Negative Space - Zivia

Negative space is the area around an object or person in an image that is, for the most part, empty. It is used in photography, drawing, and writing to provide breathing room to the main subject of the piece, allowing the viewer to focus in on the intent of the artist. With this focus, the main image sticks in the viewer's mind, as there are fewer things around in the piece to be distracted by.

If an artist can see negative space, they are able to do two things that enhance their art. The first, like I previously mentioned, will give them the ability to choose what the main focus of their art is, and it’s impact on the viewer. If a piece has text and images, negative space can be utilized to change the focal point of the logo or advertisement. The second is that that artist can play with the relationship between positive and negative space. Two images can be hidden in a single piece, flipping back and forth as the viewer focuses on the positive or negative space. This adds an air of mystery to a piece, and a whole layer of excitement when one finds the picture the was previously hidden to them. (Try looking up “negative positive space logos” in google images and you will find a lot of fun logos to explore.) With their powers in hand, and artist can greatly enhance their piece to, not only please and focus, but excite the brain.


Tree :3
Tree :3
In my cut out, there are two two colors and two sides, each representing negative and positive space at one point. On the left side, yellow represents the negative space. The tree is the main focal point, so it becomes positive space, and the yellow background enhances it. One the right side this is switched. Green is not the negative space and yellow the positive space.

Week 3 Day 2 Negative/Positive Space Cutout

​Negative space is the space in an image that our eyes don't focus on first. It is the space around an image, not including details. It usually encompasses what is inside of the shapes or around them. Negative space highlights the shape of the image, and art embracing negative space is normally high-contrast. 
Negative space is evident in my cutout, as the shapes on each side are color-blocked by negative and positive space. When creating the image, I traced around the lines found in the template. From there, I cut out copies on colored paper using the template. I made sure that when putting the image back together, I put the opposite colors next to each other. 
When using negative space, it helps both the artist and viewer see images or figures that they didn't once see, in turn highlighting the content in its rawest form. By setting up boundaries, balance can be brought to the image, creating a cleaner experience. 
Seeing in negative space can be extremely useful and pleasurable. Sometimes drawing the eye to the areas that we wouldn't usually look at allows us to see more of the image than we could before. When drawing, this is a useful tool that is used by artists everywhere to create a specific mood and whimsy. 

Art - Cut Out and Negative Space

This is my version of the cut-out we worked on in Art Class.
This is my version of the cut-out we worked on in Art Class.
    Negative space is the emptiness around the main point of a piece of artwork. Artists will often color their negative space to their advantage so they can make their image stand out. By doing this, it is easier for the viewer to see the crucial component of the artwork. 
      In order to find negative space in my artwork, I searched the original paper we were given for light points and dark points. The darker points would be one color, while the lighter points would be another. This would help me to differentiate the two shades, creating negative points. I then began cutting the picture into separate pieces, and separated them by color. I traced the picture over a piece of construction paper, cut it out, and then placed all of the cut-out paper on another piece of construction paper. The darker parts went on the right, while the lighter parts were placed on the left side.
     It greatly helps artists to see negative space. If they can, they can use that space to their advantage to bring focus onto their main subject. Artists commonly utilize negative space in this way, and it seems more pleasing to the eye if the artists know how to use it. Seeing negative space also helps an artist because it allows them to understand someone else's art and appreciate more than someone who cannot see in negative space.
     I believe utilizing negative space can enhance a drawing when used correctly. Sometimes, and artist is able to use negative space to create an interesting or unique by surrounding the main point correctly. Negative space can also make a piece of art look more realistic to the viewer of an artwork. Usually, there is negative space around an object in real life, so adding negative space to an image helps to give off that feeling. 

Printmaking

Printmaking is a form a visual art that involves creating prints of an image by forming the image on a surface or matrix. There are many different variations of printmaking such as relief printing, Intaglio, mono-printing, lithography, etc. The invention of printmaking supposedly originates from China, although the roots of printmaking remain up in the air. The invention of printmaking was revolutionary at the time because it allowed for multiple prints of the same image to be produced from just one matrix of a material such as wood or metal. Additionally, with the invention of printmaking came the first printed books.


The print I chose is “ESSEBI” by loose-ends (Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/8799416@N05/2480207499). This print is the profile of (seemingly) a woman with rather long hair flowing behind her. She doesn’t seem to be wearing clothes. Her eyes are open, staring straight ahead. The background of the print is yellow, along with the outline of the woman. This print has plenty of contrast considering the only two colors used are black and a bright shade of yellow. Most of the space in the print is taken up by the hair, which is the focal point of the print.  I notice that the artist uses both thick and thin lines to draw the hair. Personally, since the person in the print seems to be a woman, this print screams empowerment. I think her hair flowing behind her portrays her as heroic and/or almost god-like. Additionally, she is the only object in the photo which I interpret to be a symbol of independence. I wonder whether or not that was the artist’s intention. I like the photo a lot because of this. I also think the yellow and black contrast is lovely. The swirls and waves of the hair are very pleasing.


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2480207499_e80515b5c6_z

Printmaking

Printmaking is the act of carving an image onto slates,plates or blocks. Then you fill the crevices that you carved, and then places the ink onto to paper or other surfaces. Printmaking allows you to make multiple pictures or designs from one image, its very important because you can use it to make copies. Printmaking inspired the means of printing we have today in newspapers and artwork copies.

Printmaking first began in Egypt in the 15th century, where Egyptians made prints by painting on fabrics. It wasn't until, people in china used stone and wood to carve their prints. Although printmaking did originate in Egypt, china made it more widespread after the invention of paper, other countries followed the Chinese into the world of printmaking. It was believed that Daniel Hopfer officially invented printmaking in the art when he used the style to decorate his armor. Originally printmaking was invented, and used by Chinese scholars read old scripture. Now, there are many different types of printmaking. In relief printmaking you etch your design into a material and it creates a raised surface that the ink won't fill, it is the only printmaking style with a raised surface.  Lithographic printing doesn’t etch a design into its material, in this printing method you use water and oil to make your print. In Mono-printing you can only make lines and images once. Besides those three, there are many other forms of printmaking and art styles involving prints.

Printmaking is revolutionary because, as I said before, It changed the way we mass produce things,  relief printing allows us to copy a print exactly without having to remake the original. It is also is revolutionary because it reinvented the art world, allowing artists to decorate and recreate the work through reusable prints, it inspired modern day tagging and graffiti. Back in the middle ages printmaking was extremely important because it allowed people to make detailed and amazing textiles, for their clothes and other materials. Bringing more life to everyday objects.

The print I chose was Ishiyama Moon by Yoshitoshi. This image shows a woman sitting on a mat on a balcony, she is looking out onto a cool toned mountain landscape. The image is very candid, there is a wall covering part of the woman and the sky. I chose this image because it has a strong contrast, the background is very pale and pastel, while the subjects hair is dark and black. I notice that the artist was very smart with the space they used and the levels they created, the pole is in front of the woman, the woman is in front of the landscape and so forth. This space creates depth. I wonder why the artist chose to include a lantern in the center of the image, I enjoy the aesthetic it creates but it can also throw off the vibe of the image. What if the colors used were harsh and bold, I believe it change the tone of the piece, making it more sinister and less emotional. The pale palette allows the viewer to interpret their own sky and it leaves room for imagination.


Ishiyama_Moon_Lady_Murasaki
Ishiyama_Moon_Lady_Murasaki
Ishiyama Moon by Yoshitoshi

What's Wrong with Immgration

Hi my name is Alina Seing and for my English project, I will be researching about immigration. Immigration has been a big problem in our society and I think that it’s important to me too because I know many family members and friends who are immigrants that come from a different country to the United States. There are a lot of consequences for being an immigrant and there are a lot of dangerous things that could happen to them. One of the consequences of being an undocumented immigrant is that you get sent back to your country, you could never be able to see your family members again, and also get convicted of crime.

The reason why I chose immigration was because it is a big thing in our society. The reason why people come to America is because that want a better lifestyle. Their lifestyle is having to pay lower income tax, better jobs, equal payment as others, and being with family. Immigration is so important to them because it helps them learn new things such as the language that they speak and the way the society is. To be able to come to America, immigrants must have legal documents. If immigrants do not have any legal documents saying that they are allowed to come to the United States, then they are going to get sent back to the country that they came from or get sent to jail. I think it is important for immigrants to legally come to the United States because they want to have a new experience with society and a better opportunities. It is also important for immigrants to come to the United States because they want to be independant and find jobs that are secure enough for them to work in.

There are many problems with being an immigrant. If your are an immigrant, depending where you are at for example, Cubans come to the United States by train. They go through more than just bumpy roads, there are more than just a couple of families that want to immigrate so people fight for the room and sometimes people fall off from the trains to go to the destination they want to go. There are also a lot of people who need to go to bathroom and so they carry illnesses with them along with new ones. To come into the United States, you must have a green card, visa card, and a legal document. Once you have entered the United States, the first couple months are very isolated and unbalanced. The reason why it is unbalanced is because you must become an American Citizen to stay in the United States. If you don’t past your American Citizen test, you must retake it in the next year or you must get sent back to the country you are from or get arrested.

If you want more detail on immigration and how undocumented people back in the day, was able to pass, you can learn more from my annotated bibliography.


Immigrants are protesting to make immigration legal


Every Baby Deserves A Chance

Hi, I’m Kai Payton a Freshman at Science Leadership Academy, and I’m doing my You And The World project on Premature Births. The You And The World project allows you to pick a topic you want to make a change about. I got this idea because my aunt had a premature baby about three years ago. It was a very hard time for her and I wouldn’t want anyone to have to experience hoping their child will survive. While doing this project, I hope to increase the awareness of premature births because it can be very stressful for mothers.


My aunt had her premature baby 3 years ago on February 4th. He was one pound and 11 ounces when he was born. He had to stay in the hospital for about 4 or 5 months. He had many surgeries during this time and it worried my aunt very badly and I didn’t like to see her like that so we just had to hope and pray that he would recover. I couldn’t even visit him when he was in the hospital because I wasn’t his sibling. When he first came home he had to be on oxygen for a couple months since he couldn’t breathe as well as other babies due to his premature birth. The medical attention needed for this was very expensive and we used to call him the million dollar baby. Thankfully my little cousin is now fine despite the many things he’s allergic to.


Since she had him we’ve been doing this walk that was started by the March of Dimes Foundation called the “March For Babies,” that raises money to help premature babies stay alive. A lot of family members come out to do the walk and it’s nice seeing everyone come out and support. The walk happens in many states over the U.S including Pennsylvania. The walk this year is on this Sunday, April 30th and I will be doing the walk again. I do the walk not only for my aunt and little cousin but because it’s fun seeing other people that also want to help the struggle mothers have after they’ve had a premature baby.

Image result for march of dimes logo

This picture is the logo of the March of Dimes Foundation


There are “about 380,000 premature births every year.” These premature births can be caused from smoking cigarettes or using other drugs. They could also be caused by multiple children, stress, not gaining enough weight during the pregnancy, and many other things. You can try to prevent premature births but they can happen to any female that’s having a baby. Once you have the baby and it’s premature it’s placed in an incubator to help it maintain its body temperature, but many problems can come up when the baby is growing. Premature babies tend to have weaker immune systems than other babies, and can be born with disabilities at a higher rate than babies that aren’t premature.


Overall, I want to bring awareness to Premature Births due to what can happen to the baby and the mother but also because I have a personal connection to watching my aunt go through it. It can happen to any mother having a child and it can be a scary experience.


Annotated Bibliography



Take it Like a Man?

           Masculinity and

Self-esteem


Blog Post #1:

Have you ever heard the phrases “Take it like a man” or “Real men don’t cry” or have you ever been told that for someone to like a man he has to be wealthy, physically fit , good looking or highly intelligent? Well if so, whoever told you was most likely misguided or even blinded by these deceptive morals.

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My topic that I am studying Masculinity and Self-Esteem, in a way expose the truth behind these theorems. I would like to try and decrease the amount of low self-esteem in at least the freshman class at SLA. I want to do a poll for the current freshmen, that asks if they have any self-esteem complication, and if so what is the reason for it.

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I am really interested in this topic because of personal experience that I have had with it. My personal connection is that when I was younger people always told me things that made me good...in their eyes. The false rumor that “Real men don’t cry”, I believe is extremely misleading. I think this because people always told me not to cry when I had to experience burdensome events. For an example, all of my grandparents passed away within a span of 3 months. Every time I thought of them I would always want to just cry. A lot of times people would tell me that I shouldn’t cry and that I should “take it like a man”. So, without knowing any better that’s what I did.

When I look back at it now, I realize that the longer I held it in the more independent, lonely, and even self-conscious I became. These emotions affected me big time because they were starting to show in my grades. I began to think that I wasn’t good enough for school or even life.

I think that it is important to know my story and how this relates to me because it shows how things that are natural in life can really affect you emotionally. And those emotional effects can be displayed physically.

This dilemma is significant because this is an issue that is widely spread across the world but, not many people are doing anything to solve it. This is also an important issue because if an individual lets the emotions that they get from this issue get the better of them a lot of the times it leads to suicide or suicidal thoughts. It’s not only good for people who struggle with this to know about it but it’s good for everyone to know about it. It is important for others to know about it because often times the thoughts of not being good enough randomly cross through everyone’s minds and it’s better to recognize it now than to have the thoughts and not know what to do about it.

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This topic has really affected me because I always thought about self-esteem being an issue but I never thought about where it might have came from or why it was such an alerting issue. I just would like to know why boys and men always judge someone and or themselves based on their outward appearance and why they start doing it at such a young age.


For more info and all of my resources check out my Annotated Bibliography.

The Importance of Exercise

You probably already know or at least heard about how important exercise is for you and your body. But what you don’t know are the facts behind that importance. Like, did you know that exercise can help prevent heart diseases like, diabetes, low and high blood pressure? My project is about exercise, how we don’t get enough and why it is important. There’s more for you to know so if you’re interested please read the rest of this blog to learn more.

First we will talk about the benefits of exercise. As mentioned before, exercise can prevent heart and other diseases  like diabetes, low and high blood pressure and even some forms of cancer. Exercise is really important, especially when you’re younger. If you start an exercising routine when younger it will be easier for you to keep up with it as you get older. Children nowadays don’t get enough exercise. Now I know what you’re thinking,”kids don’t get the exercise they need because of the TV and new technology of today”. Although that plays a factor, that's not the entire reason. Some of issue simply they may not know what to do or have anybody to do it with. If you’re a parent/guardian it is part of your job to help them stay active. If you are asking yourself why is this so important please visit this site to learn more about the importance of child exercise. Exercise isn’t just for kids, it’s just as important for adults to get exercise. To learn more about click here.

Image result for adults exercisingadults working together https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/workouts/exercise-according-to-age-group.html

Now lets dig deeper into the benefits of exercise and staying healthy. I’ve already mentioned that can help prevent diseases but did you know that it can help the mind too. Exercising causes the body to produce endorphins, chemicals that can help a person to feel more peaceful and happy, It can help people sleep better, and help people with mild depression and low esteem. Exercise can give people a sense of accomplishment when they achieve a goal like scoring a point in a game or finish a morning run. Now there are different types of exercises that help your body. There are three components to a well-balanced exercise routine are: aerobic exercise, strength

training, and flexibility training. Aerobic exercise is any type of exercise that gets the heart pumping and quickens your breathing. Strength Training is when you basic things that you’d do in a gym that builds your muscles. Flexibility training includes stretching exercises for the purpose of increasing one's range of motion. For more information on the benefits and how these forms of exercise help your body click this link to learn more.

This shows the difference a person who exercises regularly and a person who doesn’t http://reclaimyourlongevity.com/articles/reduce-disease-risk/muscle-downgrade-is-a-blow-to-your-body/Image result for strong healthy muscles


Now you can just go outside and go for a run but there are also cool routines and specific exercises that can help your body in whatever way you need. This site suggest a few of those.

I choose the issue of the importance of exercise because not a lot of people know how important it actually is. As an athlete I take my body seriously and like to keep it healthy and in shape. I want to spread the word about exercise so that those who want to become lean and healthy now have the knowledge to do so. Now you have no excuse.

For all my sources and a brief description about their content take a look at my Annotated Bibliography. Thank you for your time and please tune in for more about the importance of exercise.

Teenage Depression Surviver

Being In A Confusing Stage Of Depression - This photo is about the pain some survive and others don't survive.
Being In A Confusing Stage Of Depression - This photo is about the pain some survive and others don't survive.

Hi I'm Angelyque Oquendo, I am a Teenage Depression Surviver. This is my You & The World Project. My project is about Teenage Depression and What are the symptoms?, How it occurrs and things that can help it make it less lonely. Teenage Depression is serious concern for most of half of America ( the world also). Teens that suffer from self-harm thoughts and low-self esteem become more in danger to self being , being able to getting better. Especially when things at home and school are stressful in a person(s) life, especially when it concerns the people who become more and worried about loved ones.


Teens during adolensences go through many changes in their teenage years. And things become more and more difficult to do when emotional and behavioral problems occurr while things go on in there lives like high school and realationships with friends, also at home. Most teens that go through depression become more distant from things they use to be passionate about and socializing is definity off the recored, being in your mid- teen years; teens become less aware that things in thier lifes, like firends and family activity’s pass right by them.

Being a teen is hard it’s like being a little toddler trying to climb the stairs for the first time and is terrified to climb right back down. In this article this young girl, she is about almost 20 years old, her name was Faith-Annn Bishop, she gets up at 2 o’clock in the morning while her parents are asleep and had a blade and she then pierces her soft skin and starts bleed right out on the bathroom floor of her parents house. The pressure was way to much for her handle most of these things that had kept her from being in a better and healthier state of mind. http://time.com/magazine/us/4547305/november-7th-2016-vol-188-no-19-u-s/


Self-harm is a big concern with teens who choose to have thoughts and being where they become in a not strong state of mind. Teens in this stage don’t realize how these things affect themselves, others in such a far along stage. In 2015, about 3 million teens ages 12 to 17 had had at least one major depressive episode in the past year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. More than 2 million report experiencing depression that impairs their daily function. About 30% of girls and 20% of boys–totaling 6.3 million teens–have had an anxiety disorder, according to data from the National Institute of Mental Health. http://time.com/4572593/increase-depression-teens-teenage-mental-health/


Screenshot 2017-05-07 at 5.02.34 PM
Screenshot 2017-05-07 at 5.02.34 PM

Being in a self harming state of mind is really difficult for some people with depression to really understand that self-harm is a really serious condition, preventing that from happening is reading between the lines. Really-really look right through your teen and see what is it their going through something very hard  for he or she understand and to go through by themsleves.I had almost done some damage to myself as a young teen, self-harm was on my list of a last resort to being done, I’d had thought maybe if I were to just leave things and people would forget, it would be for the best; But yet again I was wrong.

Signs of symptoms with teens suffering from depression, Emotional symptoms are sadness, tiredness w/ Low self-esteem and Fixations on past failures or exaggerated of self-blame. “When I was 12 my mom had sent me to a therapist to see if I would talk to who at least someone because I had not want to talk to her or and anybody else”. “She was awfully worried about me and of my health, she did’nt stop she would pressure me to get out of the house go to the kitchen and eat , socialize with others.” “And my mind was completely blank during these request, she’d ask me what was wrong bascially questions regarding me and if I were still inside.” “Maybe even calling for some type of help deep down maybe or somehow even getting back to my type of silly normal.”

Behavioral symptoms fluctuate frequenely, isolation occurrs when your teen becomes more detached from others. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/teen-depression-signs-help.htm

Helping your teen to becoming more activite is good start especially socializing with others. Asking for mental help froma doctor to prescribe things to she or he.


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Screenshot 2017-05-07 at 5.03.36 PM

Doing things that can help with teen depression is having a low level of stress, having less stress in your life can reduce problems and be more relaxed with things and go with the serene flow.
TeenageDepression Happens with all ages and stages of these age groups with (Teens). http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/teen-depression/home/ovc-20164553 12-13, 16-20 of teens being a part of the worldwide contagious act called Depression. If there would be no Depression many would not die and many would not be gone by freedom of happiness. Depression comes from emotion, with attitude and behavioral situations that make things a bit more harder to handle in life. Knowing things of Depression with different ways of Depression is expressed, most common are of a Depressive disorder which is is not a passing blue mood but rather persistent feelings of sadness and worthlessness and a lack of desire to engage in formerly pleasurable activities. A complex mind/body illness, depression can be treated with drugs and/or therapy. Ways of knowing that your teens(s) are either having depressive mental disorders or are they more of delusions and hallucinations? By preventing that keep your teen associated with you and your family members also become more evolved with the teen (s).

Healthy Food Access in the US: a Major Issue

My project is about the access of healthy food for everybody in Philadelphia, even for poor communities. I want to make a change because the city has the capacity to act way better on this and food issues are at the source of mortal diseases on a long term, like diabetes or overweight. The question isn’t only the fact that healthy food is very expensive, the issue is also going through education actually plays a big role, and that’s what I want to improve!

All these restaurants are very unhealthy but common on highroads! (source)

This topic really matters to me because this is really one of the first aspect of the city that I noticed when I came in the US: most of the cheap food quality is deplorable, and healthy food is crazily expensive- to give you an idea, the fruits price are twice bigger here than in the center of Paris! As a person that is new to the U.S  I’ve a different viewpoint on this issue and more stepback on what’s different compared to Europe, and what could be the origins of it.

I believe that knowing these benefits of healthy food is very important for many reasons. First, a lot of people don’t even know why it is bad for your health and body to eat junk food and what are the multiple consequences. I also think that the whole Philadelphia public school food system is to reconsider: in public establishments, the services have free (or cheap) services with a mediocre quality. Imagine all the repercussions on your health if you eat lunch there every school days. A solution could be every students pay a cotisation depending on their wealth, to dramatically improve the service quality. Then, it would still be possible for everybody to have more access to equilibrated food. While talking about school, another important point to do would be to give an education about health to childrens via school- it maybe already exists but I don’t know.

This map shows the relation between obesity and poverty. (source)

This issue is significant because it touches all the social classes (even if mainly disfavored communities are victim of this issue) and it is a global problem for people health. We know as well that the most penalized are children because habits are taken at this life period, also children's health is more fragile, then could reduces it on a longer term. Sadly, this issue is also social and discriminates poor communities. Besides all these reasons, I think it is important for you to know what’s wrong with this issue, because, even if I think that you know a bit about it, the origins of this problem are mainly going through education. Also, it’s good to know that some associations are doing an excellent job in Philadelphia for improving the situation. Another example the Eat Right is an excellent association that helps people of all the ages (children, seniors…) to adapt their diet.

I think that the thing that I’ve discovered through my researches that could educate the readers is every time you buy food, no matter what, you’re shaping the future and the world in what you live: the food quality is traced on what population buys.

As I previously said, I had already noticed this issue when I came in America but I had the opportunity to reconsider the question many times. I have first been wondering a lot about how all of this issue took place in a big part of the country. I hope that some solutions are going to be shaped as I go on in my researches.    

Road to Affordable Healthcare


The Road of Affordable Healthcare

The world is a broad topic, from the people on it to the nature to everything. The You and the World project is a project that challenges students to approach a specific problem that is relevant in the world. Something that one is passionate about, which is why I chose Affordable Health Care as my topic. Why am I so passionate about this topic? This is because my mother is a nurse, I’ve seen her patients that rely on affordable health care, such as Obamacare. Also, I want to know more about healthcare because I seek to become a physician in the future.

You may have not heard of the Affordable Healthcare Act but you may have know what Obamacare is. It is dubbed that because it was a law passed on US president Barack Obama’s authority. In the end they are both the same thing. The Affordable Healthcare Act’s objective is to provide more Americans to health insurance and care. It offers Americans benefits when they have a life changing moment,like getting married or having a child. If the participant is below the poverty line then Obamacare offers a lower cost ( Obamacare Facts).

Affordable Healthcare Act’s logo.

Affordable Healthcare is important because without it, families would have to pay more on hospital bills (Benefits of Healthcare). They would also get less care than others which is why Healthcare is a necessity. Healthcare provides health insurance. Health insurance is definitely not the same as car insurance. Poor families have benefited from the Affordable Healthcare act. About 11 million people have signed up for Obamacare and depend on it, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Even though those facts are true, president Donald Trump wants to take away the Affordable Healthcare Act (Donaldś statement). He believes that taking away this healthcare will help others. Why take it away if so many Americans rely on it to survive? These people have families that they have to take care of too.

Donald Trump making speech.

Affordable Health care is one important step to helping poor families. Taking care of yourself and family is a priority that most people adhere. During hectic times like this, anything can happen. Being insured is a splendid feeling to have that many don’t acknowledge. By all means, the Affordable Healthcare Act isn’t perfect but it’s better to help others rather than not at all. I care about Obamacare because I’ve seen how it has helped countless people in my mother’s health clinic.

America is a wealth country but there are still many people who are struggling with money. These people work hard to purchase necessary expenses. Health care is so important that it could determine between life or death. That is why I wonder why Donald trump was so eager to take away the Affordable Healthcare Act without having something else to replace it? How has Obamacare change the participant's lives? Following up to this I plan on interviewing a nurse who teaches patients about Obamacare and an Obamacare user. As I get deeper into this project, I hope to learn more of the benefits of Obamacare.


Annotated Bibliography

 

Addiction In Digital Form

My project is about internet addiction. My goal in doing this is to personally learn to myself about it as how I’m going to change the world is still unknown to me yet. I chose to do internet addiction as I sort of think I also have one but I use it for entertainment when i'm not doing homework or projects. Reason I say that is I spend most of my time upstairs in my room. I also wanted to do this so I can take from this as well and be in my room less.  Internet addiction is a huge issue as it affects you mentally and physically. Internet addiction can make you lazy and not want you to do your work. Internet addiction also ruins your love life and those who you cared about will one day just leave you (unless your loved ones are also online like you). People who become internet addicts are people who are also alcoholics and people who use it to get away from real world problems like people suffering from depression. A sort of positive reason people get addicted to the internet by the opinion of John M. Grohol is the socialization as you could talk to anyone from around the world or relatives you can barely see often. Other times it’s people who like playing videogames and just want to keep playing it. It's important to know about this so we don’t end up with a terrible life and living on the streets alone. Internet addiction didn’t even start serious and never intended to be a real disorder. Internet addiction could also be compared to alcohol addiction.Image result for alcohol link to image

One place that never has dealt with an internet addiction even to this day is Cuba as with the trade embargo they never had access to the internet. As time progress more people published their own publications of internet addiction but the publication of the DSM-5 from the APA, they stated further research for internet addiction before they added it as a disorder. A few of the mental effects of being an internet addict is depression, anxiety, and no track of time. A few physical effects of being an internet addict is back and headaches, blurry vision, and also carpal tunnel syndrome which is numbness or weakness in your hand from playing too much.Image result for Carpal tunnel syndrome Link to image

Recent research estimated nearly 40 million people spending more than 20 hours a week which was doubled from the estimate for 2008. About 50 percent of people between ages 13-17 in the US use the internet for a long amount of time. Research also stated that teen boys spent more time on the internet than teen girls. In 2016 researchers surveyed adults between ages 20-30 and found out 14 percent of them were at risk of internet addiction and most of them had full-time jobs. Through my research so far the impact of it has impacted me greatly as it could also affect my own life as I spend much of my time at home on the internet.



Annotated bibliography


Homelessness; The Struggle Is Real

What is Homelessness? Homelessness is when someone does not have a place, shelter wise, to live. Many also struggle to stay warm, have food and clean water, clean clothes on their bodies and so much more. Chronic Homelessness is when someone has been homeless for at least a year or has been homeless at least 4 times in 3 years.  Many homeless women can’t even afford tampons and women’s hygiene products which are a necessity. A lot of youths are homeless and have to be turned away from shelters because they do not have enough beds and services for them. Of course there are also homeless adults. In fact, more men are homeless than women. Why is that?  
               Image result for homelessness

Anyone can go homeless, and many people do go from homeless to not homeless many times. I want to help the homeless because I hate when I am going somewhere and I see a man or woman looking sad, asking for money. I wish I could help them somehow. I hate that many of us, including myself walk right past these men and women sometimes not even noticing their existence. They probably are going through many difficulties that caused their homelessness such as addiction, not being able to get a job because of their race, sexuality, age, gender, religion or even just the fact that there is a lack of jobs available. Many children are homeless because they’ve run away. Many people also are homeless because there is a lack of affordable houses available. But there are people who aren’t really homeless and are just looking for attention, so if you want to help, know what to look for.

 

There are many other reasons for homelessness, but it saddens me even more not being able to help. But I can help. We can help, anyone can make a change. You can always donate items that you don’t need anymore, like socks, clothes, blankets, hygiene products, and other things. Many people donate money and food. I want and plan to get friends and family to get together and make, and donate food to homeless people and people in shelters. I know it doesn’t make the biggest change but it does feed them for a day and thats 1 less thing for them to worry about for the day, and that would make me feel happier knowing I could attend to someone’s desperate needs.  Image result for homelessness

The topic of homelessness is important to me because I have witnessed people in my family go in and out of homelessness. It has definitely scared me, and the fact that I didn’t know how to help hurt me a lot. This why I want to start something to get more people to support these people in need. Seeing my dad struggle for money, a car, a house and even food at times, put not only him but me through stress, and he had no one in his family to rely on. His parents and siblings live in Virginia, his children (my brother and sister) couldn’t help him and sometimes were mad at him. I’m the only one he feels he has. And i never felt like I could help him.

My father isn’t homeless anymore, and he’s even got a good job and is working to get his own house and move out if the one with his friend. I’ve learned great deal of new things about homelessness and why people might be homeless. I didn’t think that people might be homeless because of mental illness but now I understand more of why that is a cause. Hopefully this project and my plan to help and bring attention to this issue will show him and a lot of other people that i really care.


My Annotated Bibliography


Body Image: The start

Growing up I have always been “different”, I was the only mixed girl with locks at a afro centric school. Being the only mixed girl made me feel like I was too light and people always made comments about how I was too white for them. Along with my complexion I had locks, which wasn't quite a common hairstyle to see. People would say it looked like I had a dirty mop on my head or that I looked like Medusa. The comments that people made about my skin and hair me feel bad about myself, which drove me to comb out my locs. This is similar to how body image is affecting people everyday. Body image seems like a common thing because we don't really make it a big deal, however it can play a major role in someone's life, that is the cause of many issues. For my “You and the World” project i'm am going to be focusing on body image and how the media affects girls in high school. For this project I would like to see how body image really effects the girls in my high school, and based off of the information that I receive I hope to spread the reality of how body image is affecting people in my community.

Body image is mentioned often, but I don't think that people really think about what body image really is. The Merriam Webster Dictionary definition of Body image is “a subjective picture of one's own physical appearance established both by self-observation and by noting the reactions of others.” As mentioned in a BBC News article, social media is one of our main ways of communicating, however we don’t always put our true self forward. We tend to use filters or alter our pictures before we let the world see them. We want to be “perfect” so we don’t let people see our flaws.


This is a picture of a women looking at fake version of herself.

Did you know that Americans spend altogether about 250 billion hours of watching television? And about 30% of that is comercials? “The Media And Body Image” by Mirror Mirror Eating Disorder says that “ads seldom portray people that look like us.” the average model wears a 2 or a 4 while the average american wears a 12 or 14 (in women's sizes.) so people are striving to look like these models when on top of being way smaller than the average size, the images we see are altered to make the model look even skinner.


This is an image of a woman looking at what could be the other version of her, or what she sees vs. what is real.

Body image is becoming an issue that young girls are dealing with as well. The article “The Issues” by NYC girls project says that “80% of ten year old are afraid of being fat.” As well as “By middle school, 40-70 percent of girls are dissatisfied with two or more parts of their body.” knowing that people may not be the happiest with their bodies why does it matter? Not having the body image that you want can cause low self esteem and decrease your confidence. “The Issues” Article says that body image can cause eating disorders from low self esteem, alcohol abuse, smoking, obesity and bullying. These are some of the consequences that affect the people who suffer from not having the body image they want.

After reading “Male vs. Female Body Image”, I was able to see that men are affected by body image just not as severely as women. However that doesn't mean that it isn't and issue, men tend to be more discreet about it.

Body image is a simple issue that can become a very large issue in someone's life. The images we see on social media make an impact of how we see ourselves. That view of ourselves can cause bigger issues like an eating disorder or low self esteem and a lack of confidence. Taking what I have learned from research, I now want to see how real of an issue body image is in my high school.


If you would like more information on my research, check out my Annotated Bibliography


Technological Advancement and Our Journey Towards The Singularity - Y&TW - English 9 - Sam Gualtieri

Singularity Chart - http://bit.ly/1zYQtbW
Singularity Chart - http://bit.ly/1zYQtbW

​Hi I'm Sam Gualtieri, I'm a freshman at Science Leadership academy and my topic for our You and The World Project is Technological advancement and the singularity. Technology is an incredibly powerful tool. It has become part of our lives, and yet most people don't know what's behind their screens.

The graph shown here represents the rate of advancement in computer technology since 1900 in comparison to human brain power. The rate consistently increases as time goes on. This consistency has lead many to expect that at some point in time not long from now, the line on the graph will be vertical. This point is most commonly known as the technological singularity. Many theories have arisen about the singularity on the graph, but the most popular and likely theory is that this is the point when computers will start building more computers, which will most likely not have an optimal outcome for humans. Scientists and engineers like Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk are among these theorists and have all expressed concern about this point in time


Computer technology is already faster and much better at retrieving information than humans are. The only thing preventing that from being a threat is that we command them what to search. But as the way computers process information becomes more and more like that of a human brain, it’s only a matter of time until a chip could be able to become aware of itself. And if that is to happen, it’s motives will be entirely up to it’s choosing. As a human would probably do if they physically could, these computers would likely start improving upon themselves. Faster processing times, faster computers, faster improvement, until robots build even more, even smarter robots in milliseconds. This sounds like pure science fiction, but humankind is alarmingly close to hitting this point. Elon Musk Said in a recent CNN report “AI is much more advanced than people realize, and the pace of progress is much greater that people realize.” He mentioned the dangers of Artificial intelligence “What’s not obvious [to detect] is a huge server bank in a dark vault somewhere with intelligence that’s potentially vastly greater that what a human mind can do.”


However, Artificial intelligence is the ultimate point at the end of a path with multiple dangerous lanes. Much technological improvement is in the name of what’s cool or marketable. Every day a new advancement is made to bring our smartphones closer and closer to us not only in lifestyle, but in physicalness. Places like Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology are working on modifications to access a mini computer through your eye contacts. Let’s cover one thing. That is super neat. And that seems to be the mass consensus amongst smartphone users around the globe. But while microscopic, less silly looking google glass does sound appealing, internet connection that’s attached to your face comes with multiple foreseeable problems. In the age of the internet, most of us know that what we do online is not private. Our search history is tracked by Google. Lot’s of our photos are stored on the cloud or an online drive. Search engines and websites track when and what we do on them. We have a severe lack of privacy online. All this information is being stored online, where a computer could easily reach it. One of the many paths on our journey towards the singularity. In the future of this project, I’m going to be going over future technological advancements, current problematic technologies, and all of their places on the path to the technological singularity. This is something I’ve discussed with my 7th grade English teacher time and time again. I’m fascinated by technological advancement and have been for a long time. Topics that will be covered include lack of privacy, the potential dangers of cellular data radiation, online storage, human workers being replaced with machines, and at the end of the road, Artificial intelligence. If you’re a frequent internet user, all these things affect you or will affect you soon. It's important that you are aware of your place in the world of technology, and how such an integral part of your life could be quite a bit more dangerous than you may have thought.


Annotated Bibliography

Privacy Comic - http://bit.ly/2oXYa35
Privacy Comic - http://bit.ly/2oXYa35

Care for foster children

Hi my name is Niya Petty and I am a freshmen at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and my topic is problematic foster homes. In today’s society, there are many children in foster homes. You would think children are put into foster homes for a better living conditions, but we really don’t know what happens behind closed doors. No child should be mistreated in a place which is suppose to change their life for the better.But how can we overcome this problem when we have no prove that this happens. This problem can get bigger and bigger and can make the ones placed in these harmful foster homes worry about their safety in a stranger's home.foster2.jpg

    I came over the news one day and it was talking about how a foster child had ran away from her foster home. Mind you this girl was around my age. You would think why would a child want to run away from people who care for you? Then you get to the point that maybe something is happening that us outsiders don’t know about. She claimed to run away because she said she wasn’t treated right in her foster home. 13% of foster children run away at least once and go live with friends. There was a testing between foster children that run away and foster children who don’t run away. They found out that the foster children who do runaway are older children and majority of them are female.

If you think about it, there are many children in foster homes till this day.Children who are mistreated by their parents are taken away and put into foster homes by the state because of mostly abuse towards the child. When put in these foster homes, children believe they are somewhere safe and wanted but in some foster homes this abuse still goes on and there is no one around to help or stop by to see if everything is going well.

A child can suffer from lots of things being a foster kid. Bad things can happen or good. Going through what a foster kid goes through can be stressful and lots can change for them such as fitting in or behavior changes. This mainly happens in group homes.Group homes are another name for foster homes and children are placed in because they have been physically or sexual abused by their guarden. But in these group homes, this abuse is still going on just like it does in foster homes. Some children can decline the foster parent from caring for them because they don’t feel as they will we safe. It can be hard for children have  a good foster home to stay in. As more and more foster parents are declined the children don’t have a place to stay and thi can cause a big problem.



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To fix this problem, I believe that people who work with foster home organizations should stop by the foster home to see if everything is going well. If the foster children were to have a one on one conversation with someone they can trust. Sometimes, problematic foster children tend to not tell the truth when it come to talking about the care that goes on in the foster homes, so if the children would corroborate in telling someone the truth about the foster home care, we wouldn’t have so many abused or harmed children and the problem can be solved much easily.


African Culture Appreciation


Hello I am Daeja Richardson a current freshman at Science Leadership Academy. For the You and The World I chose to speak on African Culture Appreciation in Philadelphia. As you may know in New York they have Carnival which as plenty of people celebrating and participating in that event. In Philadelphia we have Odunde. Yet we need to expand on the population for this event so everyone can be appreciated. This topic is very passionate to me because I have family that feel like our culture should be valued more. With that I chose a topic that affected my family and I.

The Odunde Festival is an event that brings the African and Caribbean feel to Philadelphia. This event takes place in South Philadelphia every year around the middle of June. This year it will be celebrating its 41st year in running.. The festival takes up twelve city blocks with multiple vendors and other entertainment . The vendors provide plenty of artifacts, jewelry, clothing, and food. When walking around you notice several dance groups. However at the main stage people perform their cultural dances and songs. Sometimes when I attend this festival I tend to notice people who are well known on television. Odunde is known for the programs they do for some communities. They provide programs for dance  and drumming classes, arts and crafts, and more. Some of these programs has had great impact in the youth.
For myself I have Jamaican and African American family so they participate in this festival every year. However people from my Jamaican side want this to be as big as Carnival in New York. They want everybody to be really valued in this event. This You & The World project is so passionate to me because I like how we as a community have a joyful way to celebrate our different cultures. Yet we still want more appreciation. I want the population to expand tremendously in Odunde. So we can be almost equivalent to Carnival. More of the youth should be apart of this event because they get to see how much of their culture they might be missing out on. They will also get to let free during the organization. The change that I am going to make is to get at least twenty five student from Science Leadership Academy to join Odunde this year on June 11th. This will be a new experience for most students. But it will be good to see more of the youth coming out to certain event such as this one.




Building Parks in at Risk Communities

People were made to interact with each other. What better way to meet new people in your community than a park? It is the center of the socialization in the community. Or is it just a place that lasts for a long period of time? A lot of our childhood memories involves parks. In some ways, they have shaped who we are today.

    My name is Elijah Afrifa and, I am interested in informing people about the importance of having parks in every community. Me growing up in the area that I am in it’s known as one of the worst neighborhoods in Philadelphia. I was raised in the Strawberry Mansion area. Which is on the list of the most violent neighborhoods. When I was younger I vividly remember having to run home because people were shooting not too far from the park I was in. I feel like no child should have to be afraid to play in a park because of how dangerous it is.


This is a park that is right down the street from me. This picture can be found at http://zoraplays.com/?p=1053
This is a park that is right down the street from me. This picture can be found at http://zoraplays.com/?p=1053

It’s important for others to know. If the word doesn't get out then the problem won't get resolved. We as a rising generation need to take into account that our children will one day be playing in these parks. Iḿ pretty sure that no one wants there child to be on the 10 oçlock news because they were shot or stabbed while playing in a park. I plan on reaching to head members of the city. So here is where parks come in.

   Parks can serve the community in so many ways. An example of this is, parks can give kids a safe to play. Not only can a park serve kids during school but it can also serve kids after school. Playing outside is crucial for healthy development in children. In the result of this, kids being able physically to be active can lower obesity rates by a lot. Children are able to play and do what kids do instead of being out on the streets causing trouble because they have nothing to do. Being a teenager today I am able to see the impacts of having no good parks in the area. So, instead of doing something productive I caused problems around the community.

  Another way parks can serve the community, is by boosting the economy in that area. Being in close proximity to a park really brings in buyers for homes in that area. According to a study by Texas A&M, John L Crompton found that 20 out of 25 prospective residents were willing to pay more for a house, due to its close proximity to a park. Having more residents who were willing to pay more for properties would boost the economy and, some of that money could go to the school system.
THis is a picture that I found that shows houses surrounding a park. Here is where to find it, http://www.zrarts.com/Beautiful-Parks/
THis is a picture that I found that shows houses surrounding a park. Here is where to find it, http://www.zrarts.com/Beautiful-Parks/

My last example of how parks can serve the community is helping the environment.  To the US Forest Service, one tree generates $31,250 worth of oxygen, $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycles $37,500 worth of water, and controls $31,250 worth of soil erosion. Additionally, parks end up lightening the load of sewage and storm water runoff, as they are much more effective and exponentially less expensive at storm water management than man-made sewers. Some of the bigger parks, especially state and national parks have a big effect on conservation. Many may have informative areas on conservation or even host guided tours on the park, with a focus on conservation. Whatever it is, parks only help to boost the health of our planet; something it needs right now.

  In conclusion, I am going to go more in depth with this topic. This topic has matured my thinking to a level of where I wonder how my life would have been different if I went to a different park when I grew up. Would me being in a different environment change the person who I am today? I hope to learn more about Michael Nutter’s past actions of rebuilding parks in downtown areas. For more information check out my Annotated Bibliography!

  

Is Graffiti Really Vandalism?

Hi, my name is Chandrea Lack and for my English project, I will be focusing on the topic of graffiti. Have you ever thought about how the writings on the walls got there? How did such a blank and empty space get crowded with so much emotion and images that people go to look at and take pictures at? Everything on the walls of Philly has a purpose, what started all of these murals you see on building walls or abandoned houses all started with graffiti. Graffiti is a common form of art (in some eyes) that is considered vandalism. This is because the government claims that these graffiti artists are drawing on private property. The amount of respect for graffiti is looked down upon specifically because it’s considered vandalism and the destroying of property homes. Graffiti is created by children and adults from the age of 12- 19. The murals you see all over Philly and if not other places out the of state too, there are murals on the walls and they are inspired by the smallest bit of graffiti as said in this video. In the first half of the video, it explains how graffiti that was drawn on poles, in cities, or anywhere available. This kind of graffiti was then claimed to be destruction and the graffiti artists were soon told that they would not be able to vandalize property but instead draw murals.

The general reason why this topic is important to me is because the thought of art always stuck with me. I always saw anything with color and a unique creation was special to me and growing up with art teachers and them teaching us how to draw simple things like lines and circles were always helpful for me. It helped me see the world as just something more than a big ball of creation, but also art. Graffiti is also meaningful to me because some people make a living off of this, there are some graffiti programs that let people write on walls so that they are displayed to the public. A site that displays some form of graffiti is the Graffiti Pier. I think it’s important if more people knew about this because it’s something you don’t see everyday since most of the graffiti that are written on either public or private walls are being erased by city workers, people who like art or enjoy the sights of it should consider looking at graffiti. Street art can also be a way for people to express their feelings and thoughts on nonliving things such as walls or poles, but can’t be expressed in front of anyone else. That could also be a problem because the more we know about the people who might want to hurt themselves is another life that’s lost.

The problem with this is that not many people agree with this, because the government says it is vandalism, we all assume that graffiti is vandalism. Public property that is not used stays untouched. While the government could be worrying about building more hospitals or offices for people to work in, they leave these abandoned homes untouched. These abandoned homes can also help homeless people. Most graffiti artists can tell which is private and public property, the most you see of these writings on the walls are under the bridges of Philly, on abandoned walls, near the Philadelphia Zoo, and under the bridges of the schuylkill river. Instead of having to look at plain brown rust, these visual artists are doing their community a favor by showing their talent and skill. The small things like that can lead into bigger things like murals. These murals are inspiration, creations made from something simple, something that uses a limited amount of colors, lines, and other shapes, but they aren’t considered vandalism. Plus they are seen on walls of homes and buildings but then graffiti can’t be drawn on abandoned bridges?

For more information on the topic “Is Graffiti Really Vandalism?” you can look into my research. If you are also interested in looking at more links to find these artists there are also some provided here.



Graffiti artists are hired to draw these types of graffiti
Graffiti artists are hired to draw these types of graffiti

Black and Ballet? Why Not!


Hello, my name is Kennedy Fields and I'm currently a “African American ballerina” in training. Since the age of three, dancing became a passion of mine. As I grew older I studied various dance types but ballet became my  obsession. The tedious corrections given daily by teachers propelled me to become the best black ballerina I could possibly could be. The dance style ballet is known to be showcased dominantly by the white, a race I don't identify with. There are many famous dance companies with ballet pieces performed by white dancers, yet there aren’t many black ballerinas. For example; the familiar famous shows like The Nutcracker and Swan Lake don’t have a diverse set of performers. The black community of dancers is slowly growing but still fails in being showcased in big productions.

The following picture is an example of the many rules in executing a pirouette turn. A ballet education, has done a wonderful job in showing how ballet isn’t just twirling around in tutu’s.

Black dancers seeking to pursue the ballet craft weren’t able to in America as early as the twentieth century. There are beliefs the famous, George Balanchi started the discrimination.  George Balanchi is the choreographer of The Nutcracker and is the “Father of American ballet.” Besides his positive contributions to the dance world he also diminished it. Balanchi’s idea of proper “structure” for ballet didn’t mingle with “African American body features.” With research found in an article, It is factual that different races contribute to their body health. With that being said many excuses for blacks not to enter the study were gathered. Three factual rejects included: blacks have flat feet, leg limitations, and curved bodies. Although, these discriminants may sound absurd they meant a lot in ballet. As a part of the technical style some necessities require arched feet, straight backs, flat chests, etc. With these discriminants set it makes “black” ballerinas work twice as hard.

Since the twentieth century many of the beliefs about African American’s in ballet still exist. The pressure has eased from the young generations shoulders slightly from many people who really pushed away from ballet discrimination. A recent podcast interview, interviewed colored dancers sharing their first-hand experiences. All of their stories corroborate having one essential theme, struggling to make a career out of their loved art. Joan Myers is from Philadelphia and had her hopes crushed in her hometown right along Chestnut st. She was walking up and down the street seeking a ballet company she could audition for-but all gave her the same turn around. Joan Myers made success out of the fault in the ballet community by founding a black derived learning environment, Philadanco. Then there’s the famous Misty Copeland who changed the game for black girls all over. She has become America’s most famous ballerina of color. Her recent accomplishment has even made it to The New York Times. Misty has been promoted to a principle at the American Ballet Theatre. This means she will now be seen with lead roles in choreography. This is fantastic but the only concern is she’s the first African American female to become a principal ballerina, since its founding in 1939.

This is a picture of  ballerinas from American Ballet Theatre performing a trio. One also happens to be Misty Copeland. This was from opening night of their show in Brisbane, Australia called Three Masterpieces. Check out this page for more details.

Discrimination in an art ties to social issues. If social justice is something you believe in this should resonate with you. Different forms of Arts are meant to express the human creative skill. Skills can be mastered by anyone with practice, so why are colored dancers discriminated? There’s a difference if you don’t take a liking to one dancers style, but to not like them for a skin-deep reason is harsh. I believe if we don’t start seeing more diverse changes in the ballet profession, it will start to diminish. Young girls today need to see the diverse changes for the cycle to continue and right now there are very few heard of.

Check out my works cited!


Mild Cognitive Impairment

Hello my name is Louisa Strohm and my You & The World project is about Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). MCI is a mild form of dementia that causes short term memory loss. According to NCBI MCI is,¨ an intermediate stage between normalcy and dementia, is characterized by fewer symptoms and less functional decline than dementia with less established biological disease processes and is an attractive target for both symptomatic and disease progression therapies.¨People with mild cognitive impairment do not have as much physical and functional decline as one with dementia or Alzheimer's disease would. Currently there is no cure or treatment for this disease but there are medications that can slow the progression of the disease.



This image was found at, Medical Daily. The bottom row shows a scan of the brain throughout the progression of Mild Cognitive Impairment.


Many people with Mild Cognitive Impairment are checked into nursing homes or assisted care facilities. Although this may seem like the best option, it may not be. Many people in nursing homes are more likely to become depressed, causing their conditions to worsen. Due to lack of familiar faces such as family and friends these people would get at home, patients tend to close themselves off. People with this depression tend to deteriorate physically and mentally.

This project is very close to home for me because my grandmother has MCI. She lives with me, my mom, and my sister. She is the mother of six children, four girls and two boys. Before she was diagnosed with MCI she worked at Roman Catholic High School as the receptionist at the front desk for over 20 years. This was a job she needed a good memory for because she was going through a lot files, sending lots of emails, knowing a lot of the children’s names, and memorizing a lot of phone numbers. I often wonder whether stressing her memory then may be a reason why her memory isn’t as good now.

IMG_1176
IMG_1176
This is an image of me, my sister, and my grandmother.


Among many medications my grandmother takes there are also many things we do around the house to try and keep her memory fresh. My grandmother always sits in the same spot in our living/family room, and beside that spot there is an end table. On the end table next to her spot we have put a number of things including a clock with the date, time, and temperature. This helps my grandmother remember the day and where everyone is (school, work, ect.) because if she doesn’t know these types of things she could get very confused and end up worsening her condition. Another thing that we have done is put a pack of sticky notes and a fresh pen on her table so if someone calls or she wants to tell us something when we get home, she can write it down and remember it. One thing we always have to remember is to get rid of the used sticky notes each day so she doesn’t get confused as to when she wrote which note. These are only some of the ways we help our grandmother in her struggles with MCI.


Annotated Bibliography


LGBT Youth Bullying

In schools all across American children hear anti-gay slurs everyday. 85% percent of students report hearing these slurs daily, and 24% of them report hearing this from teachers.


Hi, I’m Kenzie Hopkins, I’m currently a freshman at Science Leadership Academy, and for the quarter four benchmark, I chose to focus on the bullying of lgbt students for my You and The World Project. I got interested when I was talking to fellow friends who belong in the LGBT community, and they’ve had more negative experiences than me. Some told me of how they were bullied in school, and their parents don’t support it. Children should feel safe in school and celebrated for their individuality, not bullied and shamed for being themselves. It is important for others to know about bullying towards LGBT students because children, our future, shouldn’t be put down and harassed for who they are and who they love, or what gender they identify as.


This issue is significant because bullying is already an issue across America and the world, but being a person who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, statistics prove that you are more likely to be bullied or harassed than straight people. If people know more about the issues that LGBT people face, they may be more likely to step up and defend the person, report the incident, or stop their actions. Bullying towards LGBT students often starts at a very young age,  In elementary school students being calling each other “fags” and “queer” from a young age, some even at six years old. “In 2001, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) reported that 85% of youth across the nation heard anti-gay slurs from other students on a regular basis.  In most schools there isn’t a gender neutral bathroom or people don’t agree with letting others use the bathroom with the gender they identify with. This is harmful to transgender students, because they may feel unwelcome or uncomfortable with being “forced” into a gender role. Schools are supposed to be a safe space for children to learn and grow, not be bullied and put down. “Schools can send a message that no one should be treated differently because they are, or are perceived to be, LGBT. Sexual orientation and gender identity protection can be added to school policies.”. Schools should also talk about creating GSA’s or safe spaces for children. The right to have a GSA is protected under the Equal Access Act. Protecting privacy is important too, and this passages addresses the importance of not telling a student's parent(s) if the child is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Lastly it gives information about the Federal Civil Rights Laws concerning sexual orientation. Nine out of ten children who identify as LGBT, reported being bullied or harassed in the year of 2016.


I want to help people realizing that children still get bullied in places that are supposed to make them feel special and safe. To read up on more information you can click here to find my annotated bibliography!


Youth Violence

Hello, My name is Benjamin Rivera and I am a 9th grader from Science Leadership Academy. My teacher assigned a You & The world project which involves me discussing a problem and making a resolution to the problem or have it noticed. Youth Violence has really gotten out of hand in our community. Philadelphia public transportation has gone through so much youth violence and has really affected our public safety for everyone around watching or being involved. Our Students are the most involved in these youth fights. It’s mostly Philadelphia  high school students from schools with good fighting reputation and they cause problems for adults, buses and trains. Students from all over Philly come to fight  around a train stations in North Philly. Youth violence tends to gives a larger crime rate in these parts of Philadelphia and it has cause serious issues. Also Students from West Philly are becoming a problem too, so let not use any biases.. Anything goes down on the streets of Philly, students don’t care if you’re old or young, if you have what they want they will jump or fight you. Sometimes people even die. In one event that occurred at Broad & Olney ended with a young girl’s life was taken by a traveling bullet after a fight that went down previously that day.





A high school football player instigated the shooting and him and the shooter are in prison for the murder of the 15 year old. It all started after school dismissal with over 50 students having an all out brawl. One other man was shot but survived the incident. Students fled after the shooting began and cops started swarming in to see and stop what was going on within the crowd.

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People fleeing from police

Even down in Center City Philadelphia nothing's changed. Students are just the same as they are in North and West Philadelphia. One incident which involved ten teenager down at race-vine station was horrible. 8 Student were stomping and punching two students as they laid on the ground begging for them to stop. Septa Police are getting sick of the fighting and called a meeting with the districts to discuss how to prevent fights from happening after school hours.



Thomas Nestel. Photo | Mariam Dembele

Septa Police discussing the problem



Earlier that month over 100 students started a flash mob and was too hard for police to break up so they ended up arresting and restraining students who were involved in the huge fight. These kids are causing pain and fear for other kids.

Another all out brawl but it’s different this time. Instead of the fights being in one place they traveled from center city to north east fights left and right. Some of those fight’s were even caught on cell phone cameras. Kids started throwing not snowballs but ice balls which can really harm or injure someone if not paying attention and they get hit.My Research has impacted my understanding because I didn’t know that my situation. wasn’t just in one place.



It’s actually all around Philadelphia also I just thought that the fights usually happen when it’s hot but fights go down in the winter too. That's intense for kids to fight all throughout the year. The research I did can be found in my Annotated Bibliography.