Seyiram Foley's Capstone

My capstone started off with a question, what can I do to serve my community in a way that will actually impact them positively? I was able to come up with an answer to that question. For my capstone, I made gift bags full of essentials that the unhoused need on a day-to-day basis. I was able to get funding through Braskem to make this possible. I was able to distribute the bags in early April and got feedback from some of the people I was able to help.

Link to bibliography:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IKjekwr1ewt5_8S1E4TSKUbb9WGSNjCfWNI5LixzbPk/edit

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Jason Bircaj Capstone

For my Capstone, I created a clothing donation drive inside the school building and also had a similar setup outside of the school in my own neighborhood. For the in school one, it lasted around a month and had many students and teachers donate all kinds of clothes during February-March. Some of the acceptable clothes were T-shirts, Hoodies, Jackets, Pants, etc. While the one I had created in my neighborhood was a little bit of fundraising where I went door to door asking people for possible donations to the Klein Life organization to help all the families who have fled Ukraine. I hoped to show the importance of donations through these tasks and wanted people to see what good can come out of them.

Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18wOwNb3I9wWUrD_NPNqfW4Y3mO8j7md-kcIXk2MjhWw/edit?usp=sharing

"Capstone Poster"
"Capstone Poster"
"In School Donation Drive"
"In School Donation Drive"

Ean Baylor-Nicholson "StepAhead"

Before starting to create a website, I first created a google doc listing the steps I was willing to take to complete it. First I would create a template on google sites, next I would begin trying to contact colleges for information on the majors they offered, then I would start creating crash courses on my website, and finally I would create pages for colleges I want to feature on my website with majors they offer. On the college pages I will make sure to add hyperlinks to crash courses that I’ve made. When I first opened a new page on google sites, I first created a formatting template for how I wanted my page to look. To create my crash courses, I’ve first tried reaching out to colleges via email but with no success I’ve turned to doing research and reciting the sources I’ve used. One thing I’ve learned from this project is how to better manage my time. Knowing that my project needed to consume at least 80 hours of work I felt a bit overwhelmed considering my history of poor time management. I created a plan to work at least four hours each week on my Capstone for the entire year. This is what helped me the most complete my capstone on time.

StepAhead: https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/stepahead/

Capstone Bibliography - Ean

Katelyn Chen- Chalkboard Wall

For my capstone project, I wanted to beautify/add more color to SLA’s new building. I figure that the best possible solution for this is to create a mural. I didn’t want my mural to just be a big piece of artwork, I wanted it to be a collaborative piece of art that students at SLA can interact with. Therefore, I decided to create a chalkboard wall on the first floor of the building. Students are allowed to set their creativity free and this is not only one art piece but many others. The chalkboard wall’s purpose is to remind students of upcoming information at SLA, draw, and leave positive messages or messages for others. For this Capstone, I started off by researching which colors can have a positive impact on the brain. I choose to use the colors, red, yellow, green, and orange. I also decided to add my own touch of color which was brown. I started off with an outline of my oval and painted my Chalkboard paint and then I moved on to painting my stripes. Finally, I put up any SLA News.

Time-lapse of my Capstone: https://www.wevideo.com/view/3085425588

bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uP8mZTI014IwD2v3LKQeg0qrxYDxmRGbuGn2wCWsYwQ/edit?usp=sharing

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Abigail Singleton Capstone

For my Capstone project I did a “Necessities Drive.” Recognizing the poverty that runs deeply through our city I knew very early on that I wanted to center my Capstone around combatting this major issue. I created a partnership with an organization called Cradles to Crayons, which is an organization whose mission is to distribute items necessary to survival and comfortability to families in Philadelphia who are in need. I have collected donations both inside and outside of the school community, as well as having held events such as bake sales to raise funds to be able to purchase more donations to distribute. I have distributed multiple donations to Cradles to Crayons over the span of my Capstone project.

Here is the link to my Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e_A-wvXF1jiS_Bvr5GQxr22Nhck-033k026hHSE9uCw/edit?usp=sharing

Here is the link to my Process Paper: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-0JdUuctuaGTPlAOE0qTT2aeBEMcyINYj64hJ4nMw3o/edit?usp=sharing

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Screenshot 2023-05-22 11.59.57 PM

Hanna Roemer-Block Capstone

For my capstone, I created a website. Well I did a little more than that. I started out with volunteering at my old elementary school once a week for three hours. Since January, I have been there every Wednesday, helping with homework and facilitating activities. Along with teaching kids, I branched out a little. I wanted my project to be about my neighborhood as a whole. I decided to conduct interviews with people that are very influential in my community and well educated in mutual aid. I asked them questions about the non profits and organizations they work with, and how they have helped to build a strong neighborhood. Then, I brought it all together on a website. The website contains quotes from my interviews along with my own writing about my neighborhood, elementary school, and mutual aid. Without mutual aid, healthy communities cannot exist, because they require systems in place to provide help if something goes wrong. Communities that are capable of self sustaining are more equipped to thrive.

Ryan Tieu Capstone

The capstone I made is the intro to Engineering video. The video is an introduction to the CTE engineering program in SLA. The goal of the video is to help invite people into the engineering program and to help people find themselves within it. Because I am in the CTE program, I must do a capstone involving digital video. I chose to do this project because I saw that SLA was lacking many digital media of what our school offers and decided to settle on making an intro to our neighbors, the engineering members. To begin this process, I first had to ask myself how do I show the meaning of engineering, while also making it welcoming?

Process Paper: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CibNV-dfmh0DiWloxT3yKgQQEUN0xaJd8-pEG5wCSuo/edit?usp=sharing

Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ljCicHJ93NVDDjrjRDfl09VRPUZPY7dx/view?usp=drive_link

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p3t3U-wtS7Js58-tVM3S4Tc7GZxy2tqiILdY3Yyh_Do/edit?usp=sharing

Riley Prell Capstone

For my senior capstone, I coded my own information board using a raspberry pi and a TV donated by Braskem. To do this, I had to learn a brand new coding language and use software that I had never worked with before. This brought up challenges along the way because I had to use unique ways to solve my problems. I was able to get help from my mentor and classmates, along with forums talking about similar problems to mine. To make my capstone, I used a GitHub repository called MagicMirror to find the bare bones structure of my information board. From then, I implemented other modules I found and tried to create my own along the way. This whole time I was working in JavaScript and C++, which are both languages I have never worked with. Along with this, I was programming in an IDE called Geany, which is very basic compared to the IDEs I have worked with before. This made me learn how to troubleshoot my code without the help of debugging software, along with new skills in reading and writing code I have no experience in. This project is very valuable to me because it let me learn new skills that directly relate to what I will be going to college for a while, also making something that benefits SLA.

Annotated Bibliography:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C-8X4IjwWA3mQJvHiNyGrHoLrs3pUUItSnKFwJ2pdx4/edit?usp=sharing

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Zaahid Johnson Capstone

Transferring to SLA was a big, new step for me.I had to adjust to the environment and the new way of learning. While other students had been accustomed to SLA’s core values for three years, this was my first year getting used to them. Picking a senior project to do was difficult for me, I wanted to do something I was passionate about but also something that tied into the SLA core values. For my project I decided to bring back a neighborhood event called The Hair Harvest, that had been stopped due to covid. The Hair Harvest is always held the Sunday before Thanksgiving and started as a way of helping to boost spirits during the holidays, especially for those who are less fortunate. The event took place at the Ford Pal Center located at 631 Snyder Ave. At the event, local people in the neighborhood and from neighboring shelters could come to the Ford Pal Center and receive free hair cuts and hair styles, free manicures, free food and drinks, live music and entertainment, and so much more.

Event Website: https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/the-hair-harvest/home?authuser=0

Copy of Capstone Bibliography-2

Leila Hamilton Capstone

I chose to create a photography portfolio for my Capstone. Photography has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. Photography gives me peace, joy, and constant inspiration. On the other hand, I had some challenges. In my project, I hope to inspire young kids, adolescents, and adults to give a broad spectrum of art a chance. In my portfolio, I hope you and others will find that inspiration.

Portfolio: https://sites.google.com/d/16J4M9yP2mxxZiMXFTJbgQRZ1DcKWeNfY/p/18VbSlDIFalP0nn2n3rnZlgkWiG4HZsHo/edit

Process Paper:

Process Paper - Renéé Hamilton

Annotated Bibliography:

Capstone Annotated Bibliography - Renéé Hamilton (2)

Sam Gombiner Capstone

My capstone project involved developing a Chrome web store extension that accessed the Canvas LMS API to display assignments in a drop-down cube when the extension icon was clicked. The goal was to provide easy access to assignment information for students who often struggled with staying updated on deadlines. The project required extensive research and learning, as I had no prior knowledge of accessing APIs, working with Canvas API, or coding in JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and Chrome extensions. The extension was primarily focused on research, prototypes, and reflection due to its non-functioning state, which was caused by issues with accessing Canvas tokens and IDs. The key components of the project included the manifest.json file, index.html, and contentScript.js. The manifest file provided details about the extension, while index.html served as the basic HTML structure and the style.css functioned as the customization/”styling” of the HTML. The contentScript.js file, written in JavaScript, attempted to access the Canvas API, fetched assignments and dynamically displayed them in a dropdown box. Through this capstone, I significantly developed my programming skills and gained a deeper understanding of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Although the extension did not work as intended, the experience and lessons learned will positively impact my future coding endeavors. As my next step, I plan on creating and hosting a personal website to showcase my current and future projects.

Github Link (if you click on each file, there are comments under every important line of code, detailing what purpose they serve):

https://github.com/sgombiner/SLA-Canvas-Assignments-Extension

Capstone Bibliography:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pqTFuwJcAUy-Lqu3BoyAOqFoirYx-jtnAip6GHpB-io/edit?usp=sharing

Alexa Lerer Capstone

For my capstone I taught some young students how to code. This was a very rewarding capstone since we were learning together. This felt like a great opportunity to show off skills I already had and pass those skills off to someone that might really enjoy it. My ultimate goal is get more women in STEM fields so the best way to help with that would be to show young girls that anyone can learn how to code and that it can be fun! The research for this project was loaded. I needed to not only refresh my knowledge on coding but also learn how to teach children. I was very happy with the results I saw with the projects. We did mini lessons to lead up to making websites. I will be attaching a very excellent project one of my students made. These are two screenshots of a website with their favorite authors. I was very impressed to see all of their links being functional and leading to different areas of the website.

Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TWvf-xuFffp8iuSuupSbjFY6ILizwcGn3Q8ALnB95g4/edit?usp=sharing

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Dylan Dejong-Dougherty Capstone

Through months of exploration, confusion, struggle and eventually accomplishment I finished my capstone. The main focus of my capstone is expression. I sought out to find ways to express feelings through art, specifically photography. Oftentimes expressing feelings can be hard and visually expressing them is even harder. So I decided to tell the subjects of my project to write out exactly how they felt and what they wanted to say. I had them design a shirt or, in one case paint on their body with the words they felt needed to be said. After that, I photographed them and then interviewed them. I decided not to ask any guiding questions besides “What do the words you wrote mean to you. And why are they important?”

Capstone Progress Paper (1)

LINK TO CAPSTONE MATERIALS

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HWT9amhNgpfNDUy7ERaFI93HbdcZvXXd?usp=share_link

Capstone Annotated Bibliography  (1)

Samuel Masters Capstone

For my capstone I decided to make a guide for making your own affordable dumbbells from home. I decided to do this project because I think that exercise is very important and that most people don’t have the funds or the motivation to start so I wanted to make it easier for people. For my process, I started by doing calculations for how much cement to use and I bought some supplies from the hardware store like floor flanges, steel pipes, concrete and buckets. Next, I attached the flanges to the ends of the pipe and put the ends in buckets of concrete one at a time. My product is three concrete dumbbells, one 20 lb dumbbell and a set of two 40 lb dumbbells. I made the initial 20 lb dumbbell to test out the math and see if all the measurements are correct but I already have a set of 20’s at home so I didn’t see a point to making another one. During this project I learned a lot about cement and how it sets, what it’s made out of and how much weight decreases when it dries. I think that that is pretty useful because I plan on making more weights out of cement in the future. That is what I did for my capstone project. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GEc0OuLfIllRaIRbozdgbsJn7WFqnKEkfo-jxeGKEaQ/edit?usp=sharing

Sam's Capstone Bibliography (2)

Owen Lin Capstone

For my capstone project, I chose to make a digital info board by using a television donated to our school by Braskem and a Raspberry Pi, which is a tiny computer that has a variety of uses. I came across the idea of creating a digital info board when I searched what could be possible with a Raspberry Pi and a television screen and the first thing that appeared was Magic Mirror. Magic Mirror is an open-source software that allows me to extract and modify code previously written by other users who have done similar projects and enables me to implement my own code into the software. Magic Mirror is a software that uses Javascript which is a new coding language that I had to learn. I spent a good amount of time trying to write a module that would be able to display Septa buses and trains arrival time but after facing many errors I realized that creating that was not something I was currently able to do. So then I spent the rest of my time modifying the code of previous users to better suit the SLA community. Throughout this project, I have learned the basics of a new coding language and the importance of communication, since talking to more people these past few days has given me more and more ideas about what I could add to the info board.

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Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q8jbrSSkMTYGmKMg6v7g112kfr0U0nRX9LP25DsRn2c/edit?usp=sharing

Instructions Manual:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hf_38XU4Ppnl48T41kZXozsG2uy9m21wuy-ETD_QE3c/edit?usp=sharing

Menmery Mok Capstone

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During my childhood, there were many moments when I couldn’t use my full creative potential. I would scribble in notebooks here and there and cut out snowflakes from notebook paper. There are so many imaginations and creative abilities in children. That is why I decided to start a Sunday school arts and crafts class for the students at my community church for my senior capstone. Cambodian Baptist church is a beautiful place that offers guidance into religion and faith. I grew up taking classes, but none of them dealt with art. This arts and crafts class gives children the opportunity to show their lessons creatively. I planned out different projects every Sunday for the students to do after their lessons. Each project is according to the lesson they were taught beforehand and the holiday of the week. All the projects led to a collage that the students put together at the end of the capstone which they get to hang up around the church. The students were able to present the lessons they learned in a creative form and brighten up the church. More students gradually started coming to church and teachers have told me how much their understanding of the lessons has grown as well as their attention span. This led me to continue the arts and crafts class even after my capstone. I saw how much imagination and creativity the students have and I knew there were more to come. I’m glad I could be a part of their creative childhood and impact my church.

EVIDENCE: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hggpBjyPJn19jWZ0bDWxPc9wBpVmmv0m?usp=share_link

BIBLIOGRAPHY: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ki96LgHIiG96NaMhFAIE2iXrqHZata98HRKGSsLUTrw/edit?usp=sharing

Michael Pacio Capstone

I made a camera dolly for the CTE Dig Vid Program. For those that don’t know, a camera dolly is a tool that is regularly used in the filmmaking industry. They’re used to get those smooth and steady tracking shots. Making a camera dolly was the perfect capstone for me because it allowed me to combine my passion for both Engineering and Filmmaking. I got the idea from seeing an instagram story from last year, when the CTE Dig Vid students were using a swivel chair as a makeshift dolly. Building the camera dolly proved to be very time consuming. It took research about the different kinds of dollies and their advantages. Then it took a lot of time working with Mr. Kamal and Ms. Ustaris to think of ideas. Most of the parts used in the camera dolly are from repurposed robots from previous years of our robotics club. A lot of the building was hours of me disassembling and reassembling to make sure that screw holes lined up. After weeks of work, I was able to create a camera dolly with an articulating arm that can rotate 360 degrees with a reach of about 3 feet. The large diameter wheels will allow the dolly to be used in most environments with flat ground. I’m proud of the quality of the camera dolly and hope it will be able to be used as a teaching tool for the Dig Vid students for years to come.

Link to Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vidKe1Cikmhda5V0H4D-wvUCtEK5yuy9x-TZkd_JoNs/edit?usp=sharing

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Miarra Williams Capstone

Period poverty is defined as the lack of menstrual products and education, which is something many low-income women and girls face every month. I chose this because women all over Philadelphia wake up with their periods, but not everyone is able to manage them. Some women have to use items such as rags, socks, towels, and more in order to manage their bleeding, which isn’t good for the health of their vagina’s. Some women have to ration with the little menstrual products they do have, meaning keeping pads and tampons in for longer than what you are supposed to which could lead to toxic shock syndrome (TSS), a life-threatening complication caused by bacterial infections. For my Capstone I held six bake sales and raised over eight hundred dollars in order to buy menstrual products. I donated these products to “No More Secrets, Mind Body Spirit Inc.”, a non-profit organization ran by a mother and daughter, Lynette Medley and Nya McGlone, who give back to women in Philadelphia who aren’t able to afford menstrual products.

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Miarra Williams Capstone Bibliography

Leo Gao Capstone

For my capstone, I decided to make a video on how to build a bike. Biking has been a long-time hobby of mine and I think it’s a great way to stay active. However, rather than buying a pre-made one, learning how to build a bike can be rewarding and educational and I hope that my video would make that process easier for people that want to get into biking. This project was basically me learning how to build a bike myself, building one, and making a video on how to do it.

Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AD3Wv8AxXKv0gh7crdXU3xYo1VFohXCS/view?usp=share_link

Process Paper: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11toLiNNkvhcQGd1aIxYE0nnEpRyVnmeRgPaGzQRfPCo/edit?usp=sharing

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17r14cVd2Snw2SFpb6eBZMb7sksHbFf-B6Af5n3ZagGA/edit?usp=sharing

Lesly Farfan Capstone

I wanted my capstone to focus on the Latinx community. I wanted to educate others about the different type on business that we have in Philadelphia specializing on the stores in 9th street. Me and my partner Sarahi had to interview different owners. The final product on my part is a children’s book. In that way kids are able to learn about other cultures. The videos of the interview that we made are on a website that Sarahi created that component is so that adults can also learn about these stories. We tried to find a way so everyone could learn from this project. In the children’s you will find a combinations of short stories. Each will be talking about the challenges these people had to face their ups and downs. And it will include pictures that we took from these places

Copy of Capstone Bibliography-2
Untitled (8 × 11 in)-7

Noah Farrell Capstone

My capstone was a teacher vs students basketball game. I was inspired by my friend, Jaden, to create my own version of his idea. I chose to do this project because I wanted to involve the school community outside the classroom. After seeing the environment of my basketball senior day I saw how much the school liked watching basketball games and it felt perfect. I wanted to also have a positive impact on the community that everyone will remember later down the road and see how a positive school with events can benefit the education purpose. In addition, teachers and students don’t do too much bonding outside the classroom and I wanted to change that with my capstone I was able to do that.

Students Paying for Admission
Students Paying for Admission
Capstone Bibliography (1)

ZyNaijah Hightower Capstone

For my capstone, I decided to create a poetry book that illustrates what community I identify myself within. Poetry is something that I’ve always done, but kind of got out of it a couple years ago, so I thought that I could start writing again and hopefully continue to write. I wrote 20 different poems and organized them together into a book to share with others. By creating this, I felt like I can be able to help people like me connect within their communities and maybe hopefully start writing poetry.

Here’s my poetry book:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EHLIniJUagQM1ZnxWud-cGXde89_6alx/view?usp=share_link

Capstone Bibliography (1)

Amir Clinton Capstone

My capstone project involved shadowing a mechanic to gain insights into the craft and acquire practical skills relevant to their engineering pursuits. By combining my interests in cars and engineering, I embarked on a journey to understand the mechanics’ profession and explore its connection to the core values of research, inquiry, collaboration, and presentation. The research phase involved shadowing a mechanic and consulting external resources to gather information. Genuine curiosity fueled my inquiry into the life of a mechanic, while collaboration with field experts enriched my learning experience. To address the core values, I created two websites: one highlighting DIY car maintenance tips and the other providing comprehensive information on becoming a mechanic. The project involved a systematic approach, including extensive research on automotive repair and maintenance, hands-on experience working with a professional mechanic, and the development of knowledge-sharing platforms. My proficiency in various mechanical tasks improved as I acquired skills in engine diagnostics, electrical systems, and advanced repair techniques. The journey culminated in the creation of websites that served as resources for car owners and aspiring mechanics. Overall, this capstone project expanded my understanding of automotive repair, strengthened my problem-solving skills, fostered collaboration within the automotive community, and instilled confidence in my engineering abilities for the future.

Amir C. - Capstone Annotated Bibliography (1)
My Final Capstone Pieces

Alek Siegel Capstone

For my Capstone I really wanted to incorporate something that would make my project feel meaningful to me. Since the beginning of my time at SLA and realistically all of my life I have been a student-athlete. Being an athlete has always inspired me to want to learn more about the athletes who came before us and shaped the way. My Capstone is a booklet about former Ben Franklin High School students who became professional athletes. I wanted to create a booklet with interesting facts and pictures of various athletes who graduated from Ben Franklin High School and played collegiate and professional sports. I decided to focus on Fred Carter, Pooh Richardson, Randy Woods, and Tyrone Simmons who are all BFHS alumni. The goal of this Capstone project is to highlight the great athletes of the past in a way that will inspire future athletes in our school community. I am proud that I was able to research some of the greatest athletes to ever graduate from our school building and I hope I turned it into a project that means something to our community. One message that I will leave to end my Capstone is that every high school student should play every sport they can. Being a student-athlete enriches your high school experience and creates unforgettable bonds and memories in the school community.

Capstone Presentation (1)
Annotated Bibliography Capstone