11th Grade: 2024-2025

Junior History: 

• Thomas Ralston II

• Artifact Title: Case Western Reserve University Model UN Conference

• Date: November 18th, of 2024

• Teacher: Miss Stone

• JAGS Pillar: Communicating Ideas

• Assignment:

The Case Western Reserve University Model UN Conference was so impactful and fun in so many different ways, and is an experience I will never forget. The Model UN class, plus some other people who were interested in going to the conference, went to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and had a multi-day Model UN conference. The conference was a lot of fun, and there were a lot of schools that came to the conference that we had never met before, so it was a good experience to meet new people. Through the conference, we discussed many topics and had a ton of resolutions made, trying to resolve a lot of Human Rights issues across the world as one diplomatic body. Once we finished all the resolutions and came to a singular choice that all countries could agree on, we hung out and did "Fun MUN", which included a lot of karaoke, silly motions, and funny resolutions. It was a great time and I'm again very glad that I got to experience this with my friends by my side along my JAGS journey.

Throughout the conference, the JAGS pillar of Communicating Ideas was present and seen by the number of caucuses during the conference. This conference was chaotic at some points, however, everyone knows it would be even more chaotic if nobody communicated with each other. They say communication is key, and that was especially true in this conference, as everyone seemed to be either two steps ahead or three steps behind; it was really hard to get everybody on the same page and figure everything out together as one. Me and my partner Ellianna went and talked with just about every delegate in the conference to gather ideas of how we were going to move forward as a whole, versus just bickering amongst each other for two days. It was hard at times to communicate these ideas, as some delegates refused to talk or would talk until they found out a way to not like your country's beliefs, then would not talk to you. It was a struggle, but we got through it and figured it out in the end because we found out what everybody wanted and how we could come to a singular compromise that would work for everyone. From participating in this Conference, I learned to become a better Global citizen by learning how to communicate diplomatically with other delegates who have different beliefs from me, just like how the UN does every time they have a conference. I also learned useful skills like compromising, as some delegates were very reluctant to join certain resolutions, but through the use of negotiations, we all came to a common ground and found somewhere where we could meet that benefited everyone. Because I participated in this Conference, I learned how to Communicate Ideas effectively.

Junior Extra Curricular: 

• Thomas Ralston II

• Artifact Title: Blu Jazz In Akron

• Date: May 7th, 2025

• Teacher: Mr. Carlson

• JAGS Pillar: Communicating Ideas

• Assignment:

This artifact has really impacted me not only along my JAGS journey, but in my musical career, and especially in my jazz career. I have attended Blu Jazz twice, and I was eligible three times, but I skipped the first chance to go to heifer. It is my favorite concert we put on every year, as it is a surreal experience to sell out a gig at an actual Jazz club and play where some greats have played before me. 

Participating in this artifact, I was able to communicate my ideas and the overall idea of jazz to people in my community. Every year at the end of the year, the top two jazz bands go to Blu Jazz, an actual jazz club in Akron, and play a list of songs for the people who come there. We had a lot of fun, and I was able to solo during the night and gave up another song that I had a solo on so that some others could have a chance to solo that night. Even though I did this, though, we had an encore and played that same song that I gave up so others could solo, so I ended the night with two solos, some pictures, and a lot of fun memories. From playing at Blu jazz, it made me a better World citizen because I learned how to come together for a common goal, which of the night was to put on a good show for those that were watching. You can only do so much by yourself in this world, so if you have multiple people helping you, then you should be able to complete what you are trying to do much faster. From playing at Blu Jazz I also learned important skills for life like sacrifice. When given the choice of having two solos or having one and letting others have a chance at soloing as well, I could have been greedy and just gone with playing both of my solos instead of sharing, but I gave up one of my solos and still had a good night. Plus, we still ended up playing the other song that I had my second solo on, so it worked out. Through this event, I can communicate the language/idea of jazz that has been passed down for generations before me.

Junior World Language: 

• Thomas Ralston II

• Artifact Title: Hispanic Heritage Month Project

• Date: October 9th, of 2024

• Teacher: Senora Dennison

• JAGS Pillar: Investigating the World

• Assignment:

This project didn't necessarily impact me as much as it impacted my stomach. That's a joke, but this project was very delicious indeed. For this project, in Spanish one, the class in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month was to choose from one of the options that we were given to do and to show to the class or senora. I chose to make Pan Con Dulce De Leche, a traditional Latin American cuisine, most commonly seen in Argentina and Uruguay. Its ingredients are dulce de leche, similar to caramel, brown sugar, and bread or a bread alternative to put it on. It was very good and was very interesting learning about where it originated and when people eat it, and facts about the dish.

Through the creation of this delicious project, I was Investigating the World, or at least the world of pastries. As I was making this dish, I had to learn about its origin, what it is made of, the process by which it is made, and similar facts about the food. Of course, by learning these different facts, I also learned different facts about the country(s) that it originated from and where it is most popular. It was very interesting to hear and see how the pastry is made and how much people enjoy this pastry in Hispanic countries like Argentina and Uruguay. I'm very glad that this is something that the Spanish teachers do every year, to bring recognition to of a population people's heritage. This project helped me become a better Global citizen as I learned how to appreciate another population's culture. From this project, I got to learn about Hispanic culture and what accompanies Cinco de Mayo, and what they do as a part of it. I also learned useful skills like how to make a traditional Hispanic dish for when people come over and they need a quick, delicious snack. Through this project, I learned to Invesitage the World.

Junior Math: 

• Thomas Ralston II

• Artifact Title: Mousetrap Car Project

• Date: March 14th, 2025

• Teacher: Mr. Robison

• JAGS Pillar: Taking Action

• Assignment:

This project was so much fun to work on, but I think my friendship with Maria was very rocky during this project. In Physics, we had to create a car that involved a mousetrap that had a metal rod connected to it, pull a line of string from the axle of the wheels, are propel it forward. The design of the car was also left up to the people working on the car. I, Maria Cho, and Parker Seeman worked on a hot dog car, and it was amazing, but it tested just about everyone's patience. The car did not want to function on several days, and was also too heavy due to the design of the cardboard hot dog. Although we had many complications, we came together and finished the project, and also got an A on it. It was a lot of fun, and we're all still friends, but I would want to choose a different design if I were to redo the project.

This project impacted me in several ways, but most influenced my ability to follow the final JAGS pillar of Taking Action. There were so many things that went wrong with this project. The wheels wouldn't move one day, the string kept snapping. At one point, the metal bar came off the mousetrap, but we still worked through all the challenges we faced during the project. As a team, my partners and I took action and overcame all the challenges and adversities that were presented in front of us and came away with an A on our project. I still personally think that our car was the best designed, even though we didn't win best themed, but sometimes you just have to accept what you get. From this project, I became a better Global citizen as I learned how to come together with different people who have different views and perspectives from me and create something together. Those are also the same skills that I learned how to use effectively during the project that will help me in life and when going to other countries or talking with other populations of people who have different views from I do. From this project, I learned how to Take Action and build something I didn't know how to do before.