Capstone 2013
This is my capstone/the "stuff" (moodle doesn't hot link things, but you can still click it and it will go to the sight)
Capstone - Reddy Public Feed
Quinn Platzer Capstone
I’ve been drawing my whole life, and I’m always seeking to improve my art. For years, I’d wanted to draw a long running comic, but I always got distracted and rarely made it past the first couple of pages. I figured that if I drew a comic for my project, I would be more motivated to finish it. Drawing characters in new poses and environments and even clothing would expand my range as an artist. I looked up tips by popular webcomic artists, and observed the over time changes I saw in their artwork. Even in just a little over 30 pages, I have started to see a difference mine. On top of that, I feel a small sense of pride when I get ahead of schedule, which acts as a motivator for me. This ongoing project will continue to be a part of my life after SLA, and I hope to present a compelling story with great art to whomever reads my comic
Smackjeeves site
Teal Reef (accessible on school network)
Smackjeeves site
Teal Reef (accessible on school network)
. "Neuschwanstein Castle." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 19 1 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle>.
Because I’m not very good at designing architecture, my School of Magic required a reference for the exterior view. I looked at several different castles, and this was the one I settled on. Of course the interior is entirely my own, but the exterior is heavily referenced from the images of the Castle. I chose this castle, not only because I thought it looked pretty, but also because I could envision a fictional interior for it. It was similar to Hogwarts in a sense that there was a great dining hall/auditorium. Unlike Hogwarts, I could imagine the rest of the rooms being built around that one large, all-purpose room.
I love using this website. It’s a simple, easy to use webcomic host site, that enables me to have a set time that my comic will update. If I leave for a trip, I can upload multiple comics that will post themselves on time without fail. It also lets me track how many other users have added my comic to their favorites, as well as how many views my comic gets each day. It also allows for colorful, animated banners to be used, which helps attract readers like bees to honey. Whenever I update, people will see that banner on the section called “Most Recent” and will look into it.
. "Varanus indicus." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 16 1 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove_Monitor>.
In designing characters of less common creatures, I often browse the internet for animals that I like the appearance of. When researching the “best friend” character for my comic, I decided I wanted him to be a reptile of some kind. I’m fond of monitor lizards, and I settled on a Mangrove Monitor lizard because I liked their physical appearance. I later regretted choosing an animal with so many spots. Despite that one issue, I really like drawing him. The monitor lizard’s ability to pick up smells with their tongues makes for funny expressions, which helps amuse readers. That habit makes him appear rather adorable.
. "Spotted Hyena." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 27 1 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_hyena>.
In many of the anthropomorphic comics I read, the main characters are often cats of some sort, or a wolf. In order to avoid this cliché, I selected a hyena. I haven’t regretted my choice, but I occasionally need to reference the markings. One of the other decisions I had to make when choosing a species for my main character, Aldwin, was his personality. I wanted him to be a generally nice guy, but no clique leader. When someone has an idea, he listens. Considering that my “hero team” will have multiple females, this trait suits a hyena, since hyena packs have a matriarch, not a patriarch.
. "Himalayan goral." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 10 1 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_Goral>.
For my sidekick, I wanted to choose a very unusual animal. For that, I chose the Himalayan “Grey” Goral, which is related to mountain goats. It suits her headstrong nature and thrill-seeking personality. I also need to frequently research images, since I am still a little unfamiliar with drawing cleft-hoofed animals. I chose the Himalayan Goral specifically because I fell in love with the markings, which translate beautifully. Also because a goat face becomes funny when being expressive. Ulyssa is tough, and quick to anger, and often butts heads with people who want to do things a different way, traits that many associate with goats.
. "Northern Mockingbird." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 16 1 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Mockingbird>.
While contemplating a more complex character who toes the line between right and wrong, I decided that I don’t see enough anthropomorphic birds in important roles. Even then, most of these characters would be birds of prey. In order to make someone who’s a little more unique, I chose a Northern Mockingbird. There is symbolism in my choice as well. My character starts out being a bad guy, pretending to be a good guy. Mockingbirds are able to mimic the songs of other birds. I still need a lot of reference for drawing her, even though she has yet to make an appearance.
"Giant sculpture of a scarab beetle." British Museum n.pag.British Museum. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/g/giant_sculpture_of_a_scarab.asp&xgt;.
This is one of the most important components I’ve researched for my comic. I needed a plot, a storyline, and a quest. In fact, the item which the entire comic is built around is based on this statue. The beetle relic with the potential to make the world destroy itself. In fact, I even named the comic “Ye Old Doom Relic” after it. Beetles symbolize creation, and transformation. I take this to new extremes, since that is what my statue was meant to do, allow anyone to shape-shift at will, though its powers became perverted and it uses those abilities to destroy.
"How to Make a Webcomic." WikiHow. n. page. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Webcomic>.
I needed to to a lot of research before posting my comic. I already knew what site I wanted to use, but I wanted to be ready for anything. The biggest problem I had was picking a plot/story. I didn’t know what I wanted it to be about. I searched all over the web, but I never found any help in that area. I did find some helpful tips though! One of the most common tips I found was to get my comic “out there”, and advertise. This I was able to do without too much trouble, but I’m not exactly reaching my target audience.
Fagin, Joel. "Webcomic Basics." Joel Fagin's Tutorial. Between Worlds, n. d. Web. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.between-worlds.com/tutorials/comic_webcomic_basics.shtml>.
I’m including this site as a reference because of the in-depth instructions they provide. They include tips about how to set your comic apart from others, such as tips on how to lay out the comic, or how to avoid clichés. The author collects a bunch of tips that he found off of webcomic forums that are meant to aid comic artists that are stuck and need a bit of help. He also brings up a point that I always try to emphasize. If you’re frustrated with other artists always being better, then keep drawing until you get there.
. "Elder Furthark." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 27 1 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elder_Futhark>.
Every fantasy comic about magic needs some way to cast spells. Often this includes a fancy magic language. Some people think of some sort of Elven, or latin. I think of runes. Runes are special in their own way, people generally don’t know how to pronounce them. This gives the words a mysterious vibe, and leaves the spells open to interpretation. I also like the shape of the letters. Only after I had used this set of runes in my comic, I discovered that the set of Elven letters that author J.R.R. Tolkien had used in his books was also available.
. "Life in a Medieval Town." Teachnet.ie. N.p.. Web. 1 Feb 2013. <http://resources.teachnet.ie/mmorrin/norman/town.htm>.
A simple description of the sort of things you would find if you jumped into medieval England. It also includes an old painting of a town’s general layout. This includes the position of the castle, how the shops and houses are placed, and even the sort of people you might find there. This is useful for my comic because of how many towns will need to design. One of the most important things I found in this site would be the detailed descriptions of what one of these buildings would look like, as well as what my characters would experience in the process of entering a city.
On Facebook, I have a decent number of people I know friended. People that I knew from school, family, or friends of family. Social networking sites are useful resources for people like me, even though most of the people I know there are not very into my things. However, sometime people will share my advertisements with their friends, who will potentially be more likely to read my comics than my own friends would. I can post when I update, and I can even share little images and panels from my comic. Though it’s not as effective then an ad on a popular comic’s page, it’s a handy feature.
Much like Facebook, Tumblr is a social networking site. Out of the 250+ followers, I only know a couple. Tumblr allows me to share my little clips and panels from my webcomic, but it allows gifs, so my animated banner will continue to cycle on Tumblr when all you see on Facebook is a still from the gif. Tumblr also allows for easy sharing of my comic, since it’s much easier for followers to spread the word then on Facebook. One of my friends, both online and off, had followers that are very into comics and art, and he’s willing to help me promote my comic.
When it comes to comic advertising, one of the best places, other than other webcomics, would be an art community website. Deviantart is a place where thousands of users upload tens of thousands of pieces of art all the time. With the amount of activity, it’s not hard to promote your comic. I myself follow, or “watch” users who post comics on Deviantart. It’s a good way to promote your art. I use it to store my character color reference sheets, so that while coloring the comic, I can easily find what I need. I can also find stock and reference images to help me when I need it.
Pauline Garcia Capstone
My name is Pauline Garcia and I am a senior in Science Leadership Academy. For my capstone, I decided to work on the human brain. Knowing that the brain is the control center of our body, I wanted to go through the basic function of how our brain works. Learning the complexity of the human brain, I used my time every Wednesday to learn its functions. The reason why I picked this subject for my capstone is because I wanted to pursue a career in Neurology. I figured out that since I would love to be a neurologist in the future or in medical field, I might as well start early and learn about the basic functions of the human brain. Throughout the whole year of learning, I gathered twenty pages of information about the functions of the brain. It has been a rollercoaster ride trying to understand and learn the complexity of our brain but it was all worth it.
Snippet of the whole research paperBibliography
Freudenrich, Craig, and Robynne Boyd. "How Your Brain Works." HowStuffWorks. How Stuff Works?, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/brain3.htm>.
This site helped me understand and review how each parts of the brain functions. The articles have 10 pages worth of information from the four main parts of the brain to the brain stem and why they are water in the brain. It only doesn’t focus on one part of the brain but also link the information with the smaller parts. This website is really helpful to me because I feel like I should just format my project like this. Make a website and let all the information live in there for the sake of other people who are also interested with the human brain.
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"Human Brain Structure." Human Brain Structure. News Medical, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.news-medical.net/health/Human-Brain-Structure.aspx>.
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"Neurological Control." Brain Explorer. Lundbeck Institute, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.brainexplorer.org/neurological_control/Neurological_Neurotransmitters.shtml>.
This is more about the neurotransmitters and which are the excitatory and inhibitory. This information helps me to explain further information about the brain and how it works. I can’t talk about the nerves of the brain if i’m not going to talk about the neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the signals and the ones that keeps up hyper or calm so I wanted to add these information in my project.
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"What Can You Do Without a Brain?" YouTube. YouTube, 24 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3teflb1QNN4>.
Another video but this is not really a primary resource. Anyway, this video is pretty cool because it talks about what would happen if we do not have a brain. It also gives examples about animals and insects who lived even then it doesn’t have any heads. In addition, he also explained why it worked and how it will not work.
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"Brain Diseases." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/brain/brain-diseases?page=2>.
I would like to add brain diseases and how they are triggered or how they are affecting the brain. Adding this to my project will be great because it will show how the brain function when there are something wrong with it. I would also like to point out the different parts of the brain that are affected depending to the diseases.
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Vermillion, Franchesca. "A List of Fatal Human Brain Diseases." LIVESTRONG.COM. Dr. Franchesca Vermillion, 13 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/106901-list-fatal-human-brain-diseases/>.
I wanted to add the most fatal brain diseases and the incurable ones so that people knows what’s going to happen and the further research that the scientists are doing. I think this will be helpful in my project because I am making people aware of these diseases and maybe letting them know how to prevent these illnesses, at least.
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PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/3d/>.
I actually like this site because it gives me different views of the brain. The other brain anatomy video that I have is great but I feel like it’s also messy because it’s a real human brain that they’re working with. For this one, its more polished and distinct on the parts. It’s nice to have the best of both worlds so I wanted to add this site to the things that i wanted to use because it is distinct.
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Bailey, Regina. "Anatomy of The Brain." About.com Biology. About.com, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. <http://biology.about.com/od/humananatomybiology/a/anatomybrain.htm>.
I actually like this site because it have so much more articles that I can choose from about the brain. It talks about the structure, diseases, cures, and the little parts of the brain. It’s a great website to gather basic information about the brain. They’re not as detailed like my first source was but it still do the job because I can still add more simple explanation about the brain which is going to be awesome because everyone can understand it.
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"Â anatomy of the Brain." Brain Anatomy. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. <http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-AnatBrain.htm>.
I actually like this site because it gives me different views of the brain. The other brain anatomy video that I have is great but I feel like it’s also messy because it’s a real human brain that they’re working with. For this one, its more polished and distinct on the parts. It’s nice to have the best of both worlds so I wanted to add this site to the things that i wanted to use because it is distinct.
Allen Yang Capstone
My senior capstone was a 6 week long Astronomy Mini-Course that consisted of me and the involvement of two classmates (Matthew Ginnetti & Winston Wright). The whole idea originates from a separate, yet long term astronomy project that all three of us are involved in. It's taken place at The Franklin Institute for the past four years and we decided to take the initiative to tackle some of the more popular topics in the recent decade. Each of us taught a class of about 15-18 freshmen on our topic, twice in six weeks during Wednesdays. I was responsible for the topic of "Exobiology" and I gave them all a 90 minute lesson through a Keynote presentation that I created myself. Research and everything was done beforehand, in order to create the presentation. All citations are also included inside the Keynote/PDF. I found it to be pretty fun, all three of us could agree that astronomy is section of science is often times misconstrued and that's due to a lack of interest. That's one of our main reasons behind why we decided to create a Mini-Course.
Process Paper (Link): Click Here
Below will be the presentation (click on it to view in a different window) and pictures of which we took during some of these mini-courses that were in process.
Process Paper (Link): Click Here
Below will be the presentation (click on it to view in a different window) and pictures of which we took during some of these mini-courses that were in process.
Brianna Perrin Capstone
My name is Brianna Perrin and I am a senior at Science Leadership Academy. For my capstone I decided to create a PSA and documentary about teenage issues. Topics that I went over were depression, self-harm, suicide, homosexuality, sexual harassment, etc. How my capstone addresses the SLA core values is by learning how to test them in different areas to see the outcome. Of course the outcome wasn't always positive but I was able to understand people's views and opinions by using them. Another thing that I did for my capstone was have mini projects throughout the year. Some mini projects were the NOH8 Photo shoot, Teens For Jeans Drive, Blood Drive, etc. Having these mini projects helped address SLA core values while also having the school be involved in different things and be more aware of topics that are heavily discussed in the world.
Memoir of an Imperfect Angel
Blood Drive, NOH8 Photo Shoot, Teens for Jeans Drive
NOH8 Mural In Progress
2:37. Dir. Murali K. Thalluri. Perf. Teresa Palmer and Frank Sweet. 2006. DVD.
This film has multiple features - lighting, acting, film angles, etc. that I find helpful for my project. This is another teen movie but it still allows myself and other people to see what it is like for a teenager put into situations and how they deal with them.
ABC Family. Dir. Charles Binamé. Perf. Emily Osment and Kay Panabaker. ABC Family. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
This is another film has helped with different film aspects that I might want to use. Also this movie can give ideas and more insight to how I want to portray my movie.
Crook, Marion. Please, Listen to Me!: Your Guide to Understanding Teenagers & Suicide. North Vancouver, B.C.: Self-Counsel, 1992. Print.
This book is helpful because it allows me to get from personal teenagers how they got help from someone from either telling them or someone found them. Having this aspect will allow me to get across in my movie that getting help is hard for teenagers especially if people don’t see the red flags from the beginning.
"Cutting - From the Teenager's Perspective _____________________________________________________*." Cutting - From the Teenager's Perspective _____________________________________________________*. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
This book is helpful because it again allows me to get insight from different teenagers about what cutting is, what it does to them and how it started. Having more stories to be able to tell helps it be more relatable instead of just using my story.
Danquah, Meri Nana-Ama. Shaking the Tree: A Collection of New Fiction and Memoir by Black Women. New York: W.W. Norton, 2003. Print.
This book is helpful because it is a book of monologues by African American women who have gone through depression and other areas. The monologues talk about their problems, how they get help, having someone try to give them an intervention, etc. This helps with writing my own monologues for when I talk about myself.
Hayman, James. The Cutting. New York: Minotaur, 2009. Print.
This source is useful because it is focused on different characters dealing with different things in their lives. This focuses on a few characters that deal with cutting which is a form of self mutilation/self harm.
Levenkron, Steven. Cutting: Understanding and Overcoming Self-mutilation. New York: W.W. Norton, 1998. Print.
This source I found useful because it is giving people a further insight into what self-mutilation it and how to overcome it. This is helpful to people who are actually self-mutilating but I found it also useful for people who found out that someone they care about self-mutilates. It helps them understand what it is, why someone might do it and resources that they can use or get to help that person.
Marcovitz, Hal. Teens and Suicide. Philadelphia: Mason Crest, 2004. Print.
This source is useful because it talks about teens and suicide rates that continue to rise. It has statistics, stories and more resources to further understand and learn why the rates are increasing.
Marone, Nicky. How to Mother a Successful Daughter: A Practical Guide to Empowering Girls from Birth to Eighteen. New York: Harmony, 1998. Print.
I chose this source because I found self help books interesting but particularly this one. A majority of teenagers get depressed because of the high standards and the pressure that they feel their parents put on them. Have this as a source gives me insight to how a mother wants to raise their daughter and the expectations they have for them.
Martin, Michael. Teen Depression. Detroit: Thomson/Gale, 2005. Print.
This source is basically self explanatory. This goes more into the topic of teenage depression and still having good statistics. It also explains the different stages of depression and how if the teenager does not get help for their depression how it can further to worse stuff. This includes an eating disorder, suicidal thoughts and self mutilation.
"National Self Harm Network - Home." National Self Harm Network - Home. National Self Harm Network, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
This source is good because this is a national website that many people might turn to for multiple things. They can help people in how to get to help to clinics to how to help someone who does self harm themselves. It is also a great source for statistics.
"Replace The Blade." Webs. Connie, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
This source is important because it goes into different support systems for people who self-harm. It is not specified for a specific age group but just overall talking and explaining the cons of self-harming and why it is better to get help and put the blade down.
Roleff, Tamara L. Teen Suicide. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. Print.
This source is important because it is a book focused on teen suicide. It also does into depth about the different ways teens commit suicide and the objectives that might lead them to consider or commit suicide.
Sheahan, Gwenneth, and Soren Dayton. "Secret Shame (self-injury Information and Support)."
Secret Shame (self-injury Information and Support). N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
This source is helpful because it goes more into depth about different types of self-injury and how people resort to the different types. It also gives insight to the support that each of the different types has.
"To Write Love on Her Arms Vision." To Write Love on Her Arms Vision. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
I used this source because it is one of the organizations that I feel is represented most in my project because of the mission that this organization holds.
Gabby Nigro Capstone
The inspiration in doing this project was the long years of cheering and he amazement of cheerleaders in the movies such as Bring it On. I have been cheering since the age of three until current time today. Although the cheerleading team was not first started by me, but by my sister. I still decided to take the team in my hands. During my junior year of high school I did not know that I was going to take cheerleading on with me to my senior year. This is where I decided I was going to make cheerleading into a project. rather than just a club at SLA. Doing this with the team did not only require me to take a big responsibility, but it made me learn new aspects of cheerleading. When doing cheerleading I was always used to being taught the routine, just being told what money was due, and where each competition was. Now that I took a whole team into my own hands I was the one learning as the process went on. I had to make up a routine then teach it. I also has to deal with all the money and worry about what competition was coming up, and if the girls were ready. During the process of all this the team helped me out a lot giving me ideas and thoughts on the dance. I also worked with girls individually to make up music and lines. My mom helped manage the money and whenever we had to pay or give in a an order she would be the one to help me out the most. When this project started to come to its end I realized everything that was done during this project took dedication and time. I also learned that with dedication and time it would create the greatest cheerleading team. I enjoyed my time and dedication with the girls who put all their effort into the RCA
Rockets cheerleading team. I hope to see one of the girls carry out the hard work that was put in, and keep the team going next year.
RCA Rockets preparing before competition!
After competition pep talk!
RCA Rockets at competition, waiting to compete.
Annotated Bibliography:
"Cheerleading Dance Moves." YouTube. YouTube, 25 June 2011. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
For my project I used this Video. From this video I took the eight count that she did in the video. I used this eight count in my Cheerleading routine. It also breaks it down step by step so I could teach it to the girls.
"WWMS Cheer - Youth Cheer Dance Tutorial 1." YouTube. YouTube, 07 May 2011. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
This is a video from a cheer camp. I used the one eight count in this video for the beginning of my routine. I turned the eight count into a ripple.
"Cheerleading Competition." YouTube. YouTube, 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
From this video I took a few eight counts to use to teach to the girls. Not all the eight counts are used in the routine, but the girls know them. I also used one of the teams cheer in this video, not to use but to get an idea of what our cheer would be for this year in the routine.
"West Forsyth 2009-2010." YouTube. YouTube, 01 Jan. 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
This video was one of my favorites to use. It gave me so many ideas on what to do for gymnastics in the routine. I was stuck on what to choose for gymnastics. This video gave me plenty of ideas.
“Siswick, Zoe. Personal Interview. N.d.”
This really wasn't an interview. This was a meeting with my mentor. In this meeting we talked about possible competitions. We also talked about my capstone. This meeting really helped me realize how to get the girls on the team together and to let them know that it is time to crack down. The meeting helped me bring the team together to cooperate.
Dj Howie. "Cheerleading Mix 2012-2013." Rec. July 2012. Dj Howie, 2012. Web. 21 Aug. 2012.
This is the music that was made for the cheerleading season. My friend Howie who is a Dj for many events, and also makes the New Years brigades music put this together. He took a few recent songs and mixed them together. He added sound effects and voice overs to make is special just for the RCA rockets.
"Cheerleading Uniforms." Cheerleading Company, n.d. Web. 12 May 2013.
Using this website and also the magazine it gave me and the team an idea for what type of uniforms we wanted. This also gave me an idea of price ranges and different kind of package deals we could use.
"Cheerleading Apparel." Cheerleading Apparel - Classic Cheer Uniforms | Team Cheer ©. Team Cheer, n.d. Web. 12 May 2013.
This is another magazine that I used to get different ideas of prices. It gave an idea for which kind of uniforms we wanted to get.
“Nigro, Bianca. Personal Interview.”
Bianca was the original person who started the RCA Rockets team. I wouldn’t say that this was such an interview, but when I needed help on things with the team she was who helped me get to what needed to get done. Without her the team would not exist. RCA Rockets would never make it as far as it did.
"Stand Out From the Crowd in GTM Cheerleading Uniforms." Cheerleading Uniforms. Omni Cheer, n.d. Web. 12 May 2013.
This website was found by one of the cheerleaders. It had a very similar type of uniform of the ones we were looking to buy. But on this site we found it for much cheaper. I looked into this site more to see if it was worth buying the uniforms from.
“, Sarah. Personal Interview.”
Sarah is one of the cheerleader’s mom. She was a big help to the team. She came in and helped out with measuring the girls for uniforms. She also gave suggestions of cheaper uniforms, and was helping to get the ordering of the uniforms completed.
Kamilah Hudson Capstone
For my senior capstone I made a short animated gif and delved into the art of web designing/coding in an attempt to set a foundation for myself in the two career paths that I wish to pursue in the future. Here are screenshots of my final products and a Link to their homes.
