Alyssa

About Me

8th Grade

My 8th grade year has been a time of reflection and growth. I have learned so much this year and I am so excited to move on to High School and carry all of my knowledge with me.

I am currently a competitive dancer, participating in roughly 72 competitions and counting. I compete 1-2 times a month, and when I'm not competing, I am in the studio rehearsing and practicing. I love to dance, its my way of escaping and feeling emotion. Its endless improvement over and over, make you better each day. My favorite part of dancing is the community. We are all so close from 3-18 year olds. I have also performed at places like Fort Lewis College for basketball games, in the Fallies, and more.

Impact

One of the most important things I’ve learned in 8th grade is our lens, Impact. At the beginning of the year, I thought impact meant that my attitude could influence the people around me and that I should be a leader in my school and a role model for younger students. Now, as I reach the end of my time at the Mountain, I see impact in a deeper way. I’ve learned that the impact I have on myself directly affects the impact I can have on others.

This year has shown me that in order to be a strong role model and a steady presence in someone’s life, I first have to be consistent with myself. Because of that, I started making choices to become more positive, intentional, and uplifting so I can reflect the kindness I want to give others. I also let go of things and habits that drained my energy or held me back from being my best self.

When I made these changes, I noticed a real shift in my attitude and confidence. I feel more grounded, more authentic, and more like my true self—and that change has helped my light shine even brighter for others.

Purpose Map

My Purpose Map is a map that inspires me to be more and become more than what I am. It includes things like my identities, values, sounding board, daily practices, and my purpose statement. It is important to me because it helps guide me in who I want to become and reminds me of what matters most to me. When life gets stressful or I feel unsure of myself, it helps me stay focused on my goals, values, and the type of person I want to be. It also reminds me of the people who support me and encourage me to keep growing. My Purpose Map is meaningful to me because it reflects who I am right now while also showing the person I hope to become in the future.

Internship

During Internships we go to a business every day for a week in the afternoon and learn skills there that help us prepare for a job or professional setting. I worked at Innovation Medical Center in Durango Colorado, and learned about how the business runs. This office is for people who have problems with their feet and ankles and who seek medical attention. This was an amazing experiencs and I now know how to get a job!

Slideshow

Habits of Heart and Mind

Goal Setting

Respect

Treating yourself and others with kindness, consideration, and dignity, even when you disagree or see things differently.

Integrity

Having strong moral principles, being honest, and holding yourself accountable for your actions. Also, doing the right thing when no one is watching.

Effort

Is the energy and determination you put into trying your best, even when something is difficult. It’s not just about the final result; it’s about the hard work, perseverance, and focus you apply to a task or goal.

Refinement

Making small, precise improvements to something so that it becomes better, clearer, or more polished. It is a process of paying attention to details and getting rid of flaws or rough edges to achieve a higher level of quality.

Integrity

At the beginning of the year, I understood integrity to mean doing the right thing even when no one was watching. I thought integrity was mostly about being honest and following the rules. For example, I tried to make good choices at school, stay respectful to others, and complete my work responsibly. By the end of this year, I realized that integrity also means being true to yourself, taking accountability for your actions, and staying consistent with your values even during difficult situations. I learned that integrity affects not only how others see you, but also how you see yourself. For example, I worked on becoming a more positive and dependable person, letting go of habits and situations that negatively affected me, and making choices that reflected the kind of person I want to be. As you can see my 8th grade year has taught me a lot about myself and been focused on improving each day. It's like being in a plane when the oxygen masks suddenly fall from the ceiling. Your first instinct is to help someone else get their mask on to ensure they are safe before putting on your own. But the flight attendants consistently remind you to first put your mask on because that is the only way you can truly help the people around you. If you cannot breath, think clearly, or stay strong, you will not be able to support the person beside you. This relates to our lives because many people try to help others and carry all of their problems, without staying true to themselves or taking care of themself first. But when you direct your focus toward you, your growth, health, and happiness, you become stronger and more capable of helping others.

Ted Talk Exhibition

Presenting my TED Talk showed integrity because I stayed honest, responsible, and true to myself throughout the process. I put effort into preparing my speech, practiced what I wanted to say, and made sure the information I shared reflected my own thoughts and understanding. Even though speaking in front of others felt nerve-racking, I showed integrity by staying focused, respectful, and giving my best effort instead of giving up. During my presentation, I spoke truthfully and confidently, which showed that integrity means doing the right thing and being responsible, even when something feels challenging.

Copy of Homeworks Impact

Argumentative Essay

Writing my argumentative essay showed integrity because I worked hard to create honest and thoughtful writing based on facts and evidence. I made sure to support my opinion with reliable information and considered different perspectives instead of only focusing on my own viewpoint. I showed responsibility by staying on task, revising my work, and making sure the essay reflected my own understanding and effort. Even when it was challenging to organize my ideas or strengthen my argument, I kept trying and stayed committed to doing my best. Through writing this essay, I learned that integrity means being truthful, responsible, and putting in genuine effort to create quality work.

Effort

Effort has always meant the same thing to me. Effort means putting in your best energy, time, and determination into something, even when it’s difficult or doesn’t come naturally. For mel, effort can mean trying hard in school, sports, friendships, or personal goals instead of giving up when things get challenging. It’s not about being perfect or always getting the best grade—it’s about showing that you care enough to keep trying, learning from mistakes, and improving over time. Effort shows responsibility, determination, and a willingness to grow. For example, studying for a hard test, practicing a sport after a bad game, or in my case a bad competition, or working through a problem instead of quitting are all examples of effort.

Socratic Seminar Sheets

A Socratic seminar is a class discussion where students talk about a topic or reading, share their ideas, ask questions, and listen to other people’s opinions. To get ready, students usually fill out Socratic seminar sheets by answering questions, finding evidence, and writing down ideas. I showed effort while doing my Socratic seminar sheets by taking my time and making sure my answers were complete and thoughtful. I tried to understand the reading and find good evidence so I would be ready to talk during the seminar. Before the discussion, I looked over my notes and thought about what I wanted to say. By putting effort into my preparation, I felt more ready to participate and share my ideas in the Socratic seminar.

End of Unit Test

This assesment was about volume for cilinders, cones, and sphers. We learned how to find volume and functions in graphs and word problems. I showed effort on this test by taking my time and trying my best on every question, even the ones that were difficult. I stayed focused and used what I had learned in class to help me answer the questions. Before the test, I prepared by paying attention in class, studying my notes, and reviewing important information. During the test, I didn’t give up when something was hard and made sure to think carefully before answering. By staying focused and putting in my best effort, I showed that I cared about doing well and learning from the experience.

Refinement

At the beginning of the year refinement meant to me to improve something to make it better. I think this was a good definition, but I have come to know refinement in a different way. I mostly thought this was applied to school related work. For example, if I got corrections on an assignment, I would fix them, but I did not always take extra time to improve my work beyond what was required.

By the end of this year, I understand refinement as a process of continuously growing, improving, and learning from mistakes in many areas of life. For example, I revised my writing assignments after receiving feedback to make them stronger and clearer. Another example is how I improved my time management and organization by learning from missed deadlines and creating better habits to stay on track. Through these experiences, I learned that refinement is not about being perfect—it is about making progress and putting effort into becoming better.

Real World Exhibition

During this project I stuggled to know what to say. I had a hard time creating a budget plan, and making my project realistic and acheivable. I started by creating a rough draft of these slides, adding all of the requirements, but in a minimal way. I would summarize what I wanted to talk about. This made me less overwhelmed and ready to start refining. This is a great example of refinement because even though I was struggleing, I would make changes each day to improve my work. That resulted in a great project to present to the Camber of Commerce.

Math Mini Project #1

For this Mini Project in math, I was gone. which made it harder to know what to do and how to do it. Once I asked and figured everything out, I started creating my rough draft. This was helpful to me because it showed what I wanted on my paper and where I wanted it. I then created my final draft which was orginized and it looked great because of the rough draft I had made. When I got feedback on it I had missed a step and not calculated the slope of the line on my graph. This made it so I got an approching on my assingment. After I read through the comments I decided I would refine my paper to bump up my grade. After I caclulated slope and eplained what it meant, I was able to get my grade up to a meets. Because I refined my work I was able to get a better grade and be more proud of myself for taking the step to refine. As you can see this method really works for me!

Overall Growth in Groupwork

Ownership

Escaperoom Exhibitions

Helpfulness

Rocket Royal

Respect

Socratic Seminar

Groupwork has also been a really big part of my year. I learned that in order to have successful group projects, you have to be willing to take on extra tasks and deal with a group member who may not always do their work. I learned that teamwork is not always easy, and sometimes it requires patience, communication, and responsibility. There were times when I had to step up and do more to make sure the project stayed on track, even when it felt unfair. Through these experiences, I learned how important it is to stay positive, help others when needed, and not give up when challenges come up. Groupwork also taught me how to listen to different ideas, compromise, and work with different personalities. Overall, it helped me grow by teaching me responsibility, leadership, and how to work through challenges with others.

Significant Adult

Today I have invited Harper to my TPOL because she has been a big part of my life. When I first started dancing, I remember seeing Harper dance and being in awe because of how talented she was. I looked up to her immediately, not only because of the way she danced, but because of the confidence and passion she carried every time she stepped into the studio. To this day, she is my biggest inspiration in and out of the studio. From her work ethic to her kindness, she is always pushing to be better every day, and I see that in everything she does. She never settles for being “good enough” and always puts her full effort into reaching her goals, which inspires me to work harder too.

When people say she lights up every room she walks into, they are not joking because she truly is the light in every room. She has a way of making people feel welcomed, supported, and cared for just by being herself. Whether someone is having a hard day or needs encouragement, Harper is always there with kindness and positivity. The respect she has for others and herself is unmatched, and she shows effort in every single thing she does. She leads by example and reminds me that being a good person is just as important as being talented.

Harper has taught me so much without even realizing it. She has shown me what dedication looks like, how important it is to stay humble, and how much growth comes from hard work. Watching her has motivated me to keep improving, even when things get hard or frustrating. She inspires me not only to become a better dancer, but also a better person. I am so grateful to have someone like Harper in my life because she has impacted me in more ways than she probably knows, and I honestly would not be the same person or dancer without her influence.

Conclustion

Overall, this school year has helped me grow into a more confident, responsible, and positive version of myself. I have learned more about who I am, what I value, and the kind of person I want to become.

I’ve grown in Impact by realizing that the way I treat myself affects the way I treat others. By becoming more positive and intentional, I’ve been able to encourage and support the people around me.

I have been inspired by my community members because they constantly pushed me to work harder, stay motivated, and become the best version of myself. Their support and encouragement helped me grow throughout the year.

I have grown in integrity by staying true to myself, making better choices, and learning to take responsibility for my actions and attitude.

I have grown in Effort by staying committed to my academics, dance, sports, and personal goals even when things became difficult or stressful.

I have grown in Refinement by learning from my mistakes, improving my mindset, and continuing to challenge myself to grow each day.

I have demonstrated ownership, helpfulness, and respect by supporting my classmates, being a positive role model, and contributing to my community in meaningful ways.

I know I am ready to graduate from middle school and start high school because I have become more independent, confident, and prepared to take on new challenges and opportunities.

Thank you to my teachers, family, friends, and community for supporting, encouraging, and believing in me throughout this school year.

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