This was my progress the first day

For my group project, we have made the survey and are waiting for Mrs. Heverly to respond with feedback.

For my individual project, there was not a very convenient time to meet with the fire house people, and they did not respond to our emails. I will discuss with Hayley what else we can do to try one last time to take another step with the project.

Here are the surveys that we made for Operation Backpack:

I agree with the studies, but not fully. I do agree that Generation Z is very stressed out, but it is not just because of big political issues. There is also the added stress of school, jobs, and home life, so to say that all of Gen Z is stressed out because of politics and gun violence is not accurate. Also, the statistics for Gen Z verses Gen X and millennials is not that far off, so Gen Z is not the only generation being effected by these types of issues.

I think the statistic that most surprised me was that 75% of Gen Z called mass shootings a significant source of stress. Personally, I don’t think about it that often, but I would understand those who do. We haven’t had any drills in the case of a shooting — we mostly just have fire drills — but I think that implementing more safety systems in schools would help the Gen Z population lessen their stress.

I watched a video at the top of the article, and it highlighted a group of opposing groups in Washington, D.C. that had conversations and lighthearted debates about the topic of gun violence. It was liberating to see, because I didn’t think that there could be people who were those opposed in the same room together. Of course, there are some people who feel so strongly about their argument that they couldn’t be in the room with an opposition, but it was refreshing to know that not everyone is like them.

I couldn’t find out how to format the pictures correctly, but that is my HAPA project, inspired by the speaker Kip Fulbeck.

I hope that out generation will build successful businesses in Pottstown, and revive the one thriving community.  There, it can be hostile and unwelcoming, but there can also be good in the town. There are community events, small businesses, and traditions. I hope that we realize that we aren’t in a New England small town, rural fields, or a part of another school — we are in Pottstown. I hope that we learn that both Pottstown and the Hill School can benefit each other, and we work more closely together to help each other.

I look in colleges for either medicine or law superiority, but I 100% do not want to go to an Ivy League school. I think that whatever college I go to, if I make the right decisions, I can get to the level of any Ivy League graduate. The only difference is that I won’t have the name. I will also look for colleges away from the east coast, because I want to see more of the country at least before I settle down, and possibly find a place to work after college. I might look for a place near a city or large town so that I can enjoy the benefits of living near a thriving community and also on a college campus.

I will look for suburbs near a large city, business opportunities, and good schools and people. That might seem impossible, but I know that there is somewhere in the world where a variation of the exists.

Watch the video HERE

Yesterday, we took a field trip to Camphill Village at Kimberton. It was a fun experience, and I learned a lot about strides that are being taken to bash the boundaries and stigmas around disabilities. It started as an agricultural, farming community, but it has since turned into so much more than that. It has turned into a crafting community where the villagers and coworkers, as they like to call each other, each find their special talent and work every day on it. There is agricultural land work, pottery, dairy farming, housework, mosaics, and many other activities.

They really emphasize the fact that they live together without the use of labels, which I think is a very good thing. Too often we find places in the world such as group homes and in the general community, where the environment is hostile and unforgiving to people with mental disabilities, but this place is a haven to those who could be discriminated against. We weren’t there long enough to see those things in action, and I would look forward to seeing that.

Access their Website HERE

For our first project of the year, we tried to build a tower out of noodles and tape that could support a marshmallow. Our first idea was to make a cube-shaped frame, and then build off of there. It ended up not being able to support the weight of the marshmallow, so we had to resort to a plan B. Then, someone in our group took the tape, and we had to make a plan C, which was a square-based pyramid. It ended up finally working, and we supported the weight of the marshmallow.

This year, 3rd form year, I am taking a class called design thinking. It is about thinking to improve the world, and providing solutions to large and small scale problems. The video provided a good introduction to this 5-step process, and described the real-world impact of solving problems. Most of the students in the class interviewed said that they loved the course, even when some of them would not have described themselves as creative. Some of my friends, especially in my old school, would definitely not have described themselves as creative, and I think that this is a great course to showcase the inner creativity in a person.

Watch the Video HERE

It is Tuesday, October 9th, and I still have not finished my thought of the day. It is nerve-wracking to go up to the podium in front of so. many. people! I have a hard time even presenting in front of the class, let alone the entire school! I have a quote picked out, and it is: “You are more than the choices you have made” I don’t know yet how to elaborate on this, though. I love the quote, I’m just not sure how to elaborate on it in a way that would actually get through to people. More to come on that.