Throughout my high school career, I was not only recognized as a student but also as a student-athlete. For my capstone project I designed a platform called ‘Deflection’, where all student athletes can speak about their own experiences and feelings that they are having as they navigate their own journey through being a student athlete. The goal of this platform was to not only increase communication but to also expand education on the topic around sports psychology. The inquiry, research, and reflection aspect of this project connects to the whole idea surrounding learning with collaboration and how sports, although often competitive, can show how the teamwork aspect can be even more beneficial. I got a lot of good feedback and comments from various athletes around the school and I am hoping to keep this platform running after I graduate so a larger community can be built.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dgnCFRh1fU9vp0U4_T4MqeZ43_oGS3dpdD5qFy-YHew/edit?usp=sharing

My Capstone focused on the mental health aspect of the SLA community. I wanted to do something that would be a memorable experience for students who endure stress because of school-related work. Originally I wanted to bring in a group of puppies for people to play with in a playpen but I ran into many obstacles which changed up that plan. For my final product, I hosted an activity called “Snuggle Day at SLA,” where everyone who was taking the biology keystone or just at the school could come to the ballroom and interact with four different therapy animals. There were three dogs and one bunny but all were very interactive with owners that were informative. I got a lot of positive feedback from students and staff and am hoping to keep this a capstone legacy that I will pass along.

Bibliography - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1moJcTkMKBKvhC7bePdkRmVEkoPrxrAuRYlxtFHvMIvA/edit?usp=sharing

My Capstone is an Improvement plan for the building that is based upon architectural precedent and student opinions. In my capstone I outline problems with the school building and how I would solve them, other improvements, and what I believe would be the best course of action for the school to take in the future to improve the lives of students.

The first step in this process was to research what the school district has done in the past in order to improve the district’s buildings and what they have done recently.

The next was to attempt to find a building like SLA/Ben Franklin but there are not many like this and so I had to look into non-school buildings for ideas and found my inspiration in Europe instead with an airport of all things.

Then once I found my precedent I went into identifying problems and finding solutions.

Ultimately what I think I have learned is that I shouldn’t lose faith in projects because there were multiple times where I considered giving up on this project but I persevered

My Capstone is an Improvement plan for the building that is based upon architectural precedent and student opinions. In my capstone I outline problems with the school building and how I would solve them, other improvements, and what I believe would be the best course of action for the school to take in the future to improve the lives of students.

The first step in this process was to research what the school district has done in the past in order to improve the district’s buildings and what they have done recently.

The next was to attempt to find a building like SLA/Ben Franklin but there are not many like this and so I had to look into non-school buildings for ideas and found my inspiration in Europe instead with an airport of all things.

Then once I found my precedent I went into identifying problems and finding solutions.

Ultimately what I think I have learned is that I shouldn’t lose faith in projects because there were multiple times where I considered giving up on this project but I persevered

For my capstone, I aimed to foster cultural exchange between the SLA community and visiting exchange students. Combining my involvement in SOCA, a club I co-founded to celebrate cultural diversity, and my participation in the SLAmbassadors program, which offers cultural immersion experiences to students. I sought to create events that would promote understanding and appreciation of the different cultures that make up SLA. (The only event I don’t have pictures for is the Sports day with the Polish exchange students.)

(Picaro is my pen name/username)

My capstone is an art piece for the art room, an illustration collection. A collection of drawings done in a sketchbook with mostly ballpoint pens. Doodles, exercises, and of course illustrations. It’s the second real iteration of the project, my first plan being a graphic novel. That idea had 2 concepts in of itself. There was a reason I set out to make this project, that being my desire to incorporate art into my capstone project. I also wanted to show that it doesn’t take expensive materials to create good art. Another reason I only use ballpoint is that it would help push my growth as an artist faster. Learning to be more confident with my lines, as well as getting greater control. You can’t erase pen ink, so you get a limited amount of attempts to draw what you want. But most of all, I wanted to leave something behind for SLA. This art book will exist after I leave SLA, and it will stay there for the foreseeable future.

(Bibliography is irrelevant to current version of the project)