• The 8th grade lens is Impact.

• At the beginning of the year, impact meant an effect you have on someone or something.

• At the beginning of the year, I demonstrated this lens by trying to be inspirational to younger children through mountain ambassadors and live 8th grade to the fullest extent.

• For example Lila, Farrah, and I make 8th grade chats to present to the younger grades to help them with motivation in school. 

• By the end of this year,  Impact started to mean more to me because a new chapter is about to begin. I wanted to have a lasting effect on my friends and this school and hopefully inspire the younger grades to do their best.

For example I have done more extensions in exhibition projects like speeches, making  brochures and put more effort into my work in all classes.

This is my purpose map. We made it in purpose learning class to showcase what is important to us in life. One example I have in my map is my sounding board which is people you can trust. Another one I have is time and energy which is what I spend my time on. My purpose statement is to build relationships with others to create an open and caring environment for all. I will achieve this goal by putting myself out there and being myself.

Today I have invited Mrs Patrum to my TPOL because she has greatly impacted my 8th grade year. Mrs Patrum shows respect to all of her students even if they treat her unkindly, she respects us and we respect her. She shows integrity when she is teaching, trying to make sure we do the right thing. She displays effort even if she is having a bad day she makes everyone else's day better. She displays refinement when she hasn't fully reviewed lesson plans she goes and re does it and motivates her students to refine our own work. But she has really impacted me when she is always there to talk to and gives helpful advice on problems that I may have. She is always listening and trying to make things better. I try to be like Mrs Patrum because she doesn't give up and will always be there for her the people she cares about.

At the start of this year I thought ownership was taking responsibility for your actions and work. Now at the end of the year I still think the same and I have shown this a lot throughout this year. One major example of when I took ownership was during our final exhibition my group was behind and almost did not finish our work in time so I took over and finished all of the work like our rocket video. Another example is when we are doing Socratic Seminars I don't always talk as much as I should during them so I have to take ownership for myself  to get the grade I deserve for the effort put into my work.

Now finally I will talk about respect. At the start of the year I thought respect was being polite and listening to teachers. Now I believe respect is listening to different opinions, staying responsable, and treating people with kindness even when we disagree. One major example of me using respect is during socratic seminars even when I don’t always agree with the other people I listen to them respectfully and hear them out on what they are trying to argue. Another example is being responsible and respectful during my internship by being kind to customers and willing to learn anything.

At the beginning of this year I thought being helpful was doing things only when people asked for help. Now I believe helpfulness is supporting others, working well in groups, and helping teachers and classmates without always being asked. One example is helping out all of my group members whenever they need it, specifically helping Iris write her script for exhibition and helping finalize work. Another example is helping people at table groups with anything whether it is math or just a simple question about the work we are doing.

This year has taught me so much and prepared me for the journey ahead. I accomplished many things, including internships, maintaining good grades, and trying new experiences. Throughout my time at Mountain, I am most proud of the friendships and connections I have made. Even though we did not always get along, the people I met had a huge impact on my life and helped me grow as a person. One of my biggest accomplishments was stepping outside my comfort zone and learning things I would not have learned anywhere else. These experiences gave me the confidence, responsibility, and motivation the pursue my goals and become the best version of myself. I am ready to graduate and move on to highschool because I have learned to be more independent, responsable, and open to new challenges, I am ready to work hard, meet new people, and continue growing both academically and personally as I move into highscool.

Overall, I have grown a lot throughout 8th grade both as a student and as a person. I’ve grown in impact by realizing that my actions can positively influence others around me. My community members inspired me to become the best version of myself by always encouraging and supporting me. I have grown in integrity by being more honest with myself and others, and I have grown in effort by learning the importance of working hard and never giving up. I have also grown in refinement by improving my work and pushing myself to do better each day. I have demonstrated ownership, helpfulness, and respect by taking responsibility for my actions, helping classmates when needed, and treating others kindly. I know I am ready to graduate from middle school and begin high school because I have become more responsible, confident, and prepared for new challenges. Thank you to my teachers, friends, and family, for supporting me throughout this school year.