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/>.

My little sister was born on May 26th, 2012 in Hong Kong. It was a moment in my life where everything changed because I was no longer an only child. This was very hard for me to grasp because I would no longer be the center of attention and I was very used to that. When I heard that my dad and my stepmom were expecting a baby, the thought of being forgotten was the only thing on my mind until she was born. As terrible as it sounds, I was not happy at all that my dad was having another child. On top of everything I was not on good terms with my stepmom, because it always felt like she was keeping me away from my dad. But when my sister was born everything changed, like a lot.

The doctors told my dad and stepmom that my little sister would be born in August, so when she came in May it was a huge surprise. This is extremely early for a pregnancy, and this meant that she was very small and underdeveloped. I was shown photos of her but I personally didn’t think it was all that serious from everything my dad told me. I presume he didn’t want me to worry or feel bad so he sugarcoated how serious the whole situation actually was.  But every summer I’d go stay with my dad in Hong Kong which meant I would be seeing my little sister very soon, and although she was in the hospital I still wasn’t happy at all to meet her.

It was both a happy yet a heartbreaking moment to see my little sister for the first time. She had such beautiful blue eyes, and I could see the resemblance of my dad in her despite her size. Although I was very happy that I was meeting my sister, I could see how troubled my dad and stepmom were. There wasn’t much of a smile on their face as they knew that at any moment things could go south and my little sister could pass away. This hit me hard too because it wasn’t the first time this has happened to my family. A couple years ago before my sister was born my stepmom had a miscarriage, so I could only imagine what her and my dad were experiencing physiologically. I relate their feelings as to how Tim O’Brien described how many of his friends blamed themselves for the death of their friends because in my eyes, throughout those long 6 months, my dad and my stepmom placed the blame on themselves for every little thing that happened to my little sister. But as things got more serious I felt more separated from sister and distant from my dad. I knew it wasn’t my fault but I couldn’t help taking the blame, as if I did something bad. Ever since I saw my sister for the very first time, I convinced that I would be the  best older brother and that having a sister was the best thing that had ever happened to me(very different to what I thought about a month ago).

Too many of you reading who are reading this story, you may think it’s pretty sad, so I’m not going to dive too deeply into everything that happened during my little sisters battle, as it is very personal to me, but also may be a little intense.)

3 weeks after I arrived in Hong Kong, doctors found a porencephalic cyst in my little sister brain. A rare disorder in the central nervous system of the brain, which can delay development and other such things, Doctors told my dad that she would never be normal, wouldn’t be able to run, or walk like other kids. Of course I didn’t find out about this until a few weeks later, but I can only imagine how hard that must’ve hit my dad and stepmom. But it sure did hit me hard, everything I envisioned in doing with my sister vanished into thin air. I wouldn’t be able to play with her, laugh with her, and see her grow without pain or complete healthiness. As time went by doctors recommended things to help my sister, but consulting doctors from the U.S disagreed with many of the things they said, and they decided to give minimal treatment to my sister. Although things seemed to be improving, my dad and stepmom remained in the hospital all day and all night holding on, waiting for miracle so that they could bring her home healthy. It hurt me to see my dad in the emotional state that the was in. During those 6 months I saw my dad cry for the very first time, and that was a big moment because my dad never ever showed his emotions like he did.

Days became weeks, weeks became months. As my sister got sicker and sicker, I grew further away from her, as doctors wouldn’t let me see due to her state. I felt more distant than usual from my dad as he wouldn’t speak to me like he used due to what was going on. Sometimes when my dad and my stepmom would stay in the hospital stay and not come home for days, I would think about if something had happened to my sister. I felt like I was being held back from knowing what was going on, and my mind was telling me it was because I was no longer important anymore.

At this point, you might be thinking that she passed away. In fact, this story has a completely normal, happy ending. After being told that my sister wouldn’t be normal, and wouldn’t be able to do everyday things, it ends up that the doctors were wrong. My sister is now 110% normal. She can walk, talk, run, and even do pull ups if you believe it or not, which I think is impressive for a kid who’s only 3 years old. But after being in the hospital for half a year, my stepmom was very overprotective over her, because she was worried that something else might happen. Although she was out the hospital, I wasn’t able to spend time with her like I do now, and I don’t blame my stepmom at all, because I think any parent would do what she did after what happened.

There was a big effect on my dad and stepmom lives, and mine even after my little sister was released from hospital care. My dad decided it would be a good idea to take my sister to CHOP in Philadelphia so doctors could give her a better diagnosis, because even though she wasn’t being held in the hospital the cyst she had was still present. Everything that we did with my sister was done with a lot of precaution. For the first two years of my sister life, any time she would get sick my stepmom would panic and take her to the hospital. It was hard to see my stepmom stressing out about something that happened almost two years ago.

I went from being pessimistic about having a sister to striving to be the best brother out there. I went from having a horrible relationship with my step mom to really bonding and getting closer to her. There was a good,bad, and ugly things that came from what happened to my sister, but I learned a lot about myself through this time period. That I can be quick to judge and come to final verdicts without much proof and evidence, but after all of this I learned to not to judge so quickly. Seeing the smiles on my dad and stepmom's face when my little sister took her first steps was a moment I would never forget. And now that I’ve watched my sister grow so much it’s made me realize how much I actually do love her and how grateful I am that she made it. She’s turning 4 years old in May and it’s going to be happy moment for all of us, and watching her become an adult will be an even happier moment for me. All I can say now is that I am proud to be her brother and I always will be.

Hello again, my name is Tomas Arango, a 9th grader at Science Leadership Academy, and I’m back for my final and last blog post for my You and The World issue, U.S Media Bias. It’s a topic that really matters to me out to me because when I read or watch the news  I always notice media bias and it can bother me sometimes. In my first blog post I introduced my issue and why it mattered to me, and gave several examples of media bias. In my second blog post I focused on my original research which was a survey I created and posted on social media websites for my friends and family to take part of. In this final blog post I will be focusing on my action of change.

For this last section of the project we were supposed to go out into the world and make a change and inform people about our issue. I decided to create a presentation for my advisory and inform them about U.S Media Bias, while also seeing what they already knew.  I wanted to make a presentation that wasn’t just me talking, I wanted my classmates to be able to interact. So I started of by asking my advisory what they thought media bias then providing them with an accurate description of what it really is.

My classmates were interested in my presentation and engaged in mini discussions when I asked them questions, like what examples of media bias have they noticed, and what news organizations did they see it the most from. We discussed the issues of media bias and their opinions on why it’s bad.Many of the students answered with similar saying that the news makes other countries look bad and make stereotypes about religion especially Islam. I also showed video examples such as a Stephen Colbert episode when he talks about the Norway shooting incident and how media immediately jumped to conclusions and blamed it on Islam and Al-Qaeda. Video Link here. But I also included a video related to the presidential campaign with Obama and Romney where the news source took sides with one the candidates and made the other look bad. I was surprised on how aware some of my classmates were of the issue, but I was also glad that I got to show and inform my peers about the issue.

          Showing the definition of media bias

Asking questions and interacting with students

           Showing video examples of media bias

Student taking part in discussion

Media Bias still occurs about every week. Media sources false report events or decide to focus on celebrities and their private life instead of the more important issues going on in the world. For example the other I was watching the news and the headline was Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, and I thought that was pretty absurd. Focusing on the life of a celebrity rather than the issues of the world is pretty dumb. The news also makes  other countries look bad because of their pasts. All of this creates issues, it can change peoples views on certain places and religions just because of a single news report. It also makes our country look like ignorant and single sided when it comes to our views of other places. It’s as if we think we are so much better than all the other countries.  I wanted my Agent of Change to inform people of the traps of media and to watch out that they fall for them.

This project has been a wonderful experience. I never thought I would do a project like this and I really liked the whole idea of it. The process of it was great because I got write a topic I was passionate about and enjoyed. I got to research information about my topic and learn great new things about my topic. At first I was a bit nervous because it took me a while to come up with a topic but once I found one everything went smoothly. One thing I wish I could of done better was have more time for my advisory presentation because I had to share a class period with another student. I think if I would of had a whole advisory period I would have been able to have more interactive time with my peers. I want to thank Ms. Dunn for the awesome project idea, Ms. Lucy, and everyone who helped out with filling out my survey, and took part in my advisory presentation.

Hello my name is Tomas Arango and I am a ninth grader at Science Leadership Academy, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. If you have read my last Blog Post, I am doing a project on media bias in the United States of America. In my last blog post, I focused on the different types of media bias and some places and things it has affected the most. I mentioned media bias in the Middle East and it’s negative effect on Islam. In this blog post I will be talking original research I have conducted and the results I got.

I created a survey and sent it out through email and social media websites. The survey was focused on how many people actually notice media bias where they notice it. I wrote questions such as peoples age, if they watch the news and how frequently, what sources they get their news from, and if they've noticed U.S media bias. So far many people have answered my survey with great responses that have helped my understanding on the topic.

As you can see the majority of the people were ninth through twelve graders.

The majority of the people who took the survey watch the news frequently, and mostly listen to public radio or watch CNN.

The majority of the people who answered the question ''What news origination do you notice media bias the most from?'', answered Fox news. But the question that was most important to me ''What types of media bias have you noticed?, had some impressive results.

The most popular response on the question above was ''One sided stories''. I totally agree with the responses because it's something I notice a lot and bothers me. One sided stories can change many peoples views on certain countries and make bad impressions. For example a lot of the times when you hear something about a country in the Middle East it's usually something bad, and only the bad side of the story is told. News organizations don't usually talk about the good things that happen in the countries that are known for being bad. In my opinion I feel that all the listed types of media bias show up all the time, and cause a huge impact on we view other countries, how other countries view us, and how we are informed about the issues of the world.

My original research has helped me understand my topic much better. It showed me who watches the news and who doesn't and what people have noticed when it comes to U.S media bias. I agree with a lot of the responses and want to help kids in my school get a better idea and perspective on U.S media bias, and the issues that come along with it. I hope that once I'm done with this project me and my peers will be more aware of the issue and will be willing to teach others about it.

For the next part of this project called Agent of Change we are required to go out into the world or our community. I am planning on creating an interactive activity for my advisory. Not everyone watches the news in my advisory, but know media bias exists, so I want to talk about who it affects and the many kinds of media bias, also help them not fall into to the medias many traps.  

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog, and make sure to stay tuned for blog #3!

Here's my bibliography!

Hello, my name is Tomas Arango. For this year’s You and The World project I decided to focus on U.S media bias. To me this is a very important topic because it’s something that always stands out to me when I read and watch the news. I also feel that it’s an issue many people don’t know about, especially younger audiences like me.

U.S media shows bias in many different ways, but some very repetitive ones I have noticed are only showing one side of the story and sometimes completely telling the story incorrectly. But what bothers me most is that these bias opinions are mostly present when news stations talk about the Middle East. They try to make them look bad and deliver a strong stereotype whenever the topic is brought up.

I started researching and expanding more on my idea for YATW and found many articles focusing on Western Media Bias. I also found examples on media bias towards the middle east and Islam. Many studies showed that most of this started after the 9/11 bombings in 2001. Media began to blame killings and random attacks on Islam and Muslims. Many times news can tend to focus on the bad side of the story like only on the extremist when it comes to Islam.

A great example would be the shooting in Norway  in 2011, killing 85 people according to police. When this massacre happened there was little information on the background the perpetuator. Giving the opportunity to the media, especially conservatives an opportunity to make assumptions and blame it on Islam.  

This picture shows the meaning of Islam and how it’s a symbol of support, love, and peace.

My goal is to inform readers about these bias opinions that news stations make and educate them on how to avoid falling into to medias traps. I plan making an activity for my advisory where they have to identify what type of bias a news article contain. I want to make an interactive experience so my peers can learn about this issue. I really enjoyed writing this and be sure to watch out for my next blog post!

Another picture displaying Islam is not an icon of terrorism and violence

These are some type of media bias I want people to be able to identify through my blog posts:

• Omission

• Selection of Sources

• Story Selection

• Placement

• Labeling

• Spin

For definitions of words, click here!

You can view my bibliography here!

The point of this project was to describe your interests in a efficient way and grab peoples attention. My slide is a picture of airplanes cockpit. Airplanes have always been a big influence in my life. My dad is a pilot and since then being a pilot has always been my dream. I want to travel the world and follow the path of my father. While designing the slide I used an image that doesn't take long to interpret. I wanted to make my slide interesting so I decided to make my image fade off the paper. I enjoyed this project and it taught me any things about presenting and advertising.