Hello my name is Aidan Simas and my capstone project is a documentary on the opioid crisis. I chose to do this project because the opioid crisis is so prevalent in my day to day commute to school. To complete this project I needed to plan what I wanted my documentary to look like. I spent a long time just gathering B-roll footage and gathering leads for interviews. It took a lot of effort and late nights to put everything together towards the end. Not to mention that a lot of my ideas didn’t end up working out. I am proud of the research that went into this project the most. I gathered a lot of statistics and credible resources, and I kept an ear out for information about the opioid crisis in my day to day life. I listened to a lot of stories about people who lost loved ones to these drugs. I learned a lot about the reality of addiction and the opioid crisis. Not just on a personal level but on a societal and economic level. I’ve always known this has been a problem but I now see it for what it truly is, it is a cancer.

Capstone product attached: https://www.wevideo.com/view/3452369001

For my capstone, I worked with Maxine Wray to create a student government (SGA) at SLA. SGA is a club that tasks students with leadership roles, from planning events and activities for the student body to solving problems around school. Maxine and I were interested in seeing if student government was possible at SLA, and if it would make an actual difference. We started by designing an outline for how we wanted our club to function. Having never attended a school with any form of student government, at first I didn’t know what the club should really even look like. We talked to people with SGA experience in order to get an understanding of how student government works in different schools. From there, we worked on getting interested students to join our club. Our first meeting took place in the beginning of May. We worked with members of the club and our teacher sponsor, Ms. Clancy, to organize our first fundraiser on May 16th. We put together a lemonade stand during lunch and I was happy that we were able to organize a successful fundraiser in such a short amount of time. I hope that through our capstone Maxine and I were able to establish a club that will continue to grow after we graduate.

Link to annotated bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gYcsdrzmYKwcgYuezHHOaQHAlHLnl4XVrRuBWYx8xJI/edit?usp=sharing

Picture from fundraiser: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15wWSajATL6SFNOXISVMZigALL61ajxX1k2css9jNo5M/edit?usp=sharing

For my capstone, I wanted to mix my love for animals, specifically cats, with my love for the arts. I originally decided to do a fundraising type project that would be raising awareness and helping the stray cat situation in Philadelphia. However, knew that I wanted to do something that made a bigger impact when it came to disability. I have bilateral hearing loss due to a genetic disorder and a tumor in my ear when I was a baby. Before highschool, I felt very normal. I went to a small private school that met my needs for my hearing loss. The classes were small and the teachers understood and adapted to my disability. When I came to high school though, things were not as easy. Despite sending in necessary paperwork, my accommodations were not always met, or straight denied. I did not get an IEP for hearing loss until I was in my last month of junior year, three years into high school. Knowing these things, I knew I wanted to do something related to accessibility for my capstone. I took a one-eighty from my original project and came up with the idea of an education conference type event to help spread awareness about DHH learning. I worked on this idea for a while, but I was still having a really hard time creating a project I was proud of. I eventually realized it was because I lost the creative aspect of my capstone which was a huge driving factor behind being able to create a capstone I loved. Finally, Leila’s Library came to fruition. My final capstone is a website called Leila’s Library. Leila’s Library is a model of what an accessible library for kids could look like. It focuses on making content easily available and accessible. The library’s accessibility is not just for DHH kids, but for all kids. It offers literature for young readers in different formats, as well other resources for young children.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HjV-qKj2PCB5prl7fqORa_XWmlnKw5QjDGVlzJ4Fz60/view

https://sites.google.com/view/leilaslibrary/home

For my capstone, I made a teaching module to help guide students through peer mediation. Peer mediation is a process in which two disputants, people having conflict, and two mediators, unbiased students, navigate a conversation to help come up with a solution that both disputants are satisfied with. In order to make this happen, I researched peer mediation heavily in a variety of ways. I used online resources, found in my annotated bibliography. I also decided to contact people who work in the field to inform my project and you can see the influence of the resources they gave me in my project. Lastly, I used the knowledge my peers had around me since I knew someone who had participated in a peer mediation program in the past. Using my resources was a big part of the project. In the end I am able to present free a training module, presentation, and training video for future use. Reflecting on this process gave me a huge insight into problem-solving and how to teach people who have never had experience with this type of program. Of course, some tweaks can be made, but when the module was tested for a scenario, the training module did an excellent job informing the people involved.

I decided to use a minicourse to educate a group of ninth-grade kids on the principles of practicing self-love and placing a high value on self-confidence as my capstone project. People frequently disregard their own needs for self-care and instead prioritize other people and things over themselves. This leads to a lack of self-care. To begin the whole process of he initial start of my mini-course, my main goal was to influence the younger generation of students to begin to think more about themselves. Allowing them to thoroughly explore their journey of not just their favorite pastimes but also their triggers and activators. Having them be able to differentiate the difference between their different feelings and speaking up without feeling bad about what they have said. This process has taught me a lot, It has taught me how different people retain information as well as how different people use the information that they were given to the best of their abilities. I also learned the the role of time management as well as the role of being in charge of everything, Having that responsibility to call the shots, is a lot to handle and maintain when you’re not completely familiar with doing so. Once I was able to regulate that and have full control and understanding of what I was doing, it made it easier for me to stand up in front of a group of kids and present and influence them into wanting to participate.

Link To Full Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EHoaQ74qCl86jiX9XPz3-yVNksYSkZaXwh4N3g8TYDI/edit?usp=sharing

For my capstone, I painted a collaborative mural that allowed all students interested in participating to add their own unique touches and a lasting impact on SLA. Over the course of one week, I began painting this mural and had countless SLA students add their own additions and flowers to it. I began the entire process by hosting a “Plant and Paint” event with a few fellow students. Coming from an environment that hindered my growth and happiness, I came to SLA in search of an environment that not only challenged me but supported me even when school was extremely demanding. My mural is a perfect example of what it means to change your environment when it doesn’t allow for your own personal growth. I was able to create another space that supported students despite the academic demands of being an SLA student. I learned a lot about the positive effects greenery and just seeing flowers have on one’s mental health as well as the many negative and dangerous effects school can have on a teen’s mental health. I also learned more hands-on skills, like how much longer it takes to paint a mural than expected, as well as how to create large stenciling, even with limited materials. Overall, I am very proud of how my capstone turned out and can’t wait for future generations of students to benefit from the bright energy it brings to the outdoor terrace space.

I spent a good time at SLA thinking about the different ideas for capstones I could do when I became a senior. I narrowed my ideas down to having events where people could come together and plant whatever their hearts desire. Like all projects, my capstone idea had to start with research. As a person who was so interested in basing a huge project on planting, I had little to no idea of how planting life really worked. During this process of planning, my ideas clashed with some of my peers that would be working on the terrace at the same time as me. There, we decided to combine our capstones in a way that could come together and become a bigger event involving more people. I view the greenhouse as an achievement and a safe space where I can go, whenever I feel the heaviness that comes from being a student.I’ve spent a huge time at SLA finding my people, and sophomore me wished we had small places like the greenhouse to meet people with the same interests. With this capstone, I was able to learn so much about not only plants, but the importance of time management and the importance of planning. As I found balance with my time, planning everything came next, my weekly research, responsibilities, and the final details to my capstone. I hope that other students can look at my projects, and see that they don’t need to change themselves to have a place at SLA.

Link to full annotated bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yPbp-1W69CUIKXuAYtezLXEFmn4aUZHtPJXmu-ABZsc/edit?usp=sharing