Last year in the beginning of the year we made ‘goal setting photos,’ where we took an image of ourselves and using our iPad skills that we had learned from grade 8 we inserted text into the photo that described our goal for the year.

For grade 10, we did something completely different. We all made 3 different goals. One about our work directly in school, one about our attitude as a person and the third about our work outside of school. We were also to make images for each goal to be on screen when we were narrating. It was a mini-podcast, mine is attached below.

Goal 1-

Goal 2-

Goal 3-

Let me break down my goals. My first was to work on my storytelling, specifically my introductions and my hooks.

I consider writing to be one of my strong suits in school, but unfortunately this is not as true in storytelling. Often the beginning of stories might look good on paper,  but once they are read, they sound too conversational and not a real introduction. So this year I want to read aloud all of my introductions to myself and maybe others as well to improve them

My second goal is about my attitude as a person. I chose to be more patient with others, this is mostly about taking criticism and turning it into positivity, rather than rejecting other people’s opinions. At the end of last year I started to do this and I saw how it can help me, and I was to continue to do that this year.

Finally is my away from school learning goal. Right now my life has a lot going on, I am very involved with school, academically and and with school sports. I also I’m playing hockey at the NSWC. A new addition is that this fall and winter I am being put on a multi-level training program for Stan up paddle board racing. I also have to leave time to go work at my two jobs, and leave the rest for my family and friends.

1. In my opinion WWI started before 1914, it had been building for years before the first gunshot, and even before Franz Ferdinand was killed, which is considered to have kicked off ‘The Great War.’ Britain was known for their Navy long before WW1, they were a naval powerhouse, running their country, and other colonies around the world. Historian Norman Stone said, “The last thing Germany needed was a problem with Great Britain, and the biggest mistake of the 20th century was when Germany built a navy.”

This quote carries a lot of power because of how much money and effort Germany put into a military and navy in a time that there was no major war happening yet. But it didn’t take very long for that to change. Germany’s Navy sparked a need for everyone to have stronger militaries, and this new innovation carried through after the war started as well.

After everyone had built their navies they all started teaming up, making two teams, The Triple Alliance and The Triple Entendre. This meant that when something happened to start a war, everyone was ready because of their technology and their alliances.

Normally around his time of year we do an SLC, a student lead conference, where we are given a script and way to present that we follow by using our work as examples of something we are proud of, something that shows a growth mindset and one that’s an example of learning. This year is different, in a TPOL we are to pitch to our parents and teachers why we should be allowed to participate in PLP next year.

This TPOL I want to talk all about growth as a learner, and how I want that to continue in the future.

So to begin I want to talk about my mindset and attitude. This is not only the growth from earlier in the year, when we had a whole meeting to talk about my mindset and how it needed to improve, in my SLC a bit after I was praised for improving the mindset by staying positive. In the SLC I set a goal to make it better moving forward. The result that has come out of this goal is a big different but not bad. I have seen and been told that in my work and in the whole school invironment my attitude towards criticism and revision has improved immensely. A great example is my Florida video.

Florida. Again.

That is my final draft, I went through 3 drafts before this, and after every single one there was extensive criticism. The critique came from my teachers, peers and grade 11 TA’s. At that time my video was just me talking over some Florida photos, then an interview and then a POV video that paused every time something I wanted to talk about happened. After taking all that critique, I am very proud of the work that came It of it.

I want to carry this to the future, I want to get so good at taking critique that I can instantly turn around and improve after one revision, not after one, two or three.

Another part of my school arsenal of skills is my leadership while working in groups and also when working as a class. I know I talked about it last SLC but I want to talk about DI again.

Destination Imagination Provincials 2

So, in DI this year I was in Mocha Bliss, a group of all boys, who were all friends. We were all shocked how we had been put together, normally our teachers separate us because we normally make what could only be described as trouble. In the beginning that was true, for the first couple weeks we really didn’t do much. When I saw what we had done, what we had to do and what we were competing with at DI I knew that I had to turn that group around. So I jumped into a leardership role and pulled it together for regionals, and after that for provincials I worked even harder to pull our group together to emphasize the skills that our very talented group had, and to shine as a group.

I’m not saying I want to do this with DI again, I’m saying I want to do this with every group project, to take a leadership role when us is needed, like I did for DI and what I should’ve done for the joke that was metaphor machines.

The final part that I am going to talk about is my success, how I plan to continue that success and my goals for the future. So two nights ago I was presented with the PLP Outstanding Learner award. This means a lot to me, it shows how much have grown and that I have been rewarded for my efforts. Also hearing what my teachers had to say about me was very uplifting and enlightening.

I want to continue this kind of success and praise next year. At the beginning of the year as you know we are going on a team bonding trip, I want to actively try and work to sew our cohort back together for the rest of grade 10. Also I have a similar goal for the field school in California in February. As of now I don’t know what the project that we are doing that goes with the trip, but I want to maximize my time there which is something that I unfortunately did not do in Florida, but since then I have changed my view on field schools.

I also have 3 more goals. The first one I talked about earlier, I want to continue to assume and to step up more often into a leadership role. The second is that I want to keep my work ethic up so that I continue with this success. And the last one is to elevate my participation in field schools.

The point of this blog post is to explain what I think is the greatest moment in Canadian history. I think that is a really hard question to answer, because Canada is an amazing country withe so many great moments. But I will try anyway. So these past couple of months we have learned about the CPR and general Canadian history. So I am well educated around this subject. So let’s start off with the question what do I think is the greatest moment in Canadian history? My simple answer is I think that the greatest moment is the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Before the CPR Canada was in pieces, it was’t the strong nation that we know so well. It was divided into the Oregon Territory, the North-Western Territory, Rupert’s land, Upper and Lower Canada. and The Maritimes. The railway connected all of these divided areas, most importantly was one of the big factors for the Oregon Territory to join the growing nation of Canada, rather than becoming it’s own nation or joining the U.S. The last reason would have to be that the CPR connected a lot of different cultures together to be come friends. This was good because of all the new trade options that they were presented with. This led to a lot of the residence living better than the were before. This also helped new towns appear, ad older, smaller ones boom and stay big. After this, the second part of the assignment was to make a visual, me and Spencer teamed up to pool ideas and resources and we made a divided map, of what Canada would be without the CPR.

In PLP we are currently doing a Health And Career unit, and this is a mini-project in the form of a keynote presentation. This presentation is about what we ‘carry,’ this could be physical, mental or emotional. We were then to create a keynote and showcase what we carry and also our technology skills. I did 10 different things I carry, 5 physical, 5 mental.

The first item is a physical one. My phone. I use it every day, it keeps me in touch with my family and friends. It also can entertain me, but recently I have learned about how it can be like my iPad: for school. When my iPad is away from wifi I can use my phones cellular.

The next item is my earbuds, I listen to these through my phone on the way to anywhere I’m going, it is a way to pass time. They also help me focus, I wear them when I’m doing worksheets and blog posts. I am in fact wearing them right now.

The third thing is my anger. Over time I have learned to turn this into motivation. I can use this motivation in sports, by channeling it toward the opposition. I can also use it in sports, by staying motivated to complete work.

The next physical thing is my brain. This is definitely the most important one, I would not be able to write this or use and control any of these other things without it.

The final physical thing is my voice. It is a blessing but a curse, it is good for confidence when presenting and meeting new people but it is bad when I have to be quiet at all.

Next are the 5 mental things. The first thing is my role models. Chancelor Bennett is my model for how he has takes his family so seriously, and Donald Glover for his career.

The next mental thing I carry is my friends. I have had various ones my whole life, they help me be happy and strong in times that are important.

The third mental thing I carry is my family. They have been there for me my whole life, they support me and in the case of my brother, he pushes me to always be my best.

The second to last thing that I carry is my goals for the future. These mainly are to live either in South Africa or New Zealand if the housing market in Vancouver doesn’t change, and being a footwear or equipment designer.

The final thing is my sports, they keep me fit and strong. My first sport was hockey, but that soon added inline or roller hockey to the mix. Then around the same time I started running track and stand up paddle board racing.

The next episode in what so far has proved to be a whirlwind of health and career, is all about our futures as students, people and contributors to society. In this mini-project we were told to make a short iMovie that played out our plans for the future and what in our pass influenced those ideas. We started by making a timeline about important milestones in our lives, mine is attached below.

The next part was to make the actual movie. I will link it here then talk about it below, and explain the creative process

Pretty cool intro, right? That took 2 hours, anyway that video was actually pretty easy. aside from my fun with the intro, it was quite a smooth, easy, fun process and it shows the watcher what I plan to do for the future.

The final part of my his project was taking some tests on the WorkBC website and seeing what BC said I should do with my life. There is 3 quizzes. The first is an abilities quiz, here are my results.

I was not expecting to get an optometrist as my answer, but after thinking a bit it’s quite interesting, doing a job that isn’t that hard, helping people and making a lot of money. That sounds pretty good. The next quiz was a work preference quiz. Below are my results.

This job I think that I would enjoy a lot, it is building and manufacturing, something that I enjoy doing and I skill that I would carry into any job that I do. I would like to make more money though because I would like to stay living in Vancouver. The final quiz is a Subjects quiz.

I would very much enjoy a job in construction management, it is a combination of building things, a passion of mine and another skill of mine, controlling and commanding people.

This project was easily the biggest one that I can remember every doing. I’ll start with the main project, this isn’t a new one, my brother even did it when he was in grade 9. The frankenstuffies. This whole units final project is to make a video, where the star is your own crea

OThis assignment is a two part assignment. One part was making a poster of ‘yourself’ that is made out of food that you eat often and enjoy. The first draft I didn’t spend enough time on:

Them I spent some time making hair out of pasta and added a mouth so I looked more like a human and less like am edible arrangement.

The second part was reflecting on some videos. The first video is a Ted Talk, presented by Mark Bittman. It is based on how global warming and the food crisis are extremely connected. The video is linked below.

This video is immensely interesting, connecting two crises, the food crisis and global warming. And the government is actually supporting the food crisis, not putting up billboards that say ‘MCDONALDS’ but it is sutble. Let me put it like he did. ‘Imagine the government promoting non sustainable energy. That’s what they do with food.’ That puts it into perspective how big this problem is. This video really inspired me to eat my veggies, he talks extensively about how the old idea of eating animals is good to bed. ‘If you eat plants, you will live longer.’ It is inspirational in a way that is not forceful, but persuasive, very persuasive to make you eat better for our world.

The second video is another Ted Talk, this one is about global hunger and is presented by Ellen Gustafson.

This one appeals to me right away because she starts by saying how hungry people are upset, and I myself get very hangry when I am hungry. She decided to do something about this, and started and idea called ‘School meals’ a program that gets kids fed before school, so that they are happy and ready to learn. This idea was ignored by the UN so she started a business and has since helped feed 55 million children. This one is incredibly inspiring in what one idea can grow to be.

For me PERSONALLY, the first video hit me more, it in a way makes the watcher want to go out and change how they eat TODAY. The second is more about what we can do to help over time, but I’d rather do something now, and then help other people when I know how to manage this.

So, I’m back with another post about Florida, but this time it’s a bit different. This post is about the video we made, not the trip.

The whole part of the project is to answer the question ‘What Draws us To Imaginary Worlds?’ We used our experience and the knowledge abt Disney’s Imagineers: a group of engineers who design and build rides and attractions in Disney in a way that creates an experience. Each student was given a ride to use to answer this question, mine was the Tomorrowland Speedway, on of the first rides in Disney World. A popular ride that is a simulation of the racing experience, while also being a tour of the Magic Kingdom.

I rode the ride, and while riding it I saw so many people on the ride and lining up. People young and old, ever race speaking every language. Aside from these differences, everyone was there for one reason to be on the ride. After my experience and research through the ride my final answer that we are drawn to imaginary worlds by what interests us in the ride or the show. For an example in the Tomorrowland Speedway, the competition appeals to some, while the scenery appeals to others. We don’t all go to this ride because we love cars, that’s only a small portion of people. Some go for the speed, and most go just because it’s simply a historic part of Disney and they want to take part in such a huge spectacle. The video below is my first draft I made.

For the next draft I would have to cut it down a lot, it had too much blank space and I also had to balance a lot of the audio, the music was too loud and the voice over was unbalanced. I fixed all of these things in the following draft.

After the regional tournament for DI (You can read about that below)

Destination Imagination 2.0

We had some improvements to make. To start our structures hadn’t worked, and had been taken away by the people, that was the rules. Our first structures were overweight to begin with and on top of that after we modified them to fit the weight restrictions, they couldn’t hold any weight. This time we got the structures to hold 90lbs and also to fit in the bonus area. The photo below is us testing the structures.

You can see a full video of the structures being tested Here.

The only real problem that we had the whole presentation was when I brought out the table during a scene change and knocked over the background, this cause quite a bit of confusion, but a good angry Sam Schewee can keep anyone going, so we went with the flow and made it all work.

This years D.I experience for me was a lot better than last year. Unlike last year I was able to make it to a performance, and the 2 performances that we did we are all proud of and we believe we’re quite good. Me and my group had a great time doing this, as we are all good friends, thus, we had no conflicts.

The only thing that I would’ve done differently is to spend a bit more time on the team choice elements, our first one was very strong  but our second one could’ve been improved and presented in a more enthusiastic way.

Our scoring was harsh, and irritating. We were judged hard as far as our story went, in my opinion this is because we took a current issue and what would happen in the future, something that I don’t think most judges understood the creative genius behind. Also our instant challenge is normally a very strong are of ours, and we did not deliver at our usually high standards.