Community Service Hours: Open House

GCE Lab School, (LD), 2018

This year, I've been to 2 open house events for GCE. The first time, I helped pack folders with information about GCE and I presented one of my favorite APs to the family's that came in. I had a lot of fun talking about my AP and answering questions about the school because I got to have a more personal connection to each family. The second time I went to an open house event, I was a tour guide and I showed families around the school and asnwered any questions they had. I learned how to public speak and how to present myself in a professional way while presenting my AP. I made a difference for others by showing the families that GCE is an option for their children and that GCE is a one in a life time opportuntiy for your kids to be challenged in school. This expeirence has impacted future volunteer work because I now know how to present myself at a open house event. I plan to share my experience with others through my blog.

Community Service Hours: Youmedia

Community Service Hours: Barry's Bootcamp

Barry's Bootcamp, (LD), 2018, Google

The Health and Wellness Instructor invited the class to attend the bootcamp event for Barry's Bootcamp. I decided to go because I wanted to help Alison bring aware to CPS as well as get a good workout in. There, I passed out towels to everyone that was there and I brought a guest in to help. It was a very fun and exhausting event and I was sore for almost a week. I learned that when working out, you have to take your time and follow your own pace instead of focusing on what the next person is doing. I made a difference for others because I was there for CPS and to bring awareness that many schools don't and can't afford a gym instructor. This has impacted my future for volunteer work becuase I know I can attend an event to help others. I plan to share my experience by uploading this onto my blog so everyone can see what I did.

Community Service Hours: Helping Around School

Dishwasher,(LD), 2018, Google

Throughout this year, I've been helping around the school by loading the dish washer after lunch and sometimes before school when needed. I learned throughout this experience that people don't like to clean up after themselves, I had to step up and clean up after them. I think that GCE needs to set a precedent that encourages the students to load their dishes after eating. I learned that loading dishes take time and that you have to correctly place dishes so that they can be clean properly. I made a difference for others by making clean dishes an option, if I didn't load the dishwasher, then there wouldn't be clean dishes for people to eat on. This has impacted future service work, because I now know that community service hours can be any type of work that cna help the community. I plan to share my experience with others by uploading this to my blog, so that people understand that I helped the GCE community.

Service Hours Fencing Instructor

Kids Fencing, (LD), 2018

During this year, I have helping teaching fencing to young children at schools for an Afterschool Program. I taught the kids how to fence, footwork, bladework and how to get properly equipped. I learned that it takes patience when dealing with young kids, and I can now understand the meaning of leadership. I made a difference by teaching kids the ages 5-13 how to fence, I taught them that fencing is not only about winning; it's about strategy and setting up your attack on your opponent.  This has impacted my future volunteer work because I can always come back in the future to help teach fencing.  I plan to share this experience with others by telling them about how I gained leadership in my volunteer work. Overall, this experience was very fun and I'd love to keep teaching fencing.

BEGINNING OF THE END

This unit in Equality, we learned about equality regarding class and status. In class, we read an article that focused on how America views poor people. It stated that we view poor people in 2 different ways, one way being that we want to help them because of their unlucky circumstances. The other being we shun them because of their bad decisions. An FE that we went on for this unit was at the Goodman Theatre, the entire school went to see a play named, Enemy of the People. The purpose of this AP is to imagine what society will look like in the future by creating a time capsule filled with a series of elements that foretell what the struggle for equality might look like in 100 years hence. For my AP, I deiced to focus on the argument that equality doesn't exist because some people will always have more access to opportunities and resources than other people. I hope you enjoy this AP!

                         The Chicago Tribune

The Beginning of The End                                 2/11/2118                                                                                                                        

The year 2118 has been a year of struggle and strife for every individual around the world except for those who can be protected from this impending national war that could possibly end of life as we know it. We are at the end of times. World War 3 has been talked about in the past, but once Kim Jong-Un died, his sister Kim Jung Ae became the leader of North Korea, the worst of humankind has been seen. The fight over money, power, and glory started the war in Mesopotamia in 2700 BCE between Sumer and Elam. Kim Jun Ae announced that on February 10, 2118, that North Korea is planning to drop nuclear bombs on the following countries: America, China, Japan, and Russia if those countries don’t transport their country's oil, coal, iron ore, and most powerful resources to North Korea. Although there are only 4 countries stated, everyone in the world will be greatly affected by these weapons of mass destruction. 

President Aya Dinkins has already prepared for this nuclear bomb by making it public that America has had nuclear weapons since the year 2000; the government has kept quiet until the appropriate time to announce it to the American people. The American people and millions around the world are scared, helpless and preparing for the worst.

A famous Kenyan scientist, Asha Okeke along with her group of scientists have created something quite inexplicable. In the New African Magazine in 2117, Asha Okeke and her team mentioned that they were working on something that would change the future of humankind. Okeke stated that her team has been working on creating a device that could freeze organisms and cells allowing human beings to be frozen in time. The device allows people to unfreeze after a certain period of time, depending on the period chosen. 

Something that seemed so unrealistic and even comical has been made from the hands of Africans. Hundreds of years ago, Africans were once enslaved by American people and dehumanized to the point of not being considered a human being. Today, racism still hasn’t been brought to an end and is still evident based on who gets to use a certain technology. Race, economic status, religion, gender and social status affects how accessible technology is to them to advance them in society.

The Time Travel Device, LD, Google Drawing, 2018

The device created by Okeke and her team was announced on 2/9/2118. The Time Travel Device has been broadcasted all over the world to save the future of humankind. The invention is a device that can not only save humankind but also ensure that in the far future your assets will also be frozen with you. Every billboard, talking device and notification wants you to invest in your life by investing your money into the Time Travel Device. The only issue that people have with this device is that it cost $40,000 per individual over the age of 18 and $20,000 for anyone under the age of 18 and not every person can afford that.

This means that people who cannot afford technological resources such as the Time Travel Device are left to accept a fate that is likely to overcome them. Some people believe that this is a hoax. A conspiracy theorist explains that the governments around the world are trying to collect funds from the common people so they can continue to keep ‘the people” in fear. On the other hand, people who have already purchased the device. These people are the elite, they are from the top of the social and economic status are allowed to ensure their assets and wealth as well as their families.

Social Program, LD, 2018, Google Drawing

Op-ed

My name is Vivienne East, I am a 32-year-old mother of 4 and live with my husband in New Chicago. I’m writing this letter to my future generation family to know what life was like back in 2118. If you are reading this message, I hope times have changed for the better. I have been living in this town for a long time, and for the past few years, we’ve been living happily. We aren’t rich for sure, but we sure aren’t poor either; we make ends meet like everyone else does. But this year has been one of the worse for us, although there are still major discriminations between people. Based on your status, race, gender, and religion you are able to afford technology that advances you in your status. Our family has been discriminated because we can’t keep up with the new technology that allows other families to get paid more. America is still a capitalist society, so the hope to work for more assets and opportunities is always the goal for us. But once we found out that North Korea is planning to drop nuclear bombs and destroy almost everything, working wasn’t something we were thinking about. We wanted to save ourselves, to avoid this awful circumstance that this world is in. A team in Africa has created a very expensive device that will be able to freeze the cells and organisms in our body. This means that ultimately whoever can afford this $40,000 miracle device, will be able to save their lives and their wealth in the future. This for our family is a tough decision, we are afraid to die and to be blown to pieces, yet we don’t want to spend that much money on saving our lives. We can either accept our fate or pay to stay alive.The good news is that the government created the Social Program so that we can afford the Time Travel Device, but since we have one more than 4 people in our family, we have to choose who wants to be frozen. My husband keeps telling us that the kids should be saved, they have a future and that we have already seen enough in our days. If we can afford the program, I will sacrifice my money for the safety of my children’s future.

Time Capsule Video

Time Capsule Opening, (LD), Youtube, 2018

Whats for Lunch?

During this unit in Systems and Models, we learned about Systems Thinking and the Tragedy of the Commons. System Thinking is ignoring working as an individual and instead focusing on working as a collective; it's the idea that pieces come together to create a system. The Tragedy of the Commons is when people exploit an open access area or thing. The idea is that when there is an open space and when there are no regulations to stop people from using or taking a certain amount of something, then it will slowly deteriorate and the cost will be shared by everyone. The purpose of this AP is to take a system in GCE Lab School and explain in any medium what has been done, what is being done and how it could be better. I decided to focus on the Lunch Program because as a Senior, I had to take part in helping selling lunch to the students. This project was fun to create because I got to create a fun little diagram explaining what I wanted to the Lunch Program. Below is my AP, enjoy!

Alex's Plan, LD, Google Drawing, 2018

Key

Apple: There should only be a Lunch Program(Senior’s don’t control it)

Granola Bar: Variety of packaged foods

Water Bottle: Drinks

Doritos: Clean as a community:

Taco: Hot lunch served every day

Orange: Senior lunch program

Oreos: Vending machine snacks

Coca-cola: limited food options

Lays: Different student cleaning every day

Macaroni: Microwavable food

Alex is a senior at GCE Lab School, she had attended GCE for 3 years. Alex's plan shows which system would be best for the Lunch Program in GCE. On the left-hand side, this is the "this" side, meaning the ideal system. There is an apple that represents that there should be a Lunch Program excluding the Seniors from being apart of it. The granola bar represents that there should a variety of food options so that students can choose a healthy option vs. a non-healthy option. The water bottle represents that there should be drinks, in the past drinks weren't provided. The Doritos bag represents that everyone should clean as a community because it reinforces the idea of cleaning up after yourself. The taco represents that there should be lunch provided every day for students who don't bring in lunches and/or cannot afford to go out for lunch.

On the right-hand side says"not this" because it shows what she thinks hasn't worked in the past and present. The orange represents Senior Lunch Program, Alex thinks that seniors shouldn't control the program because it's chaotic and the system is never perfected. The Oreo pack represents vending machine snacks, she thinks there shouldn't be vending machine snacks because it forces kids to pay for food who may not have the money to buy snacks. The Coca-Cola can represent limited food option, she thinks there shouldn't be limited food option because some people may not be able to eat certain foods because of allergies, diet or religion. The Lay’s chip bag represent different students cleaning every day, she thinks there shouldn't be different student cleaning every day because other people shouldn't be cleaning up someone else's mess. The Kraft bowl represents microwavable, there shouldn't be microwavable food because it doesn't full or satisfies anyone's hunger if everyone is only supposed to eat 1 a day.

Dianne's Plan, LD, Google Drawing, 2018

Key

Orange: Senior lunch program

Oreos: Vending machine snacks

Water Bottle: Drinks

Doritos: Clean as community

Hot dog: Hot lunch served 2 times a week

Apple: There should only be a Lunch Program(Senior’s don’t control it)

Ramen: Unhealthy food

Lays: Different student cleaning every day

Taco: Hot lunch served every day

Dianne is a mother of a student as well as coordinator and a staff member and has been here for 3 years. Dianne's plan shows which system does and doesn't work for the Lunch Program. On the "This" side, there is an orange, oreo pack, water bottle, Doritos chip bag and a hot dog. The orange represents the Senior Lunch Program, Dianne thinks that seniors should be included because it helps them become leaders, understand what it's like to lead a program and fundraise. The oreo pack represents vending machine snacks, she thinks that the Lunch program should include the vending machine because Seniors need to raise a certain amount of money if they want to go on a certain trip and the vending machine will allow them to make a profit. The water bottle represents drinks, drinks should be available to students to keep hydrated throughout the day. Doritos represent cleaning as a community, she thinks that this would help build a community and keep the space cleaner in general. The hot dog represents having hot lunch only 2 times a week, she thinks that because it takes time to cook meals and it would cost extra money to buy specific ingredients for meals.

On the "not this" side, there is an apple that represents a lunch program without the Seniors, as stated before she wants the seniors to become leaders in the community. The Ramen pack represents unhealthy food, she doesn't want unhealthy food because it isn't morally right to feed students food that is ruining their health. There is a Lays chip bag that represents different students cleaning up every day, as stated before when everybody cleans up together it builds community. The taco represents hot lunch every day, she thinks there shouldn't be hot lunch because it gets expensive to cook full meals for everyone every day.

 Genesis's Plan, LD, Google Drawing, 2018

Key

Apple: There should only be a Lunch Program(Senior’s don’t control it)

Granola Bar: Variety of packaged foods

Water Bottle: Drinks

Taco: Hot lunch served every day

Orange: Senior lunch program

Coca-cola: Limited food option

Caviar: Expensive food

Ramen: Unhealthy food

Genesis is a senior at GCE Lab School and has attended for 3 and a half years. Genesis's plan does and doesn't work for the Lunch Program. On the "this" side, there is an apple, granola bar, water bottle and a taco. Genesis thinks there should be a Lunch Program that excludes the Seniors because it is repetitive and makes the school lose money. There is a granola bar that represents a variety of food, she thinks there should be a variety of food, this year there has been a restriction as to what the Senior could and couldn't serve to students. The water bottle represents drinks because there haven't been any drinks in the past available or as an option to buy. The taco represents hot lunch every day because a hot lunch would mean students being able to eat real meals instead of microwaved food every day.

On the "not this" side, there is an orange, coca-cola can, caviar and a ramen pack. The orange represents having a senior lunch program, Genesis thinks that there shouldn't be a Senior Lunch program because it makes GCE loose money and is a repetitive system. The Coca-Cola can represent unhealthy food because it doesn't make students feel fed, but instead, the unhealthy food only acts as a snack. The caviar represents expensive food, the school shouldn't buy expensive food because it makes the school spend money on food student's buy or food that the seniors won't profit from. 

Kim's Plan, LD, Google Drawing, 2018

Key

Orange: Senior lunch program

Oreos: Vending machine snacks

Doritos: Clean as community

Hot dog: Hot lunch served 2 times a week

Apple: There should only be a Lunch Program(Senior’s don’t control it)

Ramen: Unhealthy food

Lays: Different student cleaning every day

Taco:  Hot lunch served every day

Kim is the secretary of GCE Lab School and has been here for 8 years, Kim's plan is very similar to Diane's lunch program plan. On the "this" side . they both have an orange representing senior lunch program, Oreos representing vending machine snacks, Doritos representing cleaning as a community and a hot dog represent hot lunch for 2 times a week. Kim didn't mention any drinks in her interview as Dianne did. On the "not this" side they both have an apple representing a lunch program without the seniors, ramen noodles representing unhealthy foods lays representing different student cleaning every day and a taco representing hot lunch every day.

My Lunch Plan, LD, Google Drawing, 2018

Key

Apple: There should only be a Lunch Program(Senior’s don’t control it)

Granola Bar: Variety of packaged foods

Water Bottle: Drinks

Doritos: Clean as a community:

Taco: Hot lunch served every day

Orange: Senior lunch program

Oreos: Vending machine snacks

Coca-cola: Limited food options

Lays: Different student cleaning every day

Kraft Macaroni: Microwavable food

My lunch program plan shows which system I think would work best and which system I think would be worst. On the "this" side I have an apple that represents having a lunch program without the seniors. This year, I am a senior and we had to create a system that we could profit from. As a class, we couldn't keep up with a system and we were constantly losing money instead of profiting. I think the seniors shouldn't be apart of the program because it makes the lunch program more complicated. I have a granola bar representing a variety of food, there should be a variety of food because some students as myself-have food restrictions; having a variety will make sure all students will be fed. There is a water bottle representing drinks because students should be able to have access to drinks to stay nourished and hydrated. The Doritos bag represents cleaning as a community, GCE students should clean after themselves; it's easier to clean as a community than to put that responsibility on one or two students. Lastly on the "this" side, there is a taco representing hot lunch every day, although this may be difficult for whoever is cooking the meal, it's important students have a meal that is nutritious instead of having to go out and eat. 

The lunch program relates to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs that we learned about in class. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a theory that states humans have a certain number of needs and they are arranged in a hierarchy, some needs are more primitive than others.On the lowest level, there are physiological needs, meaning food, water, sleep and depending on the person, sex. The lunch program will satisfy that physiological need by supplying food for not only myself but every student. The second level is safety needs, meaning security of the body, employment, family, property, and health. If there is hot lunch provided every day, the student won't have to go outside of GCE's campus to eat; going outside may put students in harm. Security of one's health is important if GCE doesn't serve unhealthy food we can guarantee the students will be in good/or better health. The third level is love/belonging, which is friendship, community, and family. Having hot lunch will force students to stay on campus, and force them to build community. Cleaning as a community will also bond people together. The fourth level is esteem, meaning self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others and yourself. Being able to eat hot lunch and stay hydrated with drinks will allow students to be ready to learn by being engaged in their classrooms. The more engaged they are in the classrooms, the more they are likely to learn new material and achieve their ideal grade. The final and top level is self-actualization, which is person's motivation to reach their potential; this includes morality, creativity, and problem-solving. Once students have eaten a full meal, they are ready to learn and engage with the teacher and other students. This will allow them to be alert and solve problems and become more creative in the classroom.

On the "not this" side on my lunch program explains the things I think shouldn't be apart of the lunch program. There is an orange representing a Senior Lunch Program, I don't think there should be a Senior Program because it's an unperfected system and we shouldn't waste the school's money. The Senior Program didn't work out because we couldn't work together, we all had different ideas as to what system would be best. We should've taken the System Thinking approach, meaning that we should've looked at ourselves as a collection instead of thinking of our own individual ideas. If we did this, we could've talked out the problem and came up with a better system. I also put Oreos pack that represent vending machine snacks on the "not this" side because I don't want to charge students more money for snacks. Even though that money could help the Seniors, I think the main priority is to feed students first. There is a coca-cola can representing limited food option, limited food options are restricting. There is a Lays bag that represents different student cleaning every day, this is a system that is even more chaotic because people don't know if it's their day to clean until the last minutes of lunch; space doesn't and can't be cleaned up in a matter of a few minutes. There should be a community clean-up because people will continue to dirty the space up until it cannot be usable anymore, this is an example of the Tragedy of the Commons. Since the OC and Cafe are accessible to every student, no one will clean up and the filth will continue to happen; this affects every student because we will eventually have to find somewhere else to clean because the other spaces are too dirty to use. The Kraft bowl represents microwavable food, I don't think there should be microwavable food because microwaved food has been linked to many illnesses. GCE shouldn't be encouraging students to ruin their health, instead, we should supply food that is moderately healthy.

Key, LD, 2018, Google Drawing


Sources

GM, Interview,(LD), 2018

Kim, Interview,(LD), 2018

Dianne, Interview, (LD), 2018

AL, Interview, (LD), 2018

Fashion and Indentity

This unit in Systems and Models, we learned about experiments, quasi-experiments and case studies. We went more in depth about what made a good experiment/case based on the scientific methods. During this course, we read a couple of articles and deciphered which article was the most effective. We didn't get the chance to go on any FE's this unit because we were busy researching for our AP. The purpose of this Action Project is to conduct a research study based on group observation (must include observation of selected group interacting among itself and at least once with another group). Demonstrate scientific method. This AP was time-consuming because it required gathering observations, interviews, gathering research and analyzing data. I worked with a partner, so the work was divided up equally. Overall, I think our research paper came out decent.
Hope you enjoy!

The Cause and Effect of 9/11

This unit in Equality, we learned about the privileges and disadvantages that certain groups can have based on their class, gender, and race. During this course, I learned about intersectionality. Intersectionality is belonging to multiple groups. Being a part of different groups allows each individual to form a unique perspective on issues. There could be a black middle-class male and a black middle-class woman, the fact that they are different gender changes their viewpoints on certain issues. One of my favorite Fe's during this course was going to see Black Panther. The purpose of this AP is to recount an event or moment in history and to tell the story in a marginalized voice. I enjoyed researching and creating this AP because I got to explore a topic that relates to my identity as well as something that I feel is important to discuss.
Below is my project, enjoy!