaining the importance that they all have to our students and the school community as a whole. I will use this source to compare how the set up of our curriculum is emulated in the set up for my club in addition to using it as a resource for my students to become familiar with before the club begins. I want them to have adequate context on who I am (this will be a self-summary) and where I’m coming from (based on the article). This article will help me provide them with that information.

“Setting up Your Club.” Keys Steps for Setting up Your out of School Club | Out of School Alliance, www.outofschoolalliance.co.uk/setting-up-your-club.

This website from the Out of School Alliance provides a list of tips and tricks to use when creating an after-school club. It goes over the keys aspects necessary to have a productive and efficient club. Examples of these aspects are business structure, paperwork, and establishing the need. This source is essential when it comes to structuring my club because it will help me stay organized while also giving me experience in the field of business (which is what I will be majoring in in college).  I will use it in conjunction with my source about writing lesson plans. Overall, this is source will help me with the managerial and teacher like aspects of my Capstone.

“Start Your Child's Academic Adventure.” Archdiocese of Philadelphia Schools History Comments, www.aopcatholicschools.org/elementary-schools/curriculum/.

This website for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia lists all of the mandatory courses to be taught in Catholic Schools for every subject. The curriculum for each subject is divided into folders that are then split up into grades (such as Kindergarten and 8th Grade). I will use this source to analyze the curriculum that middle schoolers (5th-8th) are required to take, and I will then use it as the base for my capstone. I intend to build off of what the students already know while also teaching them new content, so the purpose of this source will be to make sure that I’m meeting those standards.

“Visitation BVM School.” Icon of Visitation Church, www.vizobvm.org/.

This website for the Visitation BVM School provides background information on and important notes about the school where I will be completing my Senior Capstone. My purpose for using this source is to compare the schools objective and educational priorities to that of my STEM club since I intend to combine the two equally. In addition to the comparison, this source will also give me a better look at the demographics of my club in terms of racial and gender diversity. This will be a critical piece in graphing and creating infographics for my club. Overall, I will use all of this information in conjunction with my source that pertains to the mandatory curriculum that is taught in all Archdiocesan schools in Philadelphia.

For my senior capstone, I decided to focus on the overall high school experience for students. During the process of deciding on a topic, I asked myself what can I provide for the future students of the SLA community based on my four-year experience. Helping others has always been a huge passion of mine, so this was a fantastic idea. I created a short documentary posted you YouTube -- almost like a how to survive high school survival guide -- that highlights the high school experience as a whole amongst many different students, mostly including seniors since they've had the most experience. This short documentary focuses on many serious topics which include mental health, managing a job, social life, time management, what it's like attending a project-based school, relationships, sports, and college. This 'How To Survive High School' Documentary also features many students who give incoming underclassmen specific advice on many different topics that I hope they learn from. Not only does this piece sharpen the idea of high school for the students who enter it, but it also centers on specifically what the Science Leadership Academy community has to offer for its learners. As many people are aware of, SLA is different from many other Philadelphia High schools and with this video, incoming freshmen would have a better idea at what such a unique high school SLA is.

Click Here for the Documentary

Capstone Bibliography

Amelia Benamara

Carol, Britni, Adam Jack, Albert, and BritniV. "36 Super Fun Outdoor Party Games." Play.Party.Plan. June 18, 2018. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.playpartyplan.com/fun-outdoor-games/.

Not only does this source review the importance of activities amongst adults and students,

but it also gives examples of potential games and activities that a community can participate in such as the football toss and balloon down. It is very helpful in terms of what students, especially teens, need to build community and confidence within themselves. Bringing forth students in a community to especially reflect on their experiences increases their happiness

Community, and Why Is It Important?" The Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning & Dialogue | Cambridge, MA. 2005. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.ikedacenter.org/thinkers-themes/themes/community/what-is-community-responses.

The source provides adequate examples of ways to build a community and be a healthy aspect of uniting people together in any form. This adds to the purpose of having the senior class of 2019 come together during the final months of high school to compete against one another in a fun, energy building way. Riché C. Zamor, Executive Director, Professional Services Division Latin American Health Institute summarizes the purpose of having a community and constantly attempting to build the bond stronger amongst one another. This, again, brings a bigger purpose for this project, especially as a graduating class.

"5 Helpful Tips to Calm 9th Grade Nerves." CollegeVine. April 12, 2019. https://blog.collegevine.com/5-helpful-tips-to-calm-9th-grade-nerves/.

The way this website is helpful is because I wanted to begin this project solely based on how nervous my younger brother was about going to high school as a freshman. He was very frightful about managing vigorous high school work and most importantly the freshman year transition. Based on this source, tips are given to middle schoolers who are soon to enter High School which enhanced a few of the pieces of advice included in my documentary.

"Starting High School (for Teens)." KidsHealth. August 2018. https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/starting-high-school.html.

This source focuses on relieving stress in students who are going into High School. This is important to include in this bibliography and in my research as a whole because the message that I want to put out in my documentary is not to stress about things school but rather to look at school as an environment where you can seek help at the same time have fun and make the memories that you will remember years later. Many younger classmen, especially freshman, have the wrong idea going into high school -- that is a false claim and I want to change as many students’ mindsets as a whole through this short documentary.

Is It Common for People to Be Scared to Go into High School? Can You Give Me Some Tips to Survive? https://www.cliffsnotes.com/cliffsnotes/subjects/college/is-it-common-for-people-to-be-scared-to-go-into-high-school-can-you-give-me-some-tips-to-survive.

Much like the other sources listed above, this website gives more tips -- a little more than other sites do -- on how to relieve stress and become for entering High School. This also has positive feedback on what high school has to offer in general if you make the best of it. It also highlights how common it is to be anxious about going to high school, and with good reason. It is also important to consider that here it is said that seniors, while they seem confident now, were all in those similar shoes once before.

"High School and College Student Anxiety: Why the Epidemic?" Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/resolution-not-conflict/201806/high-school-and-college-student-anxiety-why-the-epidemic.

Throughout this source, information and statistics about high school anxiety are included which makes my argument stronger that students who are entering High School have anxiety as well due to this very cause. Knowing that High School gives you anxiety doesn't get you excited to start and that new environment for that very reason. This also makes my initial reasoning stronger because many kids need the message to be delivered to them that high school is not scary and it is what you make it so going into Highschool with a better and positive attitude will give you better results.

"Login." TeenInk. http://www.teenink.com/opinion/school_college/article/304164/What-High-School-is-All-About/.

Here, Teen Ink explores the idea of the meaning of high school in general in a positive attitude.  As most other sources have proven a lot of students carry on the anxiety of entering High School due to a large amount of stress. However, this source gives adequate feedback on how to avoid bumping heads with stress, especially when I needed to in high school. This website also gives students the confidence of making high school what you want it to be, which is what many students failed to do when starting their journey. This also helps me obtain ideas on how to deliver these important messages to a younger group of children

Partycurrent, |. "27 Totally Silly Party Games for Adults." Partycurrent. March 27, 2014. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.partycurrent.com/silly-party-games.html.

This source helps and adequately demonstrate a genuine case of a sorted out arrangement of gear just as give me thoughts of certain hardware that I would need to get in a certain time allotment relying upon what kind of things they are. This site gives 27 instances of exercises or diversions that could possibly be utilized yet it additionally gives connected guidelines for each amusement that are completely clear to the crowds. A clarification is likewise included for every action that demonstrates the quality and how powerful the diversions are to the understudies/individuals that are performing them.

Schaps, Eric. "Creating a School Community." How Student Progress Monitoring Improves

Instruction - Educational Leadership. March 2003. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar03/vol60/num06/Creating-a-School-Community.aspx.

When I reviewed this article, I obtained the simple knowledge of things someone can do to bring a community together, especially in setting such as a school. Although specific activities were not mentioned, this source speaks about the importance of organizing events that will bring people together in any form. This adds more meaning to the inquiry questions I proposed to why an event like this should occur, uniting the class of 2019 through any type of activity, especially activities where reflections are included. This piece also stresses the core value of collaboration where it wise to use the resources around you, such as different organizations and teams to plan the events in mind.

Smith, Fran. "Social Networking at Science Leadership Academy." Edutopia. March 22, 2017. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.edutopia.org/science-leadership-academy-social-networking.

Fran Smith summarizes the importance of SLA and focuses on the core values that Center around the SLA Community which is a big part of the project that I'm planning to organize in March for the senior class of 2019.  This source is organized in a question-and-answer based style which allows the readers to understand much more about the SLA perspective on projects, events, and student life. Focusing on the main purpose of SLA, even around when it first opened, gives me a direction to go because it separates what I am supposed to focus when it comes to the student body.

In SLA I have seen teacher in  almost every class find a way to use film in the curriculum. Film can serve as a way to make a concept more accessible and fun to engage in for students. I took this as inspiration and decided to design an 8 week mini course called “Netflix and Learn” where I showed different types of media that taught about certain sorts of history. I pulled from some of my favorite pieces of art like  Billy Joel's “We Didn’t Start to Fire” and “The Untouchables”. I was able to assess what the kids already knew about the topics by giving them a mini quiz before we watched and then asking them the same questions after we were done. I really took for granted how much the students knew a about certain subject and I feel like they really learned from the classes. So often student get a bird eyes view of how world events affected countries but these movies and tv shows showed them from a regular person's perspective. The fact that the media also had some elements of comedy and drama,  the students were able to stay engaged in the content. The last skill that I wanted to teach them was how to fact check these movies that we watch because some of them dramatized certain events for hollywood appeal but were then factually incorrect. I think that I sufficiently passed in making them well rounded critical thinkers when is comes to historical media.

Annotated Bibliography

1. Crockett , Ross. “Movies in the Classroom: Teaching History With Film.” Global Digital Citizen Foundation, Global Digital Citizen Foundation, 26 June 2018, globaldigitalcitizen.org/teaching-history-with-film.

This source was written by a teacher who wanted to show that scientifically is has been proven that student retain more information when they were presented in the form of a movie. She also talks about how much she has learned as a teacher. She stated, “Watching the films did clearly help the students learn more, but only when the information was the same in both text and film…But when the information in the film and the reading were contradictory — that is, when the film was inaccurate — the students were more likely to recall the film’s distorted version.” So in contrary to other articles she says that is it actually ok when movies have historical inaccuracies because it makes the students ask more questions and think deeper.

2. Everding, Gerry. “Historical Movies Help Students Learn, but Separating Fact from Fiction Can Be Challenge | The Source | Washington University in St. Louis.” The Source, 13 Jan. 2016, source.wustl.edu/2009/08/historical-movies-help-students-learn-but-separating-fact-from-fiction-can-be-challenge/.

1. This source is a educational article written by a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, Gerry Everding. This was published in 2009 and it chronicles his experience in trying to teach student to use movies to learn historical event. He thought that this way of learning would be fool proof but then he saw the children were not retaining information. He said, “In contrast, when information in the film directly contradicted the text, people often falsely recalled the misinformation portrayed in the film, sometimes as much as 50 percent of the time.” This means that there need to be a more comprehensive way to separate fact from fiction so that student know what information is true and what they should remember.

3. Hughes-Warrington, Marnie. History Goes to the Movies: Studying History on Film. Routledge, 2009.

1. “Can films be used as historical evidence? Do historical films make good or bad history? Are documentaries more useful to historians than historical drama?” These are the essential driving question that Hughes-Warrington wanted to answer in her book History Goes to the Movies. The ting satta makes this citation different from the other ones that I have used is that she tried to take an intereantil view on this query. Movies from other countries on their own countries and how they portray themselves and how American pre trays other countries and their history. This makes me question some of the pieces of media that I have chosen for my project because I only have American perspectives from the late 20th century. I may need to proden the counties or even the eras that I will use.

4. Masterman, Len. Teaching the Media . 1985.

1. This source was a book written by a man who felt at there needed to be more guidelines for comprehensive medei that can teach people things like history and science. The chapter that I read focused privatization of information. He stated that many companies and organization are starting to move more quietly there fore less and less content about them will be coming to light. It is now up to us to do the hard research and compile accurate information and then put it into form or media that children can understand and that will be most beneficial to them.

5. Murray, Kathleen. “Introduction: Gender and Genre: The Woman Detective and the Diffusion of Generic Voices.” Feminism in Women's Detective Fiction, 1995, p. 41. George Mason University , doi:10.3138/9781442623088-002.

1. This source is an essay that was written by a woman named Kathleen Murray in order to inform people about how media portrays women and what need to change about it. I specifically focused on reading a section that she wrote called “Woman’s Picture: The romance and the weepie”. In this she talks about the stereotypes that are put on women in various movies like Fargo and other horror movies. She states, The way that looking is thematized in the horror film and the relationship between the hunter and the hunted makes it critical to understanding the investigating woman. The shift from active investigator to object of investigation, from the one who looks to the one who is looked upon is always threatening the female detective.” I saw this as an opportunity to think that not only can film be used to show history events, but that it can be a commentary on how people of certain gender, races, and classes are portrayed and how those parties are taking action against this.

6. National Film Study Standards, National Film Study Standard , www.storyofmovies.org/national-film-study-standards.

1. This website it a teaching resource published by the National Film Study Standards Association. The are an organization that you have to be a registered member of and they show teachers how to pick out important parts of movies to show students. What makes this source so good it that they have their information broken up into three categories, Basiuc, Intermediate, and Advanced. It tells teachers what to ask for from different level of student by the time that get to the college level that should have immense knowledge of information like film vovoplay, allegorical messages, and author and viewer bias. One example is how to connect film and history to culture. In the first level ,basic, student should be able to identify what time period the movies was made in and explain how it is different from today. In the last level, Advanced, student should be able to identify what propagande gods and marketing technique were popular then and ho that could affect the movies telling.

7. Sdifilmfest. “How to Analyze a Movie: A Step-by-Step Guide.” San Diego International Film Festival, 22 July 2015, sdfilmfest.com/how-to-analyze-a-movie-step-by-step-guide-to-reviewing-films-from-a-screeners-point-of-view/.

1. This source has definitive steps on how to watch a movies as a critical thinker. The first step is to try to come into the movie with no biases. Try to put yourself in the mind of the time period and view it at face value. The next step is to take notes about what interest you and shocks you during the viewing. The third step is to analyze objects luke tone and cinematography and how it played a part in the film. The last step is to try to condense your feelings in to a comprehensive review that they can understand and want to learn.

8. “Teaching Tutorials .” The Story of Movies , www.storyofmovies.org/teaching-strategies.

1. This source was cited from a presentation from the company called The Story of Movies. In the presentation that document steps on how to effective leach Cibem Literacy. It states that in order to do this in the correct format you have to know lot of information about Film Study and Visual Literacy and then you must combine them. The method that they have “perfected” is known as the SOM Method. This method focuses on Composition, Pace and Continuity, Cinematography, and Soundtrack. It also states that teacher must acknowledge to students that films are combination of History, Literature, Art, Music, and STEM.

9. Gerald Lesser (1972) Learning, Teaching, and Television Production for Children: The Experience of Sesame Street. Harvard Educational Review: July 1972, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 232-272.

1. This source is a essay that was written by a man named Dr .Gerald Lesser who wanted to show how shows like Sesame Street has efficiently found the formula to teach kids important information that they retain. He served as chairman of the National Board of Advisors to the Children's Television Workshop. In this he talks about experimental tool that Sesame Street used in its beginning stages such as narrow focusing and cross model reinforcement. He also talks about how humor has played a big role in how children process the show and its success. The show uses sound clues that spike children's attention and allows them to recall letter that they have associated with these sounds.

10. Zukas , Alex. “DIFFERENT DRUMMERS: USING MUSIC TO TEACH HISTORY.” Historian.org, 1 Sept. 1996,

1. This website is resource for educators and socially music teachers. This specific article shows teacher how to use music to teach musical history. It asked the reader to try and imagine the world without music and how it has influenced history. Zukas makes an example of how things like Jazz can be used as an introduction into the lives and history of Louisiana and how certain types of Rock n Roll music can be credited towards England and the time period that they were going through. I will try to use some of the tactic that he has employed when Introduce “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel to the kids in my mini course.

For my capstone, I spent the year working on SLA’s Community Involvement Club (CIC). I scheduled volunteer opportunities that have more meaning, trained underclassmen to take over the club after I graduate, and creating a more organized system of informing students about upcoming events by making a website. The mission is to create a strong CIC staff that can reinforce the system I have been putting into place, all in hopes to improve the club and create a system that will serve the community. During CIC staff meetings, I make lesson plans for them, we brainstorm, and work on upcoming events. I have been curating a “master club document” and a club google drive folder with all the clubs contacts, advice, and steps to take. My guiding question for my capstone is “how can I create a lasting impact on the community in Philadelphia and SLA” During this capstone, I learned about how to improve my leadership skills. It was also rewarding to teach these lessons for the team and make sure they get something out of it. The most challenging part of my capstone process was having to find organizations in Philadelphia that make a real difference with organizations that fight for the homeless, rights for communities including people of color and LGBTQ+, and more. I wrote some personal reflection along with interviews from the CIC team, speaking about their experience as a leader and volunteer.

The website is constantly being updated with new events or lack thereof after the event passes and it is not necessary to promote any longer. On this website, you can find some pictures from this year's events under gallery and interviews with all the staff.

Link to the website- https://kgucciardikriegh19.wixsite.com/mysite

Link to the lesson plans-  Lesson #1  Lesson #2 Lesson #3

For my capstone project, I decided to create a project that was very dear to me. I created Krochet Kare Packages which is a project to help families heal from gun violence in the city of Philadelphia. I personally crocheted different items ranging from clothes to blankets and packaged them with motivational messages to uplift the different people/families who had been affected by gun violence. The reason that I chose to start this project was because I began to realize the lack of mental health support that people of color in Philadelphia received. I knew that I had to specify who exactly I wanted to reach out to. After reading ‘Rest In Power’, the memoir from the parents of Trayvon Martin, I decided that I should tackle a big issue, gun violence. After deciding this, I reached out to people around me who had been strongly affected by gun violence. By doing so, I was able to hear the stories of all the individuals and learn about the toll that such a traumatizing event can have on one’s mind. After hearing the stories of everyone who I planned to work with, i personalized crochet care packages for each victim. The point of the handmade crocheted items was to let those individuals know that they were not alone and to give them something that would comfort them in times of pain and or grief.

Annotated Bibliography

AVPPhila. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2019, from http://avpphila.org/families-of-murder-victims-fmv/

AVP stands for the Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia. They offer people who have lost loved ones violently counseling sessions as well as group therapy. All the services there are free because they know that a lot of people in Philly are under  ;privledged and can not afford to pay for full price services to help them cope with death. A lot of the people who organize the different sessions have personally dealt with the issues that they all are coming to get help with. Aside from helping the families of the victims with counseling they also try to help them get the people locked up for the crimes. This is a big help considering a lot of cases go unsolved.

Coping in the Aftermath of a Shooting. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/coping-in-the-aftermath-of-a-shooting

Coping with a shooting surrounds almost the same things as coping with a death. Sometimes shootings even sadly end in death. It is understandable for some to want to isolate themselves from things especially like the news and other media that may be heavily discussing the incident. This can sometimes cause panic attacks and unneeded anxiety. This is really called post traumatic stress disorder which happens to some who experience traumatic events that leave a long lasting impact on them. This happens commonly in urban neighborhoods but is rarely treated. When this happens, people can turn to reacting to those events randomly because they are triggered.

Coping with Loss: Bereavement and Grief. (2015, May 01). Retrieved January 25, 2019, from http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/coping-loss-bereavement-and-grief

This source talks more about how to deal with the death of a loved one compared to others that just talked about what happens when you a loved one dies. One major thing to do is to take care of yourself and not deprive yourself of essential things that help you survive and keep you happy. In a time of such disappointment, it makes sense to try and normalize things instead of trying to become a totally different person. Building with other people dealing with the same issue will also help the both of you cope better and share common experiences.

Crochet Therapy for Mental Health • LoveCrochet Blog. (2017, May 08). Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://blog.lovecrochet.com/crochet-and-mental-health/

Crocheting is used as a therapy for many because of how it soothes. Different yarns have different textures which come as a healing and comfortable place for people away from their home (comfort space). Crocheting allows people to get their feelings out through the project that they are working on. Whether it be anger or even love, it allows you to express yourself when you are silenced by things that hurt you. The sensation that you get from crocheting, can heal physical pains because mentally you will be at peace and not be able to feel anything.

Crocheting For A Cause. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2019, from http://thecrochetcrowd.com/placemarks/crocheting-for-a-cause/

This is a organization that does something similar to what I will do. They crochet different things for people who are usually sick or veterans and give them to them for comfort. I will be doing that but instead to a more specified crowd. They are located in Jersey and do not do any of the work for money. Everything that they do is free and from the bottom of their heart. Throughout the year, who they crochet for tends to vary because they like reaching out to certain groups and giving each of them an allotted dedication.

Family & Survivor Support. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://momocares.org/familysurvivor-support/

This service is based in North Carolina and provides some of the same services that a lot of therapist do. A lot of the services include planning memorial events such as funerals and candlelights to bring light to the people that lose their lives. This helps families feel sane because they feel like their family members do not die in vain. They want the legacies to live on and for people to especially know if the cases have not been solved and people are not paying for their ruthless actions. If the person who was killed is the only one that they had left, it gives them a chance to rebuild their family value now that a loved one is gone.

Grief & Depression Coping With Denial, Loss, Anger and More. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/depression-grief#1

This source talks about the process of grief and how each person may deal with it differently. Usually when you are dealing with grief there are different stages of how you accept it as well as deny it. You can lose feeling over a sensation of shock and even act as if it hasn’t happened. With this comes wishing that you may have spent more time with the person or even was there to prevent what happened. Some people even never recover from death and begin to fall into depression which can lead to suicide.

Health Benefits of Crocheting and Knitting. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2019, from http://www.redheart.com/articles/health-benefits-of-crocheting-and-knitting

Crocheting helps with both long term and short term health. With crocheting comes following different patterns and motions which help with memory when it comes to getting down a routine. Physically it strengthens your hands and teaches them to have structure when it comes to other hand moving techniques. Crocheting is something that is done everywhere and even in correctional facilities to help prisoners build bonds and also social skills. In addition to this, and knowledge from the previous information that I have collected, crocheting can be obviously seen as a way to heal and even the handmade items that are made can heal.

Johnson, P. (2018, February 06). Philly organization Erase the Rate addresses gun violence by empowering the community. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://billypenn.com/2018/02/06/philly-nonprofit-erase-the-rate-addresses-gun-violence-by-empowering-the-community/

This source talks about a young lady who had hopes to end gun violence following the death of her cousin. She created a foundation called “Erase the Rate” to try to educate people about how the death rate in Philadelphia is increasing because of senseless violence that people participate in. The sad thing about this is that people are being murdered and their murderers most of the time remain on the loose. By remaining on the loose, their is a high chance that they will strike again and senselessly murder another victim in the city. It also mentions how urban children are usually told to be strong because they can handle anything instead of actually getting help and dealing with the things that eventually haunt them.

Our Founder. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.mothersincharge.org/our-founder/

This source is about the founder of a local organization that works to stop violence in Philadelphia. It tells the story of how she chose to start her foundation after the tragic lost of her son to gun violence in a parking lot. Aside from using her terrifying experience to help start the foundation, she uses her background in Psychology to help people cope. She reaches out to people around the country as well and educates them regarding resources they can use to help them deal with losing a loved one. Dr. Dorothy makes sure that everyone involved is remembered and upholds a legacy.

Growing up, I watched my mom go from an amateur cook to a proprietor of her own catering company. Always being around cooking or baking started my love for the food industry. When going through the college process, I considered majoring in pastry arts. After many talks with both my parents and Ms.Hirschfield, we decided I could always start my own catering business later on in life. I took my capstone as an opportunity to practice catering and event planning. I have helped my mom with events that varied from small dinners to graduations, but I never took the responsibility of an entire order on my own. At the beginning of the year, Darlenny came up with the idea to hold a sports banquet to congratulate all of the seniors for their hard work and dedication throughout their seasons. She knew that I was deciding on catering an event for my capstone and approached me about doing the desserts for her event as well as the dessert table set up. This process will include creating a menu, designing the dessert table, and the execution of the desserts. The sports banquet will be held on May 7th so I will update this post when my presentation is finalized. I hope this event will teach me about not only a possible career, but a newfound sense of responsibility. I look forward to stepping into my mother’s shoes and testing my ability to take on a catering event.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bpV441CvUFXa9FxUedkXpn7sC5mf5s3AIUV5nO-uUBQ/edit?usp=sharing

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May, Cassie. “20 DIY Dessert Displays and Cake Stands.” Little Red Window, 1 Mar. 2016, littleredwindow.com/diy-dessert-displays-and-cake-stands/.

Meyers, Julie. “Tailgating Desserts.” Taste of Home, www.tasteofhome.com/collection/tailgating-desserts/.

Roenicke, Kelly. “Allergy Friendly Dessert Recipes.” The Pretty Bee, 22 Apr. 2019, theprettybee.com/category/desserts/.

“Top 5: Sweet Dessert Table Ideas For Your Party.” Frontpage, weddingphotography.com.ph/3155/top-5-sweet-dessert-table-ideas-for-your-party/.

Turk, Laurie, et al. “Home.” Tip Junkie, 5 Dec. 2018, tipjunkie.com/best-sports-party/.