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Katherine Hatzidais Public Feed

SOAP!

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in Capstone - Dunn on Friday, May 31, 2013 at 8:08 pm
Over the past four months I have been working on soap. The chemistry of soap, the chemistry of how soap cleans, and how to make soap! I have made three different fragrances of soap with the same recipe. I made each batch alone so I unfortunately do not have video or pictures of me making the soap. Included is a link to my website that I have created for all viewers. On there you will find the history of soap, the chemistry, and a little bit about what I did. Included on the RESOURCES page is a button titles bibliography. Please click it to reach my bibliography. Enjoy!  

CLICK HERE! 
____________________________________________________________________________ 

Click for PROCESS PAPER! 

____________________________________________________________________________

Click for PRESENTATION! 
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10%

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in Physics - Echols on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 8:48 am
click here to view project about hot air balloons 
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What if History Benchmark: What if President Garfield Lived?

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in American History - Laufenberg on Friday, June 1, 2012 at 11:33 pm
Click here to view vuvox presentation 


Point of Divergence (POD): 
The metal detector, that was created by Alexander Graham Bell, would detect the bullet located in President Garfield and his doctors would be able to remove it and heal from infection allowing him to recover and live. 

I chose this POD because I thought it would make the most sense to change this point of President Garfield's life. It is ironic because when the procedure was preformed with the metal detector, Alexander Bell and the physicians did not realize that the reason the metal detector was malfunctioning was because Garfield was actually laying on a metal bed frame. Metal bedframes were very uncommon at that time. If they had realized this, they would have been able to successfully remove the bullet. 
My idea of what 2012 would be likfe today, would be true equality. Although there are many attempts to dissolve the tention between races, there is still much conflict. With the effort that Garfield planned to put forth would have broken down that barrier and equality wouldn't be topic of talk any longer. 
I enjoyed actually making my project. It is very visual and there are not many words so the answer does not exactly jump out at the viewer and I like that. I feel as though my project is very creative. The internet tool that I used was great to work with. On the other hand, it was a little faulty so it was somewhat difficult to get such things as links, pictures, and audio to work correctly. I believe that was the most challenging part of creating my project. After reading just a small amount about James Garfield, the first thing that came to my mind was true equality. 
The most interesting fact was definitely the POD. I just found it very interesting that if they had realized that the metal bedframe was the cause for the malfunction, Garfield would have fulfilled his term in office and most likely would have changed many things and even created a stronger government.  
The actions of individuals can change history because everything can become a chain affect. This could be in a positive or negative way. This means that big things can change which can totally alter history.  
When systems change, typically the impact affects more people and create more change. Therefore, systemic change can drastically impact the historical record. Systems are all around us so if one were to change or not to change, that could lead that system and many other systems down a different path creating a different outcome. 
One decision can absolutely influence the historical landscape drastically. Like I have noted before, everything is a chain. Decisions come from "this" or "that." This creates a bigger impact because typically when one thing changes, as does another. One decision can change a person, a group of people, a company, a government, a country, the world. 
I think the only way this would be improved would be if I was able to get all the information for the pictures I used but other than that, I am very satisfied and very proud of the work I have created. 
I would do all of my citations first rather than after the fact because it would have created more organization and an easier way to give accurate credit to all the photos I used. 


3rd primary source (not included in presentation)  
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Blog Post 5

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 1:15 pm
​I finished my last conversation with my partner and I found it to be very interesting. I learned that he is very involved with his church and enjoys working with young people. It helped me realize that lots of people are involved with their church and it is a good thing. I think this was a very strong conversation and I understood a lot more I think.
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Screen Shot 2012-06-01 at 1.14.10 PM
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Blog Post 4

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 8:22 am
​
I spoke to the same person I talked to last time. I learned a few new ways to say goodbye in Spanish. I wanted to learn how to say goodbye in new ways just to expand my own vocabulary. This conversation was definitely much better than other ones.  I think I made my point pretty clear. I wish that I had asked him more about if there is a type of social divide due to the way one sys goodbye. 
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Screen Shot 2012-05-17 at 10.20.36 AM
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Convo 3

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 12:15 am
​I learned that they seem to be very social. I learned that their greetings are not different from what I learned. I thought they would would be very different and have more slang. I learned that sometimes I need to be more careful and not so quick to speak. I was surprised that they use are pretty typical. I'm proud that I knew a lot. 



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Screen Shot 2012-05-11 at 1.02.43 PM
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Week 2

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 9:07 am
Screen Shot 2012-05-09 at 8.57.28 AM
Screen Shot 2012-05-09 at 8.57.28 AM


This time I talked about to a different person and I found out that his grandmother taught him how to speak and he was very grateful for that. I got the hint that he has a strong relationship with her. I learned that I need to be a little more careful with my conjugation. I learned that I wish I learned how to speak Greek. I was surprised that he thought he learned more from his grandmom than he would from his mother. I'm proud that this was a pretty good conversation once again. I want to ask more questions but I'm not sure if I would be able to understand. 
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Week 1

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 8:56 am
Screen Shot 2012-05-09 at 8.48.16 AM
Screen Shot 2012-05-09 at 8.48.16 AM

I learned that he majors in Adventure Education and loves to rock climb. We didn't have a long conversation or exactly a difficult conversation. I had some notes with me that helped me. I learned that my spanish is not as bad as I had initially thought. We had a pretty easy conversation. I did need to use a dictionary for some words that he said. I'm proud that I talked to someone I don't know. I will try to be more direct next time. I wanted to have a typical conversation first and then begin questions so I could see how well I could speak. 



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America in 100 years

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in American History - Laufenberg on Monday, May 7, 2012 at 12:34 pm
present
future4
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Genetics - Katherine and Taina

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in Physics - Echols on Monday, April 16, 2012 at 1:05 pm
Here is our project.
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West Virginia/Kentucky Coal Sludge Spill

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in American History - Laufenberg on Monday, March 26, 2012 at 12:32 pm
to see info-graphic, click here. 



We all had a good idea of what we wanted to do. We were all able to get some good research and put out good ideas. We definitely worked well asa group. 

We had a vision to show the percentage of different metals but it was extremely difficult to find information such as that. I would consider executing our project differently because it was hard to create our actual infographic because we couldn't view it all as one since the file was pretty large. I also would organize our research a little differently and try to be a little more creative. 


Be Concise: We included facts straight from news sources and did not include bulky text. 

Be Visual: We created our own map of the area, or at least tried our best and tried to give the map depth. 

Be Smarter: We tried to compare the amount of sludge to multiple things. 

Be Transparent: Our goal was for people to understand how detrimental this was. 

Be Different: We didn't want ours to look unprofessional. 

Be Accurate: We used accurate news sources such as primary sources. 

Be Attractive: We wanted our info-graphic to flow. 

Be Varied: We tried to include multiple representatives. 

Be Gracious: We attempted to pack a punch but not make it overbearing. 

Be Creative: We wanted to make it visual but left an impression. 


We excelled in being concise, transparent, different, and accurate. We wanted all of our information to be effective and also correct. We wanted to have a nice flow to our graphic so that it would be easy on the eyes. The other areas, we were not so successful in. I think many of these were hard such as being gracious and varied because we could say many things but in order to have it portrayed in a smart clever way. 
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The Renaissance: Revolution and Reform

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in American History - Laufenberg on Friday, March 9, 2012 at 11:43 am
Screen Shot 2012-03-09 at 12.44.08 PM
Screen Shot 2012-03-09 at 12.44.08 PM
To view my website, click here.  

This website is about the revolution and reformation that happened during the Renaissance. Everything is included inside the site. I really enjoyed producing this project because I am very interested in this topic. Please enjoy!
Tags: nhd12
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Clash Of Cultures: How did the Native Americans resist European Settlement?

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in American History - Laufenberg on Friday, March 2, 2012 at 10:33 am
http://www.thinglink.com/scene/232176191845433344#tlsite 

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Reflexión

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 8:23 pm
  • Mi grupo y yo hicimos un PSA sobre tirar basura. 
  • Por crear el PSA, la cosa más importante que aprendí fue lavarse y el cuidado de limpio son importantes.
  • Me gusta el PSA de mi group porque es muy creativo y divertido. 
  • Si pudiera hacer el proyecto otra vez, yo cambiaría hicimos un gran video con un gran mensaje. 
Tags: Nadir Meeks, DeShawn McLeod, Imani Johnson, Q2BM, gierke, espanol 3, reflexión
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Mind Esacpe

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in English 3 - Rami on Monday, January 16, 2012 at 1:41 pm


Andy woke up to another rainy morning in Quillayute, Washington. He slipped on his jeans and stomped his feet into his rain boots. He drug himself over to the bathroom to brush his teeth.  Andy never brushed his hair. He thought it would make him look like he tried to too hard.   

“Andy you still aren’t ready?”, his mother hollered.  

He snapped back at her, “Chill out Mom. I’ll be down in a sec.”  

Andy trudged down the wooden steps of his back stair case, moaning and groaning as he stepped into the kitchen. 

“Don’t forget you have to be home right after school to help Grandpa with his storm door. I made waffles; they’re in the toaster,” his mom said without taking a breath. 

“That doesn’t mean you made them. It just means that you put them in the toaster.” 

“Either way, they’re toasting! Eat and leave for school. I’m going to work  now.” 

She gave him a quick peck on the head and rushed out of the door yelling, “I’ll be home before 7!” 

“BING!” The toaster screamed and the toast was in front of Andy instantly. He munched down on it in three quick bites and left for school. He walked to his girlfriend’s house so they could catch the school bus. Just like he did every morning. 

He walked up her front patio, knocked on the door, and waited for Clara to come out. 

She stepped out of her house saying, “Hey And-Man,” a pet name she had for him, “did you catch any Z’s?” 

“Barely. All I could hear was thunder.” 

“Me too! Luckily we had a hard volleyball practice so I fell asleep fast.”  

“I’m jealous. I will most definitely be sleeping in all my classes today,” Andy said has he reached his arm around Clara. 

During gym, Andy went to his locker and the locker door met his hand. Mark Efritt, Andy’s sworn enemy, began to walk down the aisle he was standing in. “What’s going on Handy Andy?!” 

“Seriously Mark, leave me alone. I’m not bothering you so stop trying to bother me.” 

“Oh but you are bothering me! Just seeing you here is bothering me.” Mark proceeded to grip Andy’s arm as if he were to yank him away from the locker. Andy pulled his arm away from Mark. 

“I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!”

At that moment a chair flew across down the aisle of the lockers right towards Mark. Mark was able to catch himself in time in order to not be hit by the chair. He fell to the ground and scurried away. Andy didn’t even understand what was happening. He  had no idea where the chair came from. He knew no one else was in the locker room besides him and Mark at the time. 

“Did I do that?”, he thought to himself in astonishment. Andy decided that he needed to go home and get out of school so he could calm down. He grabbed his things and ran to the nurse’s office to fake sick in order to get home quick. 

Once Andy got home, he sent a quick text to Clara, “Come over after school. Not feeling well & left early.” Andy’s mind was racing though. How could a chair just take flight if no force had touched it? He couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Andy clicked on the television to try to relieve himself from his wandering mind. Of course, during the middle of the day, the only thing playing was old comic cartoons about super-heroes.  

Andy sat up in bed and looked around. His eyes stopped on his door. He focused on the closed door. Then suddenly, the door was open. Andy tried searching for another object to move. His eyes settled on his boot. Again, he began to focus. The boot flung across the room and hit the wall. He knew it. Andy knew he could move things with his mind. 

“How could this be? I don’t understand how something like this could happen. Should I tell anyone? Definitely not my mom, she won’t understand. Clara? She might get freaked out though!” Andy was pacing around his room trying to figure this out. He heard the front door creak open. From downstairs Clara called up to him. 

“Andy, I came right over after school to make sure you were all right.” 

“Yeah, I’m feeling better. You can come up.” 

Andy began to get really nervous. He didn’t know if he could exactly control it. Clara came up the steps and into his room. 

“Hey big man, what’s going on?” 

“Not really sure. I just felt nauseous and I couldn’t focus at all in class. I felt like I was gonna pass out.” 

“Were you able to get any sleep?”, Clara said as she walked over to the bed and sat down. 

“Not really, just watched some toons,” as Andy followed her lead. 

“Well why don’t you lay down now and try to get some rest. I have to get to volleyball practice soon.” 

Andy didn’t say anything to Clara but was trying to be very cautious about his actions and temper. A few weeks passed and everything was fine. 

Andy began to notice there was a new kid that had just moved into town. He seemed quiet and not very friendly. The next day, Andy saw him in the locker room getting ready for gym. Andy thought it would be nice of him to say hi and introduce himself. 

“Hey man, my name’s Andy. Welcome.”

The boy glared at Andy and finally just said, “Hey.”

Andy thought it was very strange how the boy reacted but didn’t pay any mind to it. He saw the boy more and more. He had no idea who he was. Andy had seen the boy again in the locker room and thought maybe he’s just shy. 

“Hey, I think we got off on the wrong foot. My name is...” 

“Andy, I know.” 

“Right, I guess I did tell you that last time. So, what’s yours?” 

“Hank.” 

“Where did you move from?” 

“Abroad.” 

“Oh, so over seas! That’s pretty cool.” 

Hank didn’t even look Andy’s way and left the locker room. Andy thought there was no hope in trying to get to see who this kid really was. He decided to put it behind him. 

A few months had passed and nothing seemed strange. Andy was very happy and surprisingly, his relationship had gotten better with his mom. He thought that maybe it would be okay if he told her about himself. 

That night at dinner Andy said to his mom, “Mom, I have something to tell you.” 

“Are you on drugs or something?” 

Andy gave a little chuckle and said, “No Mom, but you might think I am after I tell you this.” There was a long pause before Andy told her. “I can move things without touching them.” 

“I don’t understand.” 

“If I focus on an object, I can move it.” 

“Ha-Ha-Ha, very funny Andy.” 

“I’m not kidding! Watch!” Andy immediately looked at his glass of water and began to focus on it. Within seconds, the glass slid slowly down the table to his mom. She was dumbfounded. She had no idea what to say. 

“Andy, don’t do that again. You’re freaking me out.” His mom got up from the table, put her dish in the sink, and walked into the living room to watch TV. Andy just got up and walked out the front door. He wanted to tell Clara what had happened.  

He walked up her front patio like usual and knocked on the door. Clara answered and let him inside. Andy stepped in quickly and they went into the basement and sat down.  

“So, what happened with your mom?”, Clara said quickly. 

“I told her something that I don’t think I should have.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I told her I can move things without touching them.” 

“I thought super heroes and like villains only did that stuff.” 

“Well, apparently I can too.” 

“I’m sorry, but that’s a little hard to believe.” 

Again, Andy preformed the same thing for Clara as he did with his mother. Clara herself couldn’t believe it either. “Andy, maybe your mom is right.” Andy simply got up, kissed Clara on the forehead and went home. Once he got home he went straight to his room and went to bed. 

Andy woke up with the sound of a knock at his bedroom door. He checked the clock quickly. The clock read four in the morning. Andy rolled over and pulled the covers up to his head. He then again heard a knock on his bedroom door. He  used his mind to open the door not expecting anything, but standing there outside of his bedroom was Hank. 

“HANK!? What are you doing in my house! Get out!” 

“Andy, you don’t understand what you’ve done. They’re coming for you. You need to leave now.” 

“What are you talking about ‘they’?” 

“The other talented ones.” 

“I have no clue what you’re talking about. 

“They are on their way! We must leave write a quick note to your mom. Leave anything precious to you here. And don’t bring your cellphone. I’ll break it. You need to make it seem like you ran away.”  

“Can I at least say goodbye to Clara?” 

“I’ll take you there for a few minutes. But you can’t wake her up.” 

Andy quickly grabbed a bag and threw in as many clothes as he could. He grabbed a pad a paper and jotted down a few lines: 

I decided I must take some time to figure some things out. Please don’t come looking for me. I’ll be home soon. I’ll be safe. I love you.  


Hank and Andy left the house and went to Clara’s. Clara was fast asleep. Nothing would wake her up. Andy wrote down another note to leave Clara: 

I love you more than anything. I need some time away from here. I’ll  come back soon. Please don’t worry. Don’t forget me. 

 

And with that, they were gone. The other talented ones were hunting for a person  that had the ability of mind control to add to their team. But this was no ordinary. Each member had a special power that all together, they would be able to bring pure destruction to whom ever they chose.  

Andy’s mom woke up the next morning and found Andy’s note. She did not make a big deal about is but simply tried to understand. She kept her hopes up and did not try to search for him. She stayed right where she was just incase Andy would need her. Clara for a long time was confused and didn’t understand what happened. She continued to hope that Andy would come back one day. 

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Trader Joe's Poster

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 7:51 am

    •  To work as a tomato worker in Florida is very difficult. They do not make much money and they are not always treated well. Trader Joe's no ayudara a la lCW y no los va a pagar un centavo más. We can help people understand why they should not buy from Trader Joe's. No apoyo. 
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Screen Shot 2011-12-01 at 8.44.41 AM
Tags: Trader Joe's español3 proyecto
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BMQ1 Reflection

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in American History - Laufenberg on Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 11:46 am
position paper: https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1A-9YO5mGVkaaZr13rfIuodWbF9bVFtpOSlRlotzH0vw/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1 

actual site: https://sites.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/don-t-have-a-cow-vote-by-mail/ 

-How did your group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project? 
My group went about choosing our topic by sorting out what problems were brought up in class. We came up with mail voting. We thought this would be te most interesting because is only used in a few states so we were able to compare the data from those states and states that don't use mail voting.  

-11th grade Essential Question: What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 
The individual has to be a leader in the change and be able to commit to whatever they feel passionate about. To create change they must research and defend their opinion and they must commit to the cause in order to sustain it. 

-How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?  
We decided to create a Twitter page. We thought that through social networking we would be the best way for people to get to know what our focus was and how it could benefit all of the US. 

-How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?  My understanding of the electoral process has changed drastically because before I didn't really know anything about voting nor the process. I definitely have a better understanding after this unit. Through this unit I noticed that since there was low voter turn-out the US as a democracy is not very accurate because not everyone votes so it makes it less of a democracy than it was before. 









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Election Day Questionare

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in American History - Laufenberg on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:35 pm
photo soon to come 
laufenberg
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Voting Rights Timeline

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in American History - Laufenberg on Monday, October 24, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Katherine 
Malik 
Bernicia 
Maggie 

Voting Rights Timeline on Prezi

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Voting Rights in the U.S.

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in American History - Laufenberg on Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 11:09 pm
http://prezi.com/x9xqro20wmo4/present/?auth_key=o9hkeg5&follow=khatzidais@scienceleadership.org
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Mi Vida

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 9:19 am

This project was very fun. I was able to write a song that is a short reflection of my life. I was able to explore different ways to express my life in Spanish. I learned a few new words and I also learned how to work with some new programs. I learned a lot about other people as well from reviewing their work.  I'm proud of my song because I'm not a singer and it took a lot of courage for me to preform this. I think I would change my lyrics if I were to do this project over again. 





​
yo soy de un lugar
donde las cosas más simples son buenos
donde el amor es profundo
donde las sonrisas son amplias

la gente habla                                  
pero no me escucha                       
yo quiero tener diversión                  
cariñoso la vida es mi afición           
joven y divertida                            

​yo soy de un lugar
donde las cosas más simples son buenos
donde el amor es profundo
donde las sonrisas son amplias

soy de un lugar
donde las personas no van más  
quiero ir lejos con mi vida
pero esas noches de verano
son amados

​yo soy de un lugar
donde las cosas más simples son buenos
donde el amor es profundo
donde las sonrisas son amplias
cancin
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Immigration Visualization Project Reflection

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in American History - Laufenberg on Friday, September 23, 2011 at 11:39 am
ImmigrationChartMLKHSH
ImmigrationChartMLKHSH

To view chart in full view, click here. https://www.lucidchart.com/documents/view#4e73634a-e110-46dc-be67-14c60a7f13a0?branch=39ec39e3-743f-45d9-aa53-e10b25501552




  • What surprised you most about this information?  What seemed quite obvious about explaining this data set?

    Many things that I was surprised about was the act that were established through the few decades I researched. I was surprised to see that someone were very discriminating. Some small things seemed to have quite an affect on America in that time. I also found a few things that I wasn't very surprised to see such as the Spanish, American War, Immigration Act of 1917 and 1918, and The Great Depression. 
  • Looking at the overall trend and incorporating what you know about the US presently, predict and defend the immigration trend for the next two decades.
    I think that it will rise. America isn't the only country that is facing economic issues but on the other hand I think that it could possibly decrease eventually. Within the next two decades I believe immigration into America will continue to increase. 
  • Describe how you made a decision on how to visually represent the information.
    Within my group we decided that the most straightforward place to represent our information would be a lucid chart. We thought that this would help us organize our thoughts and create a clean visualization. Originally we were going to show the volume of immigration by changing the sizes of the boxes. Then we agreed to use color instead. We thought it would be softer on the eyes and not so harsh. 
  • What parts of group work were challenging?
    The most changeling part was organizing all our thoughts and finding a way to represent those thoughts and research. We wanted to create something that would be interesting and people would want to look at while also incorporating all the details. 
  • What would you do differently if you had this project to do over?
    I would definitely find a different way to represent the information because this was something that I have only done a few times before so I would like to see how else I would be able to interpet this information. Also, I'd like to see what other tools are available for these kinds assignments. 
Tags: immvis1112
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De donde vengo yo?

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 8:35 am
​refrán: 
yo soy de un lugar
donde las cosas más simples son buenos
donde el amor es profundo
donde las sonrisas son amplias


  • What is your refrán supposed to communicate? 
    My refrán is suppose to communicate that even though things can be tough, theres still a few things that remain the same. 

  • What are you especially happy about with your first draft?
    I am happy about the words because I think they are strong words. 

  • What would you like to improve about your refrán first draft?
    I would like to see if I could write it in a different way or say something even more meaningful. 

  • What was difficult about writing your refrán?  
    I think it was difficult to write something meaningful that could possibly have rhythm. 
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Where I'm From

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in English 3 - Rami on Friday, September 9, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Katherine Hatzidais: 

I’m from the hills where no flatland survives.

I’m from the green trees and the flowing crick.

I’m from the honeysuckles we use to pick.

I’m from the old country and also from New Jersey.

I’m from potatoes & feta cheese.

I’m from the top shelf where all the treasures are found.

I’m from the neighbors who make all the sound.

I’m from the top of the steps on Christmas day.

From assume you will make an ASS out of U and ME.

But I’m from a place where fun can be.

I’m from the old-fashioned family.

From the ones who don’t belong.

I’m not from the place where good is good enough.

I’m from you won’t survive if you don’t act tough.

I’m from the string bean and meatball dish.

From the stuffed peppers.

I’m not from the American stuffed peppers.

I’m from a pool where family and friends are invited.

I’m from a taco dip that’s oh so tasty.

I’m from the summer where it’s so zesty.

I’m from my bed full of pillows.

I’m from a small town.

But I’m from many places. 

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Where I'm From

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in English 3 - Rami on Friday, September 9, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Katherine Hatzidais

​I’m from the hills where no flatland survives.

I’m from the green trees and the flowing crick.

I’m from the honeysuckles we use to pick.

I’m from the old country and also from New Jersey.

I’m from potatoes & feta cheese.

I’m from the top shelf where all the treasures are found.

I’m from the neighbors who make all the sound.

I’m from the top of the steps on Christmas day.

From assume you will make an ASS out of U and ME.

But I’m from a place where fun can be.

I’m from the old-fashioned family.

From the ones who don’t belong.

I’m not from the place where good is good enough.

I’m from you won’t survive if you don’t act tough.

I’m from the string bean and meatball dish.

From the stuffed peppers.

I’m not from the American stuffed peppers.

I’m from a pool where family and friends are invited.

I’m from a taco dip that’s oh so tasty.

I’m from the summer where it’s so zesty.

I’m from my bed full of pillows.

I’m from a small town.

But I’m from many places. 

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An Understanding

Posted by Katherine Hatzidais in English 2 - Pahomov on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 12:07 pm
​Katherine Hatzidais     
1/5/11
A Band  

    The argument had started on Facebook. It was my friend Rachel and I against a group of girlfriends. Rachel was only sticking up for me.  We were all verbally attacking each other, but we didn’t stop.  
“Yous just need ta stop frontin on her. She ain’t dun nunnin to any of yous nd yous sayin all dis crap,” Rachel replied to their nasty comments.
“She’s starting crap for no reason. CJ did nothing to her,” one of the girls had said back to my friend Rachel. “CJ has every right to say something back because Katherine has been talking about her behind her back. This is none of your business, so get out of it. BTW, you aren’t BLACK!”
“Why does she have to be black to type like that? Just cause she doesn’t type like you doesn’t mean she’s black!” I had to stick up for my friend now.
“She doesn’t know how to speak English. ‘Nunnin’ is not a word. It’s NOTHING!”
“It doesn’t make you any better than her though,” I replied back to her.
“It does because I can actually speak English. Obviously I’m smarter then her.”
I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I started to ask myself: was this serious? Who would say something like that? This girl was basically saying that black people were stupid. She was creating a stereotype of people who didn’t type properly. Using slang was considered “black talk” to her. In her opinion, if you didn’t type properly or talk properly, you were considered stupid.
I believe that you don’t have to have the entire dictionary in your vocabulary in order to be considered smart. Nor do you have to pronounce every word with prefect pronunciation to be acknowledged as just a conscious person.  
In the words of James Baldwin, “…I do not know what Americans would sound like if there had never been any black people in the United States…” I agree with James Baldwin because for every action, there is a reaction. Even though at the time people did not expect an entire language to develop from Africans being enslaved, it did. It changed the way we talk today between all races. Our communication to each other has been influenced by the slang they had created.
    For the girl who said that comment to my friend was technically politically incorrect. We all talk black, and we all talk white. The difference is the way we talk but we all speak one language. It all depends on our slang, our accent, and our culture. We all speak English but we do not all speak it the same way.  
When the girl had said to Rachel that she isn’t smart because she doesn’t talk properly was stereotypical. People could make the speculation that since she talks properly she is too white or that she was brainy. Not only was what she saying stereotypical but also racist. Not only was she calling Rachel unintelligent but black people as well. The implications of her comment are that she is better than black people because she is white.  
My doctor was concerned and wanted me to be checked out by a neurologist.
“Katherine, you may come around the counter,” the doctor had shouted out.
I proceeded around the bend with my mother at my heels.
“Please take a step inside.”
The exam went on and as it did, Dr. McHarg kept bringing up words that I have never heard before. I was amazed with the variety of his vocabulary. He had explained to my mother and that when he was younger, and he would speak improperly or misuse a word his mother use to say to him “English is my fourth language, what is your excuse?” Dr. McHarg told my mother and I that his mother wanted so very hard to become a master of the English language, that is why he spoke with such a range of words. My mother had mentioned to me that he sounded so intelligent because of his vocabulary. She was extremely impressed with vast variety of vocabulary.
According to James Baldwin, “It is the most vivid and crucial key to identify: It reveals the private identity, and connects one with, or divorces one from, the larger, public, or communal identity.”  I believe this quote applies to everyone. I think this quote may be applied to this moment because his language revealed his private identity of his relationship with his mother but also connected him to a public identity which would be that he was educated. This is true not just for doctors or people who are educated but also for all individuals. The situation may be reversed and the individual may not be as educated, which may lead them to have a poor vocabulary.
Either way, different cultures from around the world have created the massive language of English that many people speak today. Through this language people are able to express themselves and engage with others. It creates a common understanding for people. Our slang, accents, and dialects are what set us apart but also connect us to a congregation of our own.
    




    

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