Natalie Sanchez
For our first benchmark in Ms. Laufenberg’s
history class and Mr. Chase's English class, we were assigned to tell the story
of a building's history. This building had to be named after a person, and in
some way, we were supposed to intertwine the stories of the people that
influenced the name of the school and the history of the building. I chose to research
the building at the intersection of 8th and Lehigh. This structure looks a bit
like a castle, and I have always been fascinated by it. I was raised right
across the street from this place. My personal memories of the building seem
very distant, but I am flooded with good memories whenever I stop to remember
my childhood on 8th and Lehigh. I remember playing on the side of the school
with my cousins and taking walks with my father around the building just to
talk about things. I remember the huge walls of the school and how I felt so
microscopic when standing juxtaposed to this huge artifact. This is the
impression that the building has left on me. This is why I chose to research,
what many have referred to as, the "castle" at 8th and Lehigh.
When I first began my research, it was pretty
complicated to find any information on the history of the school. I could find
pictures of the building and of the people that the school was named after, but
I couldn't find any historical dates and facts about the actual history of the
structure. I then started speaking with some of the people that I know that
have worked or studied at the school and could give me a more personal view of
the school. One morning when I arrived to school, I started speaking with Mr. Paul,
the security officer at Science Leadership Academy (SLA), about my project. He
told me that he used to work at the school and that he knows some people that
work with the school district and that know about the school. I got a lot of
information from Mr. Paul. I also researched on the Internet, and found a lot
of information on the school's history here and there. I went through the
"digging-for-research" stage for about two weeks.
After this, I started to put my research into
presentation form. I was going to originally make a documentary, but the videos
that I took of the school were not compatible with imovie. Desperate to begin
my presentation, I decide to make an iweb instead. I built the frame of my iweb
by putting all of the research into the site first. I then gave up on all
attempts at converting my video files, and decided to wait until I got to
school to receive some help from Ms. Hull to convert my files. Luckily, I had
art before English the next day, where I asked Ms. Hull for help converting my
files. She showed me how to convert them, and then I was able to put the video
files into my iweb. After a couple of clicks and waits, my iweb was finished.
My history and English Benchmark was definitely a challenge for me,
but the feeling that I received when I finally found the information about the
school was unlike any other. I felt so satisfied and excited, as if I had just
made a new discovery. I enjoyed the process of making my history project. It
definitely took me back to my roots at 8th and Lehigh Ave.
To see my iweb, click here.