Embedded Files
52 Week Photography Project
52 Week Photography Project
Haile's idea for a Humanities-based "Genius Hour" project came from this photography challenge. Here she is on the impact it has had on her:
This may seem like an exaggeration, but this project really has been a life changer. Not only did it put me on a better course for my college and what I want to pursue, but it also provoked a stronger drive for my passion. I chose to create a pareto project on my love for taking pictures. At first it started out as a social media app, but progressed to a website. This choice was due to the fact that I wanted a larger audience for my pictures. It's still a work in progress as I continue to take pictures each day, but its a strong basis. It also allows me to share easier to all age groups verse just my own through the social media app I initially used. I liked how it was a loose project with no deadlines but you're own. IT allows me to work at it efficiently but still complete other school work. It wasn't very stressful and I feel very confident in it. I'm definitely going to continue with this website over the summer and into senior year. I decided to use it as my portfolio for photography in college.
Her VSCO site is linked here. When it's ready, her website will be posted, too.
Recipe for Change
Recipe for Change
Meagan's reflection on her Pareto Project showcases one of its pedagogical goals: to free students up to see failure as a boon, not a defeat. Where she started was not where she finished, and the journey taught her a lot.
Jigsaw Puzzles
Jigsaw Puzzles
From the student, Caroline, writing about this project back in December:
As always, I poured every last piece onto the table, sorting them from edge pieces to middle pieces. This was always the worst part as I just wanted to dive into putting all the pieces together. Once that long and agonizing process had been complete, I began. Something about putting each piece together fascinated me, it put me one step closer to figuring out the big picture. Once the outline was complete it was easier to fill in the rest. All of the red pieces went here, while the pink pieces went there, and all those black pieces would be put back into the box because those were currently irrelevant and I wouldn’t need those until the end. From here on out I spent my slow saturday mornings at my dining room table trying to find every piece its home. At times my mom would join and that would just help the time pass. It’s fortunate I have a pareto project that is able to calm me down and keep me sane. Puzzles help me debrief, and give me time to slow down without connections from the outside world.
So what does this reveal about me? Why do I take certain precautions when doing something as simple as putting two pieces together? I struggled to find the answer to them for a while now, but never really had an interest to before this project was assigned. I’m hoping as I continue to further my project I will be able to learn more about my puzzle skills, precautions, and myself.
Approaching our passions metacognitively adds depth even to the act of completing a jigsaw puzzle. As always, it's about how we learn.
I visited the University of the Delaware and Pennsylvania State University with my parents. We stayed at Hershey Park because it was a neutral site and in the gift shop I spotted this puzzle. Without hesitation I asked my mom to purchase it because I haven’t done a puzzle in a while. As soon as we arrived home I started this puzzle and finished a week later. It was the fastest I’ve ever done a puzzle. I think this was because a tornado happened while I was doing it, and gave me extra time to finish it because we had two days off from school.
The Outreach Center
The Outreach Center
Jane's final essay ties together eleven other essays and reflections written over the course of her project. She offers us a strong example of how writing illuminates the Humanities element of almost any student-selected project. It's what Neil Postman wrote:
[W]riting makes it possible and convenient to subject thought to a continuous and concentrated scrutiny. Writing freezes speech and in so doing gives birth to the grammarian, the logician, the rhetorician, the historian, the scientist—all those who must hold language before them so that they can see what it means, where it errs, and where it is leading.
An Organization Blog
An Organization Blog
This is Colleen's blog, presented alongside her insight and analysis of what the project did for her.
Click the link below for the website.
A Short Story
A Short Story
Below is Angelica's favorite short story, chosen from the ones she worked on throughout the year. In her reflection, she discusses her inspirations and some of her authorial choices.
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