Sophomore Year - 2023/2024
Sophomore Year - 2023/2024
English
Ellianna Spears
A Flawed System: Emergency Healthcare
April, 2024
Mrs. Muckley - JAGS Accelerated English 10
Recognize Perspectives
The documentary project was one of the heftiest projects that I have ever completed, as much research, time, and effort had to go in the making of it. My partners and I researched the different emergency healthcares across the United States, Canada, Togo, and Costa Rica, with expert interviews from each. This reflects the English aspect as my teacher was very knowledgeable on how to make a good, entertaining, and factual documentary.
This documentary was the opitome of group projects, as there were many moving parts to it that needed attention. Recognizing perspectives played a huge role in the making of this documentary, as it was important for me to listen to the perspectives of my group mates. As someone that has many ideas, it is important for me to understand that others also have ideas that could potentially be better than mine. This documentary ultimately taught me how to successfully work in a group, which is recognizing perspectives. Recognizing the perspectives of others was needed in order for this documentary to run smoothly, and to get finished.
History
Ellianna Spears
The Yellow Press
February, 2024
Mr. Taray - AP US History
Recognize Perspectives
This history class was able to change my entire way of thinking, as I was forced to look at things from a cause and effect way. Overall, this class allowed me to become a better writer, as I needed to be able to perform well in high-stress situations. The Yellow Press was a project where I had to make my own newspaper, and look at everything from the many different perspectives that existed in the United States at this time. Each of these views had to be well-researched and sound convincing to the person that would be reading them.
This project embodied the idea, "Recognize Perspectives". It forced me to have to find the positive points that each side had, and write them from a biased point of view where I favored that perspective over the others, even if I did not. This project forced me to write in different styles, as each perspective had audiences that would respond better to different styles of writing. Throughout this class, my writing was forced to become better as I had new writing challenges almost every day. In this situation, the challenge was to write in different forms with different perspectives.
Science
Ellianna Spears
Project Lab Getting to the Moon
March, 2024
Mr. Dillick - AP Physics I
Investigate the World
Throughout this physics class, my teacher was adamant that we could only learn best by figuring it out ourselves. This project embodied this idea. For this project, we built a "rocket" out of two blocks of wood, where one would shoot forward and the other shoot backward. This was achieved with rubber bands and string. This project was aimed at letting each individual see what combination of rubber bands and string would shoot the "rocket" the farthest.
This entire class was focused on Investigating the World, and this project was no exception. I was taught to try all possibilities instead of only settling for ones that I had prior knowledge for. This investigation was meant to broaden our minds, as my teacher wanted us to discover the worlds for ourselves instead of listening to someone else tell us about it. This allowed me to start thinking critically about the world around me, and use the mathematical side of my brain to problem solve.
World Language
Ellianna Spears
Y-Care French Lessons
April, 2024
Madame Browne - French III
Communicate Ideas
Through the French Honors Society, I was able to teach children the beginning of French. This happened through the YMCA program, Y-Care. Our goal was to keep the children entertained while teaching some basic vocabulary that would be easy to remember. For this particular game, the task was to place the card in between the body parts that were listed in French on the cards. The photo represents me and my friend demonstrating the games for the children.
Many of the children in this Y-Care were not particularly interested in learning French, so teaching these children was harder than most teaching opportunities. In order to communicate our ideas, we had to make each second as fun as possible by staying engaged and creating new rules on the fly. The children were only able to retain the French words if we came up with little rhymes for them to say. This project was able to grow my ability to teach others as it forced me to meet the children where they were instead forcing them to be taught the way I would have liked.
Extra-Curricular: Figure Skating
Ellianna Spears
Figure Skating Coach
August 2023 - Present
Communicate Ideas
Becoming a private figure skating coach had been one of my goals since I started figure skating skating in 2013. The requirements for becoming a private coach are quite rigorous as they require the skater to be a certain age, pass the required levels, complete an online course through the US Figure Skating Association, and observe 30 hours of an already existing coach. After all of these tasks had been completed I was able to start my coaching journey. I coach all ages, which has caused me to have to vary in teaching styles which each student. Each student learns in a different way which calls for different ways of coaching.
Throughout the process of learning to become a coach, I have learned how to communicate ideas with my student. Communication is key in coaching, and if the student does not understand what I want them to do, they will not be able to complete the task. Communication is also used with parents, as I need to communicate when I am not available, as well as when money is due from them. Throughout my coaching journey, I have also learned how to become more organized as I need to keep track of the hours that I coach with each individual student.