Cameryn Roach Public Feed

Cameryn Roach Capstone

Posted by Cameryn Roach in Capstone · Spry/Walker-Roberts · Wed on

For my capstone, I wanted to study linguistics and focus on how the structure of language could help your ability to comprehend different languages and dialects. I picked this topic because language is used in almost every aspect of our lives, and it’s very important to the development of culture and communication in the world. Throughout the course of the school year, I accumulated research on the traditional foundations of grammar and studied High Valyrian (a fictional language from Game of Thrones) via Duolingo for a more hands-on approach. For my final product I curated a blog website, diving more into linguistic analysis and how understanding the systems can make learning new languages a bit easier. Below are links to my blog and my annotated bibliography.

website link: https://cjrcapstone.weebly.com/

annotated bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kdvhk8a9VQc0Zqnacf84Qn6A0Qh-hbd6xlBxJaywccE/edit?usp=sharing

Advanced Essay #1: When to Step Away

Posted by Cameryn Roach in English 3 · Block · B Band on

Introduction:

My goals for this essay, honestly, were to just be honest and tell a story that meant a lot to me. Any other way I try to explain it, I fear that it’s seen as me complaining, so I tried to make it so it would be more down to earth instead. I don’t expect anyone to sympathize with it, but it’s still the story I wanted to share. I’m proud of how I took the time to figure out what I did and didn’t want to include, since I could’ve kept the topic the same but mentioned a different scene of memory. One way I’d want to improve my writing is by getting all my ideas down first and then going from there instead of trying to figure it out before I write. 

Essay:

My backpack made a sound louder than I had expected as I threw it off my shoulder and onto the floor of my room. I took two steps from my bedroom door and sat on the bed to unlace and take off my shoes. I didn’t think much of the sound my bag made until my mom stormed down the hall and pushed my wooden door open. “What was that?” she asked. I turned to face her and replied, “It was just my bag.” She shook her head and closed my door as she started to make her way down the hall. “Too many books in that bag,” I heard her say. I didn’t reply and continued to settle in after coming home from a long day of school. English, Rosetta, history, math, art. All this homework, I thought. So much to finish.

I laid back and sank into my bed. I reached across the grey bedspread over to the small, white nightstand to the right of my bed and grabbed my airpods. I put them in, listened for the sound to signal they’ve connected, and put all of my music on shuffle. The first song that played? “Buried Alive Interlude”. One of my favorite songs from Drake’s album Take Care. The long windows covered with white blinds were slowly getting darker as the sun went lower in the sky. I grabbed my phone off the bed next to me and put the whole album on shuffle. After placing my phone down again, I closed my eyes, and waited for the next song to play.

I care about a lot of things; My grades and homework are some examples of that. I remember being younger and wanting nothing to do with school. Everything required excessive amounts of thinking, and having to take part in that for eight straight months was unappealing. The stress, arguments, and having things not be as fun as they used to be follow me around every school year. Once mid-spring came around, things started looking up again, and it turned into a cycle. The only reason I wanted to go was for my friends, since they were the only good things about school. It took me years to understand that it would happen regardless of how easy or hard the work was. It was just up to me to decide to either fight against it and complain all the time, or do something about it to help get to the end of the year.

The situations that bring you down, like stress and overwhelming events, are the ones that you can’t change. They’ll stay how they are: negative, bleak, and eventually, powerless. It took me about five months to learn that specifically, and after that I could enjoy what I had, like my freedom, my music, and the weather. Over the past three months, especially, I grew. I learned who was and wasn’t there for me (sometimes through the hard way), what I wanted in life and what I didn’t, and what I liked and disliked for so many things. But mainly, what to focus on and what to leave behind. I was sad to see some go and happy to welcome in others. I had to remember it’s not really about them, it’s about what’s best for me.

I found that it’s important to step away and escape with what makes you happy. The feeling of stress from the loads of homework easily washes away when both headphones are in and I turn the volume up a little higher. You can forget the pressure of junior year in high school when you hang out with those you love most and only yards away from the beach. You’re not always going to be near a beach, but over the summer that was the outlet I used to help keep myself relaxed. I know that my situation won’t always be the same and things definitely will get rough. But as long as I keep what’s best for me in mind, I know I’ll be fine.

The Loss of a Leader

Posted by Cameryn Roach in English 2 · Pahomov/Rhymer · D Band on

Cameryn Roach

Ms. Pahomov

English II

25 March 2019


The Loss of a Leader

From Lord of the Flies by William Golding, we learn about a group of boys that are stuck on an island with no way off. They create their own rules, establish who’s in charge of what, and try to make it by. Over time their systemic community falls apart, a battle for leadership happens, and then total chaos breaks out. Similar to the rebellion of Fidel Castro and the Cuban government, Jack’s rebellion in the book created an opportunity for a new beginning within the group.

Throughout the story, the author brings in a character called “the beast”. The younger kids claim to see it first, and then the older kids see it too. After Jack offered a solution to their “beast” problem, Ralph disregarded his suggestion twice. That angered Jack, who called an assembly to discuss their situation. Not too long after, the assembly turns away from the intended topic--- and Jack questions Ralph’s leadership skills. Golding writes, “‘I’m not going to be a part of Ralph’s lot---’ He looked along the right-hand logs, numbering the hunters that had been a choir. ‘I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too’” (127). Jack had asked the group on their opinion of whether or not Ralph should continue being chief, but the boys wouldn’t vote Ralph out. Because Ralph’s role as a leader waned when it was needed most, Jack turned away from Ralph’s decisions and made his own. He left the group to do what he thought was best, and that started a new beginning for the boys on either side of the newly formed rift.


Fidel Castro (1926-2016) is best known for being the world’s longest ruling leader with a record of 52 years in office. To get to that point in his life, he overthrew the president at the time, Fulgencio Batista. He disagreed with the “inefficiency of the Batista government”, and took matters into his own hands. History.com states, “On January 1, 1959, Batista and a number of his supporters fled Cuba for the Dominican Republic. Tens of thousands of Cubans celebrated the end of the dictator’s regime”. Similar to Ralph in the story, Batista was forced to retreat from his opponents when he tried to make a final stand against them. Negotiating about what’s important in dire situations was no longer an option in Castro’s opinion. Jack reacted the same way by running Ralph away, killing Piggy, and kidnapping the twins. Through this, we can see that the new beginning that started here was also the start of all the previous order they would lose.

The new transition of leadership within the group was hard to achieve for both Jack and Castro. Being pushed down many times gave the leader at the time an idea on what to expect from them when something comes up again. Having that happen many times also gives the usurper less of a reason to follow their proclaimed leader. When they finally got the role they wanted, it made things more difficult for the people that could be affected negatively by their decisions. On the aftermath of Castro’s victory, History.com writes, “His status as dictator is highly opposed by many nations because of the violations of human rights practiced under his rule.” In the book, Golding writes, “The breaking of the conch and the deaths of Piggy and Simon lay over the island like a vapor. These painted savages would go further and further. Then there was that indefinable connection between himself and Jack; who therefore would never let him alone; never” (184). Due to their lust of wanting to control the circumstances, it made the entire situation remain in their favor. They strived for it before and was denied their request, so they had to take it by force. Jack was fed up with how Ralph didn’t want to take care of the beast before it did anything else, so he left to do it himself. After taking in his new role as the head of the group, both Castro and Jack did much of what was being held back in them, and it led to chaos and confusion across the land. Both of their desires for what “needed” to happen was frowned upon by their peers, and it shows how different things could’ve been.  


From the novel and the real world example, the reader can see that the loss of a leader can create changes and conflict within the group, and in this case the changes were more along the negative side. Having faith in the person that’s supposed to lead you is a huge part of a society. When it falters, then that trust is, for the most part, lost. We can see that through Jack’s decision making process and through Castro’s constant and forceful attempts for the position as Cuba’s president. Lord of the Flies suggests that without any kind of leadership in general, whether it’s an adult or another kid, the law and order that might be established will crumble quickly. In conclusion, new beginnings in scenarios like this can happen, but at what cost?






Works Cited:


“Batista Forced out by Castro-Led Revolution.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 22 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/batista-forced-out-by-castro-led-revolution.


Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. The Penguin Group, September 17, 1954, pp. 127


Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. The Penguin Group, September 17, 1954, pp. 184


Nguyen, Ngoc Bich. “Fidel Castro and The Cuban Revolution.” Fidel Castro and The Cuban Revolution, staff.esuhsd.org/balochie/studentprojects/cubanrevcastro/index.html.

Not Knowing What to Do - Cameryn Roach

Posted by Cameryn Roach in English 2 · Pahomov/Rhymer · D Band on

It was another hot day in August, and I was walking down 60th street towards my block. With it being hot, I was able to finally wear a pair of shorts and let my legs get some air. Unfortunately, the usual catcalls followed my attempt to be somewhat comfortable in the intense heat. I walked past a group of guys huddled at the corner of the block I live on, and I hoped that I could walk by without an incident. But, of course, that wasn’t going to happen.


Teenagers and adults catcall in my direction every now and then, so it was a struggle figuring out what to wear with the air conditioner turned up high in my school during the day and the drastically high temperature change once I walked out the main entrance. Wearing a jacket and a short sleeve shirt seemed fine whilst inside, but after I get halfway to my bus stop there’s sweat marks all over my shirt. Turning to tank tops and tying the jacket around my waist handles my sweat problem until I get looks, nods, whistles, and comments thrown at me.


One time, to be specific, it was 92 degrees that day. When I stepped out the house that morning around 7:30 am it was about 75 degrees. The temperature in my school was at least 60 degrees, so I had to make sure I had a sweatshirt or some type of jacket with me when I went to school. Walking out the house with a sweatshirt on was a little uncomfortable because of the weather, but it would spare me from having to stop in school to put it on. Around that time there was a two week long heat wave happening, so everyday was a half day. Having to put the sweatshirt on then taking it off only a few hours later was getting frustrating, but I couldn’t control the weather so I had to deal with it. The bus ride relieved some of my tension since all the buses have air conditioning on them, yet my real problem was if there would be a group of guys at the corner of my block by the time I got off the bus. Sometimes they’d be there and other times they wouldn’t. There was no true pattern either, so I just had to hope for the best.


My parents try to make sure that I wear clothes that won’t attract unwanted attention when I’m outside by myself. I try to do the same whenever I have my own money for clothes I might want. It’s frustrating not being able to fully express your style or expand your comfort zone when a stranger’s opinion affects my decision. “Just ignore them,” a friend of mine said. “It’s what I do.” The thing is, I shouldn’t have to ignore them. I shouldn’t have to deal with them in the first place. There are times during the year where it gets hot and that’s when people decide to wear less clothing to help regulate their body temperature. Men like to call out women on the street because “she’s hot”, then get mad when she rejects them. If they just don’t do it in the first place, we wouldn’t have this issue.

I see girls at school and outside of school dress in many different ways. Sometimes it’s in a uniform because of the type of school they go to, or it’s however they please to dress if they aren’t held back by a dress code. I believe that the systematic power of beauty influences everyone into making certain decisions and evolving the way they think as they get older. It has its positive and negative effects in communities and in the world. The way someone dresses and the way someone wants to express their style should not be held back by strangers who give off an unsettling feeling when they think that proclaiming their interest in an inappropriate way is okay. If we can find more ways to help stop the process of sexualizing women in society, I believe that would help this issue more and it would prevent people from writing more stories like this.





Water Pollution

Posted by Cameryn Roach in English 1 · Giknis · Y Band on
The issue I’ve chosen to focus on, as you know, is trash pollution. There are companies and individuals working towards cleaning up beaches and oceans to help keep our oceans safer. For example, there’s a documentary you can view on Netflix called A Plastic Ocean. In this Craig Leeson-directed documentary, Dr. Lindsay Porter and Ben Fogle begin the movie with finding a specific area of the ocean filled with trash and oil when they and their team were whale watching. The rest of the film goes over litter dissections, different areas of the world affected by litter, and what certain are doing or can do about it. Another example of people making a change are a group of people in Cameroon that make boats out of plastic bottles to “prompt people to think about how they consume and dispose of plastic bottles”. They needed more fishing boats, so they recycled the littered water bottles in their community and made boats to help with their issue. My opinion on how things should change is just for everybody to start small. Things always start small before they grow, so if everybody started small then we’d see a bigger change in our communities and such rather than only a few people trying to take care of a whole neighborhood’s situation.


For my agent of change, I wanted to have my household go through a habit change. I wanted my family to watch what we were buying and throwing away to reduce the amount of waste we produced. This idea might’ve worked, but at the time I didn’t think it would’ve worked well since I didn’t know how to measure the amount of trash we produced per week. My second idea was to be a local ambassador for the JUST Water company. While we were working on our second Y&TW post, I had reached out to them for information I could use. They didn’t respond until my class was halfway through our Agent of Change stage of the Y&TW project. I had contacted Bonnie Boyes, a PR representative of the company. The last email that exchanged between us was me explaining my idea to her and seeing if the company would be okay with that, but Ms. Boyes never responded. My third and final idea was to do something more like DIY with water bottles. An ironic idea I had was to form the water bottles into the shape of a trash can. With the little time I had left, since I had spent part of it giving the JUST Water company more time to respond, I went to work. It didn’t work like how it should’ve, but maybe if I had more time and different materials, it could’ve. My experience was frustrating, but throughout the process I got to learn about different people involved in the purification system which is something I’m grateful for.


During this project, I did feel overwhelmed about what I was going to do for my agent of change. Once I got an idea of what I could do, sometimes it was hard to follow through with it, so I was forced to move on to a new idea. But I was glad that I got such an opportunity to help my community in any way. I learned about the different ways that plastic was being used and affecting people around the world and primarily in the U.S. I learned that some people don’t always come through for you when you need them to, and that others do try their hardest to help you get where you need to go. I feel like I could’ve worked harder on initiating my agent of change itself, but I’m okay with what I have. For others, or myself, when it comes to helping fight against pollution, you can reach out to companies and small businesses that specialize in this type of treatment for communities like yours.


My annotated bibliography is here if you want to view it. 

Printmaking - Cameryn Roach

Posted by Cameryn Roach in Art - Freshman · Hull · e2 Band on
Screenshot 2018-05-27 at 11.59.12 PM
Screenshot 2018-05-27 at 11.59.12 PM
​My element is Scandium. Scandium was discovered by Lars Fredrik Nilson within the minerals euxenite and gadolinite in 1876. Nilson and his colleagues identified the element while they were searching for rare earth metals. Nilson also named the element after the Latin word Scandia, which meant "Scandinavia". Its atomic number is 21, the element symbol is Sc, and it's labeled as both a transition metal and a rare earth metal. Scandium is used by aerospace industry units and sports equipment companies for things like bicycle frames, baseball bats, fishing rods, and gold iron shafts. 

 I picked up the thought to create a lightbulb for my print because I saw on a website that Scandium iodide's applied in mercury vapor lights to help duplicate sunlight on a television or movie set, which is used in the film industry. For the process of getting to my final product, first I had to make three rough draft sketches of things I might want to use. Second, I had to pick one and trace it onto a small rectangle of tracing paper. Then I had to flip the tracing paper over so that the letter and numbers would be backwards when I copied my design onto our printing square. After that, I got to pick out of four colors to roll onto our square, and once I finished covering it with the right amount of paint, I placed it face down on a blank sheet of paper. I had to press the blank piece of paper down onto my square with a wooden spoon to get all the paint onto the paper. I redid this process four times to get all the prints I needed. During the next class when the prints were dry, I used a ruler to help get rid of the white area around my print, and then I used a colored piece of construction paper for my 1-inch border.

If I did this print a second time, I would change my design to something else. It would still be of a light bulb, just different in some way. I enjoyed the final stages of the project the most (everything I had to do after the print dried). I liked this the most because it seemed to be more relaxing and chill than everything else. 
 

Negative/positive space cut out - Cameryn Roach

Posted by Cameryn Roach in Art - Freshman · Hull · e2 Band on
1. Negative space is just the area that surrounds the main focus or object in a drawing or painting. 
2. I found the negative space in my cut out by looking to see what part of my image should go on the left or the right to complete the image. 
3. It helps an artist to see in negative space so that it could expand the way they think of art and it could influence how their own artwork comes out. 
4. Seeing in negative space does enhance drawings because, for example, even though your goal might be to make a house it gives the viewers a different way of viewing the house. 
Screenshot 2018-04-29 at 4.35.25 PM
Screenshot 2018-04-29 at 4.35.25 PM

Macbeth, the Play - Cameryn Roach, Doug Vandenburg

Posted by Cameryn Roach in English 1 · Giknis · Y Band on
IMG_2698
IMG_2698
For English, we were given an assignment to make a creative project based on the story overall or a certain part of Macbeth. Doug and I decided to do a playbill for this assignment, since it seemed easiest where the other ones involved recording or other things that we weren't comfortable with. 
Above is our playbill cover, and I drew a candle since later in the story Lady Macbeth would carry around a candle before she started sleep talking, which was a significant part of the story. And since Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's reign came to an end, I drew the candle as if you just blew it out, which signifies Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's fate. 

All About Me Slide - Cameryn Roach

Posted by Cameryn Roach in Technology - Freshman · Hull · e1 Band on
All About Me Slides - Cameryn Roach (2)

When I presented my slide to my peers, I gained critique about the font, the placement of the words, and the background. I was told that the font of the words didn’t really describe me, since it was really basic. The background had seemed boring, and the placement of the words could’ve been better. I learned that what they were saying was true, and maybe I didn’t step back and look at it long enough.

After I looked at the background, I thought that it should stay the way it was. According to the sources, empty spaces and bright colors are the best way to go. The black background would draw your eyes towards that colors, and the hues worked well with each other, so I didn’t change anything about that. The font to me was boring, so I played around with different types ones until I settled on Lobster, a thick and cursive font. I changed “photography” into photographer and “art” into artist. I put those two words below the side pictures, and I put my name at the top middle, since this slide is about me.

The research helped me realize what good points I would’ve missed if I didn’t read them. It helped me learn new words for when I had to write my script, and it made everything more cohesive. Before I read the info on how to make a good slide, I was going to put words that described me everywhere, but I learned that big and simple is better, since the slides are supposed to provide more of a visual rather than text. Some of the sources that I used were Presentation Zen, Slide Design for Developers, and Elements of Design Defined for the slide itself, and I used my phone for the pictures.


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