Long but Never Forgotten

In my Policy class, unit 2 we focused mostly on wars and the different things people experienced through these wars. We discussed the Vietnam War and the memorial built in Washington, DC to recognize the deaths of thousands of veterans. Through this unit, we also discussed the powers of the Executive Branch and observed what policy is when it comes to court and a criminal case. In one Field Experience, we watched a murder case in court. I found the language that was used very interesting as well as how the evidence was revealed in the court room. Recently, we visited a Veterans art museum. The museum is filled with art only from veterans. Through their work, they demonstrate the different traumas they experienced and how their life story relates to their war experience. The art shows that they are also more than their experiences as veterans, they are artists. 

“Heavy Weight” by William Myles

This is a painting I saw at the museum that really stuck out to me. The painting not only shows a black soldier but the issues the soldier may have faced as a black man before war. Next to him shows the KKK, a man getting arrested, and people who may be protesters wearing a “No War” shirt. People were very against the Vietnam war at the time and often protested about it so their voices were heard. These people were mostly liberals and hippies around the 60s and 70s. They also were very outspoken about the lives of black people in America. I chose this photo because it reminded me of Truman’s policy that abolished discrimination towards people of any race and religion in the US Armed forces. That led to abolish the segregation in the services. The painting also represents so much more about the black soldier than just the time he spent in war. It represents the injustices of a black man in America.

Policing in Chicago: Engagement with Opposition

In A Nation's Argument, we've been discussing policies, laws, and how that falls under the U.S Constitution. My class held a policing assembly to discuss the policing in Chicago. We met 4 people who work with COPA (Civilian Office of Police Accountability). At the assembly they discussed why they do what they do for the city of Chicago and why policing is important. They all discussed how they want to see the Chicago grow as a city, mostly communities in the South side of Chicago. We held this assembly to speak up about issues that we feel are important as students. The voices of students are not always heard and we wanted to meet with them to get our messages across. Through this assembly we discussed police suicide, immigration policies, gang violence, gun violence, policing and security in Chicago Public Schools, mental health in the black and brown community, and more. In this Action Project, I speak of the limited mental health services that are in Chicago and the traumas that POC deal with in the city. Their traumas are not recognized and there needs to be services that people can go to so they can communicate these problems that they go through. For this project I stated a thesis (The issue), antithesis (Contradicts / opposes the thesis), and a Synthesis which is the solution for the issue, bringing both the thesis and antithesis together as one. I also stated a number of different premises and resources that support my argument.

   

I believe the voices of students, especially in Chicago are important and to ALWAYS be heard. We are the future and deserve to understand how our city is ran. As far as CPS go, I think their voices matter the most. It would make a huge difference in our city if young people could speak up about the traumas they face and how it effects their everyday life as well as their education. We have the right to have a say in things and we have the right to feel safe, secure, and acknowledged no matter what.

The Perfect Projecting Clock

In unit 3 for Light, Sound, and Time we focused on time and its effect in our daily lives. We learned a lot about space time as well. One topic we learned about was the twin paradox. The twin paradox is when one twin goes to space and the other stays on earth. Time moves slower for the one who goes to space due to time dilation. Once the twin goes back to earth, they both will be different ages. A Field Experience that we went on that related to this unit is The Planetarium. When I was there, I learned about different time telling devices like the sundial and how other cultures and religions told time or measured the Earth's rotation. The time telling devices that we learned about was the sundial, Foucault Pendulum, and the Chronometer. We also learned about time's relation to light. My favorite part of this unit was getting to know how people told and used time back then. Candles, Incense, Water, and more was used to tell time. For this Action Project, I invented my very own clock. The clock is called The Projecting Clock and it's inspired by a film projector, except it will play your favorite songs, movies, or videos to wake you up in the morning just like an alarm.

In conclusion, this is my favorite unit because I really enjoy space time and theories that relate to space time. I wanted to base my invention off of the film projector because I love cinema and learning about the people who made it what it is today. I really invented something that I know I would use and love as well as my favorite filmmakers. I had such a fun time filming this video and making an original clock that has never been made before. I wish I could really make this clock because it would be easier to wake up. Also, I wouldn't have to open my computer or turn on the TV to find something to watch. Not to mention, the fact that all movies aren't free. I wanted to bring something old fashioned back while making alarm clocks easy and fun to use everyday. I learned that there are so many ways to tell time. We didn't just start off with the traditional clock. There's so much more in the history of time telling.

Cited Sources:

Christos, Papandreou. “Cinema Projector.” YouTube, YouTube, 6 Dec. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gznn9k4X0SE&t=62s.

Siyanure. “The Lumiere Brothers' - First Films (1895).” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Dec. 2006, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nj0vEO4Q6s&t=108s.

The Argument

I wrote a short screenplay for my Action Project about a man who dreams of proposing new questions for the Naturalization Test. For this Action Project we had to propose new questions for the test while creating a syllogism for it and the original questions. We also needed signatures for our proposal. Here, the Judge in the screenplay lists his reasons as to why the questions shouldn't be changed. The boy proposing new questions, Raymond stands up for himself and his rights, as well as the rights for other immigrants stating his own reasons.  When he wakes from his dream, he's asked a question about democracy and it ends there. I wanted to demonstrate how nerve-wracking the process is to become an America Citizen. This connects to the Field Experience that we went on to the Chicago field office of US Citizenship and Immigration Services. We witnessed the process that people had to go through to become a citizen. When we were in court, a lot of people were in a holding place until they were confirmed to get Asylum. I wanted to write a screenplay rather that writing a paper because I thought it would be really interesting to show that dialogue between someone in power and someone who feels out of control. For another Field Experience, we went to a City Council meeting on Public Charge for immigrants in Chicago. When we were there we heard a number of people from the community speak and give their opinions on the situation for 3 minutes. One man there, George Blakemore stated, "Illegal is Illegal", which a lot of people disagreed with. He also stated that people that are currently living in Chicago "illegally" are taking resources from people who are American Citizens that already live there. We got to hear Blakemore's argument on Immigration and his reasoning. Others disagreed and supported Public Charge for immigrants in Chicago.

Signatures for my amendment (AS 2019) 

Declaring a ScreenWriting course

This declaration written for my Argument course goes through reasons as to why Screenwriting should be taught as an independent study in GCE. As a student in GCE, I have the right to speak up about what I want from the school to help me grow artistically and academically. In this Argument course we have been studying The Declaration of Independence and how inductive and deductive reasoning is used in Arguments. For this argument, I have to use either inductive or deductive reasoning as well. Since GCE is independently motivated, allowing us to explore our interests and take risks through real world education, students should be able to take an independent study on the art of Screenwriting. Although the course Ollywood was already taught at GCE, Screenwriting is a different learning experience and dives into the study of writing movies and telling a story. My unalienable rights as a student in GCE it to be taught in a way that will help me grow and prosper in the real world. I discuss my reasons in a podcast where I give 5 different premises (accidentally leaving out one) as to why Screenwriting should be taught as an independent study. Below, I stated the 6 different premises supporting the guiding question, How does screenwriting contribute to real world education and benefit me as an artistically challenged student in GCE?

Follow the premises below as I discuss each reason.




The purpose of school and learning is to acquire the knowledge you need to become successful and make money in your later years, moving into adulthood and the adult world. It also gives people the chance to learn about who they are as a person and what careers may interest them in the near future.

(1:57) P1: Students in GCE should expect to be taught differently than the average school.
Here, when learning about Humanities we explore many topics and subjects within the subject itself. Screenwriting isn't just about writing a movie, it's storytelling, it's dialogue. It is not far from what kids already learn in a Humanities class.

(2:23) P2: It improves story telling.
Many kids in school need to use storytelling all throughout their lives. It shows creativity in your writing. Good storytelling is the key to becoming a better writer. This is of course is essential when you're applying to colleges. Colleges want to hear YOUR story. This can prepare a lot of students for this as well as for exam prompts, job interviews, etc.

(2:26) P3: Writing and reading stories can help with anxiety and stress.
According to the University of Rochester, keeping a journal and writing down your thoughts can help manage your mental health. Writing or reading stories is also shown to help anxiety and stress. Students don’t have to journal about personal things but they can be story ideas for screenplays, or short stories. In my opinion, writing of any form whether it’s journaling or storytelling can help you collect your thoughts and bring out the creativity inside. Students doing this once a day can help refocus them because school IS Stressful.

(2:54) P4: Students have the freedom to express themselves.
I read an article in the NY times about how teachers in some schools do not allow kids to express themselves through their writing. I’ve noticed this in school, myself. Whenever writing about a topic that is unique or personal, teachers would try too hard to make it academic focused. Creativity is not looked at as a good thing in school sometimes. Teachers don’t understand. Writing and reading screenplays can be a way for students to disconnect themselves from the real world and channel in with the things that they really feel. If kids have to read books in school that already have violence or explicit language, why are we not able to write and read movies about a world we identify with?

(3:03) P5: It would be just as beneficial to read a full screenplay in class, than to watch a movie.
When students are reading screenplays rather than watching the actual movie, this allows them to break down dialogue which can improve reading and writing. This could also help language as well because there are a number of screenplays that use different kinds of language and I'm not just talking about foreign movies. English language comes in several different forms and It’s a different experience when you're reading the actual screenplay.

P6: It gives students room for career choices.
A screenwriting class can change a kid's life. Just as much as a science, math, or basic English
class can change a student's life. School is an opportunity to explore the future career choices you have. There are people who love movies. And there are people who love writing. Screenwriting is a mixture of the two. They’ll have that prior knowledge before going to college if they do want to go for art. It just gives kids more options , rather than narrowing them down to careers like a scientist, lawyer, doctor, and so on.

In conclusion, reading and writing screenplays should be taught as an Independent Study to give students the room for self expression and opportunity to improve writing skills, especially through storytelling.


Sources:


“7 Reasons Why Studying Screenwriting Can Make You A Better Novelist.” Bang2Write, 1 Dec. 2016, www.bang2write.com/2013/08/7-reasons-why-studying-screenwriting-can-make-you-a-better-novelist-by-max-kinnings.html.

“How Reading Screenplays Will Improve Your Writing.” Creative Screenwriting, creativescreenwriting.com/screenplays/.

“Journaling for Mental Health.” Ice Packs vs. Warm Compresses For Pain - Health Encyclopedia - University of Rochester Medical Center, www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentID=4552&ContentTypeID=1.

KristinaAdamsAuthor. “How Writing Helps Me Through Depression.” The Writer's Cookbook, 16 Sept. 2017, www.writerscookbook.com/writing-through-depression/.

Proulx, Natalie. “Is School a Place for Self-Expression?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/04/24/learning/is-school-a-place-for-self-expression.html.

“The Declaration of Independence: Full Text.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/.

The Beauty of the Pinhole Camera

Pinhole Camera (AS 2019)

In this unit of my STEAM course, Light, Sound, and Time, we've been studying light and its wonders relating to mathematics and different science principles. The first experiment that we did in class was the Hershey Bar experiment, where you test the changing temperatures of a Hershey Bar while a lamp is placed above it. We wrote down the initial temperature of the piece of chocolate and then the changing temperature. This revealed what light bulb produced the most heat. For a Field Experience, we visited the Latin School in Chicago and visited their dark room. We created a pinhole camera and related it to the ideas of reflection vs. refraction, light waves and particles, and the science behind the eye and its form. Through this class, we also connected the camera to the eye because the camera acts as an eye. The eye can take in light and focus it. A camera does the same with its lens and focal point. The pinhole camera was made out of an oatmeal box. I poked a small piece of aluminum with a pin and made a tiny hole. I then painted the inside of the box black so it could absorb the light coming in. Lastly, I created a shutter on the lens so I could lift it up when light's ready to go inside the box and create the image. My results were successful!

My Pinhole Camera image: An astronaut with my paining (AS 2019)

Calculations: I left the shutter open for 3 1/2 minutes to capture the photo.

Pinhole Calculations (AS 2019)

The first thing I did was measure the height of the object, width, and the height of the pinhole. 

H1= 7.125 in.

W= 4 in. 

H2= 3 in.

I then found the total distance from the paper to the object. By doing that I solved the proportion 3x/3= 28.5/3. I got that by cross multiplying 7.125 in to 4 in and multiplying 3 in by the missing distance (x). The answer I got was 9.5 in. Next, I found the minimum distance between the the object and the camera to capture the entire image. I found that by subtracting the total distance (9.5 in) by the width (4 in) which resulted in 5.5 in. After that I used the Pythagorean Theorem to find the hypotenuse inside the camera as well as the triangle's entire hypotenuse. I started with doing 4^2 + 3^2 and got 25. The final answer for the inside hypotenuse is 5 because the square root of 25 is 5. Then I did 9.5^2 + 7.125^2, and got 11.875 which is the triangle's ENTIRE hypotenuse while 6.875 (sq. root of 11.875 in. ) is the section outside of the camera. Lastly, I used the inverse Tangent, Tan ^ -1 (3/4) to find the angle inside the triangle. As a result, my answer was 36.87 degrees. In order to get the complementary angle, I subtracted 90 degrees by the angle inside and got 53.13 degrees as my answer.

           

I feel so grateful to have received. I always wanted to go to a dark room for photography and after taking my pinhole photography, I got the chance to learn how to process the photo. I also learned so much about light and its wonders. This unit opened my eyes about cameras and how they're very similar to the human eye. I had no idea that they were alike in any way. I also enjoyed doing calculations for this project and breaking everything down. This project made me want to create my own camera at home and experiment with photography and how it relates directly to light. I started this project off thinking that the pinhole camera illustrated refraction and reflection. I found out I was wrong, which led me to a new discovery about light. By far, this was my favorite Action Project!

Stand By Me: Movie Review

In this unit we've been discussing Post-Production. What goes into Post-Production are editing, sound effects, CGI, and film score. We first watched the movie Star Wars and got to see how CGI worked in movies. A lot of the time people build small structures and space ships for the movie then add effects to make it look realistic. We also talked about whether or not the film score was effective. For a Field Experience we visited an investment business called Morning Star. We met the motion graphic designer and the video producer / editor. They told us about their business and then showed us some of their work. We also got to see their production studio which I found really fascinating because it reminded me of a News Casting set. We also made our own nano cinema which are 15-30 second films. Editing, film score, and sound effects had to be included. For this Action Project, we had to choose a movie and record a podcast / video review on the movie. We also had to talk about the different elements of Post-Production. We learned about 8 different approaches that are used for critiquing films. I chose the movie Stand By Me directed by Rob Reiner.

In conclusion, I enjoy Post-Production more than Pre-Production because I love talking about film score and editing and it's impact on the film. Not many people think about how Post-Production really pieces the film together. I think a movie with a great soundtrack makes it fun to watch, especially when you know each song and can sing along to it. Although this project was kind of challenging for me, I really enjoyed it. Editing the podcast was a lot of work but fun and I'm glad I chose one of my favorite movies.