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Senior Exhibit 13 morning meeting presentations

Wyatt Davies — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 05:05:13 +0000

This playlist is a compilation of all of the morning meeting presentations for Senior Exhibit 2013. Enjoy!

Two seniors share their senior exhibit experiences

Isabel Steven — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:23:56 +0000

by Justin Reed

Senior exhibit gives FA students an opportunity to immerse in a topic of interest or learn about something they have never seen or studied. The Falcon Flier talked to seniors Erin Garay and Akbar Khwaja to find their perspective or experience.

Senior Erin Garay is currently working on forming a radio and broadcasting station at FA.

How did you select your senior exhibit topic?

“Selecting a topic is different for everyone. For some people, it took time and they went through a lot of different topics to find their final topic. But for me, I just based it off my interest. I’m going to create my own radio show and the hope is to broadcast it here at FA through the speaker system.”

When will FA students get assigned a senior exhibit?

“The senior exhibit gets assigned in your junior year. Basically, you have to find something you are interested in, explore it in more depth, and explain it to the rest of the school. You create a project about it, do a learning activity and complete an application.”

How are FA mentors selected to assist you in your project?

“You pick three people who you want to be your mentor. Then, the head of the senior exhibit projects, Heidi Wilbrandt, checks the availability of the people you selected before she assigns you a mentor. So, you really don’t get that much of a say in it. Your mentor is supposed to help you find and pursue idea.”

What advice would you give to someone who has not started their senior exhibit?

“The most important thing is to find something you’re interested in and have fun doing it or you’re not going to enjoy the process. Also, do all your assigned work. It may seem tedious, but it’s worth it in the end.”

Senior Akbar Khwaja created an iPhone application for his senior exhibit.

How did you select your senior exhibit topic?

“I wanted to do something new and unique that hasn’t been done before at FA. Also, I wanted to learn something completely new to me. One day, while playing a game on my phone, the idea just came to me, and I immediately wanted to do it for my senior project.”

What was your favorite memory of your senior exhibit?

“When everything started to come together, and I realized that I could actually make my own game.”

What did you find challenging about your senior exhibit?

“First, it was difficult getting my computer to work properly, so I could actually make my game. Then, I had to make my game compatible with the new iPhone. But, the biggest struggle was just coming up with my idea and being able to create a game that would become popular.”

What will you take away from your senior exhibit?

The knowledge, experience, and skills I have learned. I was able to gain knowledge in the computer science field, experience a new topic, meet new people, and gain skills like perseverance and hard work.”

Keeping New Year’s resolutions

Alex Workman FF — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:19:28 +0000

Brooks Henke

Resolution: Work harder in school and earn better grades.

Obstacle he has to overcome: Distractions the constant access to a computer at school provides.

How he plans to achieve it: Stay focused and keep focused on the long term goals and consequences.

Is this a new resolution or one they are trying again? : New

by Alex Workman

Brooke West

Resolution: Spend more time with family and do well this semester.

Obstacle she has to overcome: Family is busy which also affects academics

How she plans to achieve it: “I’m using my unscheduled and free time after school more wisely. I have also learned how to juggle sports and academics in a more timely and efficient way.”

Is this a new resolution or one they are trying again on?: “New. I always try to do these things, but I think a New Year’s resolution is a good way to start actually buckling down and really achieve these to the fullest.”

Spencer Marshall

Resolution: Do better in school

Obstacle: “Time management and balancing extracurricular activities”

How to achieve: Become more organized and on top of important things

Old or new?: New

Ethan Stanton

Resolution: Break New Year’s resolution

Obstacle: Is he breaking it or keeping it by breaking it?

How to achieve: “I’m already this far in, I’m going to try to break it to see if I can achieve it. But if I achieve it I might end up breaking it so I have to find out which one is first”

Old or new: New

Addressing mental health essential to prevent shootings

Wyatt Davies — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:16:20 +0000

More than a month after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, there are many questions still left unanswered, and many debate as to how we as a country can prevent massacres like these from happening. The most widely debated issue is whether there should be a readdress of the second amendment. It is very easy to view firearms as the main problem in these situations; however as more of them occur, there is an inkling that there must be more to this problem than having a gun. Attempting to comprehend events that involve loss of life by another human’s malicious actions requires one to examine the mind behind the gun, rather than looking at the laws that govern the gun.

Mental health is a topic that has been often overlooked. However, it is a very important aspect to look at when trying to comprehend a voluntary incident that causes harm. But that is the problem. We are looking in the past without applying our knowledge afterward. Hindsight is 20/20, but we as a society aren’t focusing enough on the future.

More initiative needs to be taken to combat the struggle faced by those with mental illnesses. Having general knowledge about mental illness and sharing it with others is half the battle. This was the main objective of former FA club and national organization Active Minds. Active Minds focused on removing the stigma associated with mental illnesses and raising awareness of its prevalence.

A recent study from the American Psychiatric Association’s journal Psychiatric Services, showed that knowledge about mental illness and treatments increases the likelihood of individuals seeking help, according to the Active Minds web site activeminds.org.

Sadly, Active Minds did not have enough members to function as a club for the 2012-2013 school year.

“It’s not one of the more fun clubs to join. It’s more work. If you’re not interested in helping people then you won’t be interested [in being a member of Active Minds],” said sophomore Alina Arnatt-Nestor, former leader of Active Minds. “It is a necessary part of high school to be able to talk about things even though they are uncomfortable to talk about.”

I agree with Arnatt-Nestor. It is necessary to have the ability to discuss issues in an open environment, even if they are uncomfortable. I would like to see students at FA have more interest in mental health and a revival in clubs such as Active Minds. The FA faculty is currently in the progress of reviewing solutions such as positive thinking.

“One of the activities that we are trying to get going is talking more about positive thinking and talking about what makes you happy because there is so much negativity in the world and it is coming into the school environment. We don’t want the kids to feel stressed. You all are already feeling stressed with your academia schedule that we want you to feel safe, secure, relaxed and comfortable,” said School Counselor Rozelle Magee.

While placing certain restrictions on firearms may make it harder to purchase weapons, perpetrators will not be deterred from obtaining them if they are serious about their execrable plans. If more people are aware of the seriousness of mental health, we can work to prevent tragedies before the trigger is pulled.

JV team works hard despite small numbers

Kat Sparks FF — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:59:04 +0000

by Kat Sparks

The JV girls’ basketball is tiny this year with seven middle and upper school players. With five players on the court at one time and four eight minute periods, that only leaves two players on the bench to sub out the players on the court.

Despite the size, sophomore Brae Fletcher states that they are all getting better at the game together.

“Our team is mostly eighth-graders so, naturally, you would think that they aren’t very good but they play pretty well …” she said.

Fletcher said that the whole team gets along just fine, despite the differences in grade levels between players. They all enjoy playing the game and are progressing in both basic and other skills every game.

Jeff Eckerson, head coach of the varsity girls basketball team, gives the reason for having such a small team as “playing time.”

Since the varsity team has 13 players, Eckerson was worried about other players not being able to play as often and expand their skills. Without that playing time, the players would not be as skilled as the players who spent more time on the court. Therefore, the JV team was split from the varsity with their coach being Jimmy Whitman, even with the small number of JV teams in the area.

“Most schools we play against have no JV team,” said Eckerson.

Eighth-graders attended the varsity’s team practice for three days at the beginning of the season. When those three days were up, those were chosen to either be varsity or JV, according to eighth-grader Ravyn Gallimore.

Cooking the Perfect Snack: Kevin Mustacchio

Isabel Steven — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:05:43 +0000

I chose to do cooking as the topic for my senior exhibit. When I selected cooking, I was told that I had to be more specific than just cooking, so I chose to make pregame snacks for the basketball team and see how the snacks affected their athletic performance in the games. I’ve been making snacks and questioning the players on how the snacks affected their performance. I am making a chart that lists how many people liked the taste of the snack, how many players cramped up while playing after eating the snack, and how many players saw a boost in their athletic performance after eating the snack. I am trying to make a snack that at least two thirds of the players will like the taste of, will not get cramped up after eating the snack and will see a boost in their athletic performance. I have researched different types of food that are said to provide focus, give the consumer more energy, and prevent the muscles from cramping. I am trying to combine all of the foods with the most benefits to the players into one snack, while maintaining an enjoyable taste. Once I make a snack that boosts athletic performance and tastes good, I may start making them for the cooking club so that they can sell them to raise more money for cooking supplies.

Connecting FA to Habitat for Humanity: Emma Vance

Isabel Steven — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:23:46 +0000

My name is Emma Vance, and I knew I wanted to give back to the Fredericksburg community for my senior exhibit. I have always had a calling to help people. In the past I have participated in helping other communities. However, for my exhibit I wanted to stick a little bit closer to home.

For my learning activity I wanted to intern at a nonprofit organization somewhere in the community. In the end, I asked to volunteer at the Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity. It was a great experience. I learned about what happens behind the scenes of a nonprofit. I helped the office by making copies, answering phones, accounting and organizing files. During my time at Habitat for Humanity I unexpectedly learned how to talk more comfortably in front of people I didn’t know. I made great relationships with the people I worked with throughout the summer and it was truly rewarding experience.

For my application I wanted to be able to make a long lasting relationship between the Fredericksburg Academy community and Habitat for Humanity community. The plan is to adopt a family being supported by the Habitat program and to stock their cabinets with canned food and other supplies will make their lives easier. I want to be able to help this family and with the schools help we can make a difference. I hope to start my application soon, and I know it will be a success.

Youth in Philanthropy: Kelsey Williams

Isabel Steven — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:29:43 +0000

This past year I went from Kelsey Williams to Kelsey Williams the Youth In Philanthropy (YIP) Student Executive Director. The steps I took to achieve this title were long, but I learned several life lessons from the process. I took on the challenge of my senior exhibit topic and found a way to help youth get involved in the community. I knew what I wanted to do for my application before I ever knew what I wanted to do for my learning activity, so I had to create moments to put me in the right place to become the leader of Youth In Philanthropy. To create these moments, I began volunteering at the Community Foundation. Once I spent a significant amount of time there, I found out they offered internships. An internship for the Community Foundation became my learning activity and eventually the most enlightening thing I have done in a while. I learned the way an office environment works and also how an organization centered on charities takes on the challenges of our community. I was able to take these skills into my application seamlessly as I began steering the youth in a philanthropy direction. My application became an everyday event for months as I showed the students in YIP ways that minors can impact the greater Fredericksburg area. My application was one of the most monumental things I’ve done, and I can’t wait to use the skills I’ve learned from it in the future.

Internship with a Heart Surgeon: Justin Safarik

Isabel Steven — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:40:52 +0000

I have been lucky enough throughout my life to know exactly what I want to do as an occupation. During my schooling, I have had a deep interest in medicine and I plan to pursue that field when I go off to college next year. Therefore, I thought it was fitting that the culmination of my senior exhibit should deal with the topic which I plan to explore as a profession. Over the summer I worked with and shadowed Dr. D’Addio, a local cardiovascular surgeon. I worked with him at Mary Washington Hospital every Thursday, observing surgeries and helping with any work he needed for dictations or preliminary procedures. During these countless hours at the hospital I was able to gain a genuine insight into the true world of medicine, and I can honestly say that I am more intrigued now than I ever have been. Seeing as my learning activity was a very intensive and time-consuming project, my mentor and I were at a loss for possible applications seeing as I had already done so much. However, I soon came up with the idea of using the surgeries I saw in order to promote heart health at a young age in this school so that we might prevent our students from undergoing those same procedures. I plan on having a week of awareness for heart health, and hosting a basketball tournament at the end of the week with all proceeds going to the AHA.

Sound Production: Seth Rapkins

Isabel Steven — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:37:23 +0000

For my senior exhibit, I wanted to explore the world of sound production. Since UMW is right next to my house and I was already a registered student there, it seemed like an easy option and there was a class on music production for me to take. For the class, I completed four projects over four weeks and learned the ins and outs of creating sounds through digital methods. I got an A in the class and set myself up for my application by creating projects that I can
demonstrate. My intent is to create an online resource for the things that I have been working on that includes an explanation of the process. I’d also like to set up a performance for the things that I’ve created so people can see my work in action.