For our project, we decided to recreate scenes from the movie “Moonlight” using the film and style techniques of director, Wes Anderson. Anderson is an indie movie director who’s most well known movies include “Isle of Dogs”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “Moonrise Kingdom”. Throughout all of his movies, Anderson’s directing style stands out very vibrantly in tone and acting. Some recurring cinematographic elements of Anderson’s style include tracking shots, zoom, profile shots, symmetrical framing, overhead shots and whip pans. Some of Anderson’s theatrical elements include warm and cool color palettes, non-diegetic plinking harpsichord music, one or more childish adult characters, smoking, characters explaining elaborate plans, action, violence, stylish attire, foreigners, a vintage/ old timey aesthetic, shots of writing, and an assortment of recurring actors and actresses. We chose to incorporate Anderson’s style to “Moonlight” because we loved the concept of revamping a dark toned movie into something more vibrant and lighthearted. To accomplish this goal, we chose some scenes from “Moonlight” that we thought had potential to be reiterated through Anderson’s directing style. We then looked at Then we drew these scenes and placed them in a storyboard panel. We also were deliberate in our camera angles and essentially eliminate dimensions to give our scenes a very “flat look”.

These cinematography decisions echo Wes Anderson’s emphasis on aesthetic rather than the actual plot. Since Moonlight deals with a lot of important and heavy topics, changing the scenes to make it seem as if they are right out of a coloring book definitely in some ways dilutes the message. The overall design of his shots, including bright color palettes and fixed camera angles helps readers to disassociate from the societal context and instead pay close attention to the story unfolding between the main characters and everything that surrounds their situation. For instance, during the Grand Budapest, the audience was oftentimes too distracted by the bright colors and whimsical characters to remember a war being the backdrop. Even though the storyline was nothing spectacular or ground breaking, the attention to detail truly compensated for a somewhat lackluster plot. At the time of the creation of the  Grand Budapest, Wes Anderson utilized the advent of the anamorphic lenses to capture wide scenes within a single camera frame.

With Moonlight, we decided to use Wes Anderson’s style of directing to take the audience’s attention away from the harsh backdrop that is Chyron’s neighborhood, school, and home life, and instead focus the attention on the better parts of Chyron’s coming of age story. Through color and framing, we used our storyboard to communicate just that. In each panel, we drew pictures that involved vibrant colors and our desired camera angles. We drew a lot of wide/ medium shots, zoom, and made the backdrops pop with warm and cool colors. In terms of positioning characters, such as Kevin, Juan, or Chyron, we drew them face to face to highlight whatever intimacy they may have. Through these changes, we hope to help audiences remember the better and pure parts of “Moonlight” rather than just the harsh backdrop of Chyron’s life.

Capstone

When I started my capstone, I had a vision to engage kids from my area in STEM. By the end of the project, I hoped to gain a deeper understanding of how to work with younger kids. I also hoped to refine my coding and engineering skills. Overall,  my most important goal was to actually inspire the kids to pursue engineering when they get to highschool and college. These goals were appropriate for me because I have been involved with engineering every year at SLA. Personally, growing up in a school lacking in resources and with a weak STEM curriculum, I was not exposed to any substantive science, technology, engineering, or math projects until high school. I have had the privilege of attending a immersive, project-based high school. This is a privilege that unfortunately many kids hailing from my socioeconomic background do not have. Partnering with the West Philadelphia Community Center, in addition to my debate mentoring program, I explored several STEM related topics with a group of black children over 5 sessions.  During these sessions, I gauged their interest about circuitry, NXTs, and Arduino to design an event that is an appendage of my capstone. This event will be open to disenfranchised youth across Philly and will be funded by Braskem. I felt that I could not just cap my capstone at the five sessions because I have the capacity to do more given my funding. I will also be designing a website that will include all of the STEM programs I have participated during my high school career, to keep the kids engaged even after the two hour event is over. I will launch the website during the event to solidify the kids’ interest in STEM and ensure they will continue to pursuit STEM programs afterwards. I am so happy to have had this experience because I met a group of talented, underprivileged kids who taught me more about myself than I could have ever anticipated. The sessions became more about STEM and we had discussions about issues affecting black inner city youth as well. I really feel like I planted a seed of curiosity in their lives, but also acted as a big sister/mentor to these kids.

Bibliography:

Williams, Joseph J. “Bringing STEM Education to Underserved Communities.” US News, www.usnews.com/news/stem-solutions/articles/2014/05/29/bringing-stem-education-to-underserved-communities.

This source is effective in providing a basis for the impact of my capstone. My ultimate goal for my capstone is to create change within my community by exposing sixth and seventh graders to engineering. I think this will come in handy when I am articulating my pitch for Braskem funding. It specifically details a non-profit organization’s journey of bringing STEM to less affluent communities. Although my capstone is not a non-profit, I can still gain insight on why there is such a need for a capstone like mine. It will educate me so that I will be able to inform others on why I am doing my capstone, not with emotion, but with empirical data that highlights the lack of representation in the STEM field.

Camera, Lauren. “Low Income Students Nowhere to Be Found in Stem.” US News, www.usnews.com/news/stem-solutions/articles/2017-05-25/low-income-students-nowhere-to-be-found-in-stem.

This source is effective in providing a basis for the inquiry aspect of my capstone. When brainstorming ideas for Capstones, I knew I wanted to created change within my local community by using something I learned in high school.Before SLA, my knowledge of engineering was very minute because the science department at my local neighborhood school was terrible. I knew that I had to do my part somehow in exposing younger underrepresented kids in southwest to engineering before they apply for high schools, in hopes that they apply to SLA or schools offering similliar engineering programs. Over the years, I have learned that programs that preach about career opportunities do not really engage and inspire young children.  This article corroborates the fact that programs that allow low income students to work with circuitry and robots are the ones that actually plant a seed of interest.

“STEM Education: Helping a Generation of At-Risk Youth.” Evōk Advertising, 6 Oct. 2017, www.evokad.com/insights/stem-education-at-risk-students/.

This source will be effective in articulating the impact of my capstone when I am pitching for funding from Braskem. Exposure to engineering can inspire at-risk teens to focus on their academics and dissuade them from engaging in high risk behaviors and succumbing to peer pressure. This is the larger goal of my project, A lot of the time, low income, teens of color feel trapped in their situation. They do not see any form of social mobility in their neighborhood so they are often discouraged when it comes to school and their future. I want to solidify that confidence in them and make them realize all that they are capable of through these workshops.

Porterfield, Ph.D. Daniel R. “Bringing Low-Income Students Into STEM Education.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 31 May 2014, www.forbes.com/sites/dporterfield/2014/04/03/bringing-low-income-students-into-stem-education/#43b895963ae8.

This source outlines an initiative that already exist that is helping to enroll low income students into the top schools for engineering.I will use this source to justify why there needs to be intervention at a much earlier stage.  I want the kids in my program to become involved in various engineering programs during high school because engineering will expose them to a plethora of opportunities. Just by being involved with SLA’s robotics team, I have had access to scholarship, extracurricular, and mentorship opportunities. Being involved with engineering could even inspire the kids in my college to seriously pursue a college degree when they are older.

Wilson, Donald, and Marcus Conyers. “The Teenage Brain Is Wired to Learn-So Make Sure Your Students Know It.” Edutopia, 8 Nov. 2016, www.edutopia.org/article/teenage-brain-is-wired-to-learn-donna-wilson-marcus-conyers.

This source delves into the science of neuroplasticity and the teenage brain. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to expand. Neuroplasticity occurs during normal brain development when the immature brain first begins to process sensory information through adulthood.  This is important to teens because you can train your brain to study better and instill a growth mindset in your brain while you’re young. Neuroplasticity is especially high among teenagers, whose synapses are proliferating by the second. Teenagers are very impressionable due to this reason. I will utilize this source to corroborate why i chose sixth and seventh graders for my target audience. Their brains are developing and new information makes a resounding impact on them. I know that if I can get these kids to attend two or three workshops, the experience will stick with them for a long time.

“Article: How Do Electric Circuits Work? .” How Do Electric Circuits Work? | Discovery Kids, discoverykids.com/articles/how-do-electric-circuits-work/.

I will utilize this source to give a basic description of circuits so that they can understand it on a basic level.

Soclof, Sidney. “How Circuits Work.” HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 21 Jan. 2008, science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/circuit.htm.

This source will help me create the curriculum for the workshops. It is informative and thoroughly explains how circuits work. I will refer to this article when I am trying to communicate what circuitry is and the components circuits entail.

“{{PageGeneralData.HeaderMainText}} {{ContextHeader}}.” Help 2 - Help 2 - Help 2 - Help 2 - Help Topics - Service LEGO.com, www.lego.com/en-us/service/help/products/themes-sets/lego-education/lego-mindstorms-nxt-software-downloads-408100000007850.

This source will also help me create the curriculum for the workshops. It is informative and is a library for the NXT software. Lego Mindstorms are very helpful  for understanding the logic behind engineering and coding. I initially wanted to frame my workshops on my summer internship working with Arduinos. Upon talking to my in school mentor, I realized that coding from scratch would be a hard feat for middle school students. Working with circuits and NXTs will inspire the kids to think about engineering in a building-block kind of way. Once they learn these rudimentary skills, developing raw coding skills in the future will be much easier for them.

Cawley, Christian. “DIY 10 Jaw-Dropping Lego Mindstorms Projects.” Make Use Of, 7 Sept. 2016, www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-jaw-dropping-lego-mindstorms-projects/.

I will utilize this source to introduce the kids to really cool lego mindstorm projects. I want them to get interested before I officially begin my presentations and demos. It would be really bad if they were bored while I am trying to spark their interest. I plan to show them the videos to get them hooked and then move onto some hands-on activities.

Fronderville, Tristan De. “How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class.” Edutopia, 3 Aug. 2009, www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips.

This source explains how educators can keep the attention of the students they are teaching. This will be useful for me because I will be directly interacting with younger children and I do not have too much experience with this. The only experience I have working with little kids is tutoring them in basic algebra concepts. This did not require too much creativity, especially since their parents were making them come. My workshops will be voluntary so I need to make sure that they are interesting so that people actually come. I found some helpful tips such as starting class with a warm up using movement to keeps kids focused. I will incorporate these tools into my teaching.

Capital gains is a miniscule part of federal revenue, it is about rewarding or punishing different economic behaviors for rich people

They change how rich people use their money,

Encourages rich people to invest wisely

Eliminate capital gains tax to encourage rich people to make smart choices

Best 2fer Ever

On the surface level, the original Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” conveys the message that kindness could save a life. Since its release on March 31, viewers have taken to various social media platforms to proclaim their love for the show, stressing the importance of acknowledging mental illness in teenagers. Some have even suggested it become required viewing for middle and high school students, even with all  the graphic displays of  violence. Despite its overarching message of compassion and understanding in the youth, this popular teen flick belies a more sinister meaning: Suicide is a tool for revenge.  The show relays the story of Hannah Baker, who kills herself and leaves 13 tapes behind to allocate blame.  ‘13 Reasons Why’ can be highly triggering for teenagers because it glamorizes suicide by portraying it as a means of retribution.

Hannah is the protagonist of the storyline. She commits suicide for thirteen reasons, or rather, thirteen people. She records their stories on cutely decorated tapes and sends them to the first person on her list. Whoever was currently listening  was to pass it on to the next after he or she went through the entire set of tapes. Initially outspoken and confident with her quick wit, Hannah becomes torn down by the bullying and rumors that engulf her social life. By the time of her death, she is self-sabotaging, incredibly insecure, and depressed. She then seeks revenge by killing herself and making sure those who wronged her feel guilt for her death.

In a recent Rolling Stone article, titled “Does '13 Reasons Why' Glamorize Teen Suicide?”,  Alexis Curtis, teen bullying expert, explains that the series lingers on the drama surrounding suicide. She explains that after Hannah Baker died, her story is continued and dramatized. Hannah continues to live through the tapes, and is almost immortalized. In fact, for most of the show, viewers feel as though she is still alive through countless flashbacks of her. This erroneous depiction of suicide romanticizes the trauma and pain it engenders.  “In real life”, Curtis writes, “when someone commits suicide, their story ends there. ‘13 Reasons Why’ failed to end Baker's story, since she lives on through the tapes. We become captivated by the drama of the suicide rather than the actual suicide itself” ”. Baker seeks revenge through suicide, which makes her feel validated and triumphant, which are connotations too glamorous for the bleak reality of someone taking their own life.

Moreover, the way Hannah tries to seek reprisal takes a toll on the mental health of those she leaves behind. For instance, Clay, her closest friend and crush, nearly loses his mind after finding out he is on the tapes. He starts exhibiting characteristics of a suicidal person and even attempts to jump off a cliff after he finally listens to his tape. He felt that by killing himself, he would make up for hurting Hannah when she was alive. Not only did he try to kill himself, but he also tries to make the other people on the tapes feel overbearing guilt. Alex, another close ex friend of Hannah’s, eventually ends up shooting himself in the head because he felt like he was mainly responsible for Hannah’s death. Her vengeful suicide gave a reason to those who fely that hey hurt her,  to become victims themselves.

In 2016,  the Jason Foundation reported that  suicide was the second leading cause of death for ages 10-24. In 2014, 1,668 youth aged 13-18 committed suicide. Because this is the demographic the show targets, it is especially triggering for teens. For instance, President of the Child Mind Institute,  Harold S. Kopelowicz, explains in an interview, “This program is coming into living rooms with attractive kids, who seem cool and with it, and are very witty, and they are giving the message of ‘once you are dead, you can get revenge on the people who were mean to you,’”. This false, but contagious message, does not bring awareness to an important cause, but instead catalyzes teenage anxiety and makes suicide seem fulfilling.

Most teens don't leave tapes informing several people of how they contributed to their suicide. Because of these tapes, viewers were unable to witness the grief that occurs after someone commits suicide. 13 Reasons Why fails to end the last episode with closure. For teens who are battling mental health issues in life, witnessing the end of a life as casually as the show portrays, can be desensitizing to this very serious matter. Teenagers are usually very impressionable and pay attention to trending topics. ‘13 Reasons Why’ is the new teen craze attempting to destigmatize youth mental illness. However, it only exacerbates the issue by conveying a tone-deaf message of hope. This show can be highly triggering for teenagers because it romanticizes suicide by portraying it as a means of revenge and gratification.

Citations:

Why is this my best 2fer ever?

Tigidankay Saccoh

English 3

Pahomov

Jan 9, 2017

                                     Best Personal Essay Ever

I sat nestled in between my mother’s legs as she massaged a relaxer into my scalp. She once told me my kinky tresses were my very own majestic lion mane, but after years of yearning to fit in, she relented and tamed the beast on the top of my head. I twiddled my thumbs as she subdued the slayer of all combs, defier of gravity, the eighth wonder of the world : my afro. About thirty minutes later, she rinsed the chemicals out of my hair and my tightly coiled locks metamorphosed into fine strands that cascaded down my shoulders. Light poured through the gap in my teeth as I beamed in front of the bathroom mirror, finally satisfied with my reflection.  I would finally be just like my friends, even though I was never meant to.

For most of my life, fitting in has been a survival technique. When I moved from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to Seattle, Washington, I did what was necessary to resist ostracization. I quickly shed my accent, adopted the moniker “Tigi”, and ditched the traditional west African garbs my grandmother had sewn me. I observed the mannerisms of my all-American classmates and gradually assimilated into their culture. Soon enough, there was a stack of Barbie movie discs next to my mother’s Nollywood collection on the living room book shelf. My new Hannah Montana shirts clashed with the ornate stitching of my Kente cloth in my closet. I spent most of my freetime translating my favorite Krio songs to english in my notebook, in order to eliminate the stark language barrier. Despite all these efforts to successfully integrate into my new surroundings, I remained the odd one out.  

           To be quite frank, there is only so much you can do to blend into the crowd when you are the only black person in the crowd. From kindergarten through third grade, I was the darkest complected amongst my group of peers. I was the girl everyone anticipated a unique reaction from during discussions of slavery in social studies class. In fact, I can still vividly recall expressing audible outrage after learning about segregated water fountains during the Jim Crow era, which Jacob Allen in turn responded “You’re only mad because you’re black”. I was the second grader left out to cry in the rain after my best friends Serena, Claire, and Kristen informed me that I could not “twin” with them on “Twin Day” because my skin color did not match theirs. When I moved to Philadelphia after third grade, I discovered that my struggles with attracting unwanted attention were not unique to my elementary school’s  predominately white student body.

In 2008, my father ecstatically told me about his acceptance to the University of Pennsylvania. Following his release from jail due to a miscarriage of justice, obtaining his green card, and a few years of community college, my dad was especially determined to pursue the enriching education the civil war in Sierra Leone deprived him of. When we moved to Philly in 2009, I began attending Hardy Williams Academy Charter School in southwest Philadelphia. To my surprise, I was no longer teased for being black like I was in Seattle, but instead for not being black enough, despite my bold African features.  “Why do you talk like a white girl?”, were some of the questions funnelled my way.  Being constantly interrogated about why I spoke so “white” and why I was so serious about my academics taught me to erroneously associate intelligence with whiteness, sentiments I later disposed of as I became more knowledgeable.

Before starting ninth grade at Science Leadership Academy, I reflected on what it would mean to be in a community of many different backgrounds. Would it make me less unique? Would anyone find me weird anymore? I thought it was all I ever wanted, to be in a school where I would not be questioned for my differences. I just did not want to relinquish my peculiarness as a result. It was then that I realized I had always enjoyed being special. I did not want to have the same story to share as everyone else, and the dramatic change from attending schools lacking diversity to a school acclaimed for its cultural variance allowed me to firmly grasp this. I was determined to stand out in a school consisting of multiple people who haled from my demographic background and people who had never been able to fit in anywhere else before.

First, I learned to fully embraced my full name. I was still going by TK, but I no longer felt embarrassed telling people my full name. I made no apologies when they could not pronounce it correctly the first time. I accepted that my name, although devoid of deep, insightful significance certainly had a life of its own. Four syllables, each coated with a zesty sauce inspired by many cultures . I could taste cassava leaves and the other West African cuisines familiar to the roof of my mouth when the beautifully crafted vowels and consonants escaped my tongue. This confidence, which had always been inside me, but never truly tapped into, inspired me to join slam poetry. My first poem I shared was about finally being able to appreciate the beauty of my name.  Mr.Kay, my mentor and poetry coach, gave me the nickname TK The Voice (of a Generation) because of the exuberance and assurance I had displayed while reading my poem.

Realizing that I was never meant to be boxed into one category allowed me to thrive in many of my extra-curriculars. A short while after joining slam poetry club, I joined the robotics/engineering club. At the time, the club was primarily male, but that did not deter me from participating. I was no longer letting lack of representation discourage broadening my horizons. I quickly grew accustomed to everyone on the team and in no time I was learning how to use machinery and basics of coding. It made my parents proud to see their young black daughter defying the odds and pursuing a career in engineering. I knew that to be a woman hoping to occupy a profession in the STEM field, would be to exist in a place where I was not fully welcomed. My past, unique experiences prepared me for this feat of course.

In conclusion, realizing that I was never meant to blend in with the crowd has had endless positive effects on my experiences in high school. I have been able to push my boundaries and explore uncharted territory through the extra-curriculars I participate in and the friendships I secure. I have learned how to adapt to changes in environment without forsaking the attributes that make me who I am. This is what makes me confident in who I am today.

Tigidankay Saccoh

Pahomov

English 3

October 17, 16

                              Resource Officers and The School-to-Prison Pipeline

Schools are supposed to be safe havens for students, where they can be challenged to grow spiritually and intellectually. When students feel safe in school, they are encouraged to stay motivated and aim for higher-education. However, this feeling of security and belonging now seems like a luxury to poor students, especially minorities. The increased presence of law enforcement in schools of non-white students is deeply rooted in systemic racism and classism. Some may argue that law enforcement in schools enforces order and peace, however this belief is uninformed. The presence of police officers in underprivileged schools is an enabler of the school-to-prison pipeline because it desensitizes students to violence and subjects them to nefarious stereotypes.

The school-to-prison pipeline describes the phenomenon of middle and high school students being funnelled into criminal justice institutions. Many victims of this virulent system are children with learning disabilities, histories of neglect, abuse, and penury. These students are in desperate need of counselling services or basic compassion, but are instead ostracized and incarcerated. Zero-tolerance policies criminalize trivial offences, that can be handled internally.  These policies are employed by law enforcement in schools, and disproportionately hurt students of color. For instance,  a PBS fact sheet on the school-to-prison pipeline reports that 70% of students involved in in-school arrests are Black or Latinx. Moreover, Black students are 3.5 times more likely to be suspended compared to whites, and make up 40% of students who are expelled every year. These figures are not unfortunate coincidences, but evidence that  law enforcement presence in neighborhood schools is a failing disciplinary blueprint.

           On October 26th, 2015, a video of an African-American teenage girl being brutalized in her Spring Valley High School classroom in South Carolina surfaced on the internet. She had refused to heed her teacher’s orders to leave the classroom. The teacher notified a white police officer, Ben Fields, who proceeded to bodyslam the fifteen-year-old in front of her peers. This incident ignited a firestorm of rage from around the country. Fields was criticized over his incompetence and poor-judgement. Despite being paid to de-escalate tension that might arise in the high school, he only violently exacerbated the issue. This event was laced with racial undertones,  and exposed how this type of discrimination existed thematically in poor, majority black and brown schools.  Fields viewed the student as more threatening than she actually appeared, either due to his implicit bias or deliberate discrimination, because she was black.

The school-to-prison pipeline describes the phenomenon of middle and high school students being funnelled into criminal justice institutions. Many victims of this virulent system are children with learning disabilities, histories of neglect, abuse, and penury. These students are in desperate need of counselling services or basic compassion, but are instead ostracized and incarcerated. Zero-tolerance policies criminalize trivial offences, that can be handled internally.  These policies are employed by law enforcement in schools, and disproportionately hurt students of color. For instance,  a PBS fact sheet on the school-to-prison pipeline reports that 70% of students involved in in-school arrests are Black or Latinx. Moreover, Black students are 3.5 times more likely to be suspended compared to whites, and make up 40% of students who are expelled every year. These figures are not unfortunate coincidences, but evidence that increased law enforcement presence in neighborhood schools is a failing disciplinary blueprint.

Cops in schools do not make underprivileged black students feel any less unsafe than cops patrolling their neighborhoods do. Many black students fear an expectation of incriminating when cops infest their learning spaces. Ben Fields could not deescalate the situation with the fifteen year-old girl because he was operating in a discriminatory manner. She was black and female, so she was expected to have an attitude problem and an inclination for anger. More importantly, to Fields, she most likely seemed older than she was, and therefore more responsible for her teenage defiance.

A study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,  examined the extent to which racial bias exists and how scorching its consequences are. 60 urban league  police officers were asked to assess the age of white, black, and Latino children based on photographs in one experiment. The officers were arbitrarily assigned to be told that the children in the photographs were accused of either a misdemeanor or a felony. They overestimated the age of black felony-suspected children on average five years, but they underestimated the age of white felony-suspected children by nearly a year.  This study shows that there is clearly a societal bias against black children. More recently, On November 22, 2014, a little black child, Tamir Rice, age 12, was shot and killed at Cudell Recreation Center in Cleveland, Ohio by on-duty Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) Officer Timothy Loehmann. Tamir had been playing with a toy-gun, and was mistakenly reported to be a 20-something-year-old man. In schools with law enforcement presence, this bias metamorphoses into violence and fear-instilling tactics.  In these turbulent environments, conflict-resolution is often passed over in favor of harsher interventions and  are readily , implemented.  This study shows that white kids are usually given the benefit of the doubt, while black kids are subconsciously demonized and stripped of their childhood innocence.

The presence of cops in schools also creates a void of sympathy between teachers and students. Some teachers heavily rely on school resource officers to handle situations that can be taken care of in class.When teachers report students to school officers, it almost always leads to suspension or expulsion. A study by The Council of State Governments Justice Center found that, when controlled for campus and individual student characteristics, being suspended or expelled made a student nearly three times more likely to come into contact with the juvenile justice system within the next year.  By handing students over to law enforcement, they emotionally disconnect with whatever their troubled students are undergoing, and are not forced to empathize with them. As a result, their classroom because tension-filled, which is not the type of environment that allows students to thrive.

In conclusion,  law enforcement in schools is detrimental to students in more ways than it is beneficial. Their presence can make students feel as if they are predators, and they will most likely be treated as such. School should not be a hostile environment, where students are expected to fail before they are even given a chance to strive. This confrontational disciplinary system has proliferated into a larger disparity for black and brown students, contributing to the mass incarceration epidemic engulfing vulnerable black youth nation-wide. It is imperative that reformed methods of mediation are considered to save minorities from becoming stereotypes.

   Sources:

Fact Sheet: How Bad Is the School-to-Prison Pipeline? (n.d.). Retrieved October 17, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/tsr/education-under-arrest/school-to-prison-pipeline-fact-sheet/

H. (2014). Police release video, names of officers in shooting of 12-year-old boy. Retrieved October 17, 2016, from http://fox8.com/2014/11/26/video-to-be-released-in-officer-involved-shooting-of-12-year-old/

Jesús: Dios Mios llego tarde para la fiesta.

Jevon: María,María despiértate ahora, llegamos tarde.

Cristina: Mamá estoy mucho cansado.

Jesús: María Catalina González no te acuestes. Levántate María y dúchate rápidamente.

Cristina: Puedo cepillo los dientes primero?

Jesús: Sí Sí, después cepíllate el pelo.

Diez minutos más tarde.

Cristina: Mamá ir a báñete.

Jesús: Vístate antes de salir.

María de entrar en la habitación de mamá.

Jesús: María hace tu maquíllate.

Maria’s come into mom’s room

Cristina: Bien después de sécate y peínate mí pelo.

Jesús: Luego Luego, tenemos prisa.

Cristina: No después de sécate y peínate mi pelo más tarde, por favor ahora.

Cristina: Dices todos los dias.

Jesús: No sécate el pelo ahora, somos tarde

Jesús: Lávate la cara rápido, necesitamos ir.

Cristina: Voy a terminar pronto y afeítate las piernas.

Jesús: No seas grosero.

Cristina: Lo siento

Jesús: Qué vas a llevar?

Cristina: Va a llevar el vestido azul y blanco a rayas de seda con mangas cortas.

Jesús: No No No

Jesús: lleve el vestido rojo de cuero corto con lunares.

Cristina: Bien, es un vestido bonito. Me visto ahora.

Cristina: Dónde están mis zapatillas

Jesús: No ponga zapatillas, lleve los talones de plata

Cristina: No me gusta las zapatillas rojos.

Jesús: No llevas las zapatillas rojas.

Cristina: Quiero!

Jesús: Voy a la fiesta sin tú

Cristina: Por qué No me deja

Jesús: Adios Maria

Cristina: Mamá!

Often times, humans take solace in man-made things. Laws, industrialization, and common ethical guidelines have distinguished humans from the savagery that thrives in the ‘natural world’. Even the simplest of innovations have sectored a race, once genetically and socially intertwined with animals now caged in zoos, from variables that threaten the security of control. The natural world, a beacon of unsettling unpredictability, is a vessel where most human beings can banish irrational fears. Irrational fears are threats to order and assurance,  engendering unorthodox behavior in humans. These fears sometimes evoke intrinsic animalistic tendencies, but in the effort to justify them,  humans obtain a sense of control over their lives. The quest to legitimatize irrational fears makes human beings succumb to barbaric acts.

This theme is very apparent in the acclaimed William Golding novel, The Lord of the Flies. The novel begins with a couple of young boys being stranded on a deserted island, away from their homes and adult figures.  Not shortly after the boys acknowledge their isolated situation, they begin to draw a fine line between society and savagery. For instance, on the beach, Ralph and Simon built huts. Ralph, who was voted the leader of the pact of children, gradually grows frustrated because only Simon and he were working on the huts, and they were falling apart. He complains to Jack, the very impulsive  leader of the hunt club, that everyone else was off playing or hunting. Savagery confronted civilization at that particular moment: as Jack hunted, Ralph built shelters. The shelters, throughout the book, symbolize protection and represent safety and security from beastiality. When Ralph tries to get everyone to build a sturdy shelter, he was trying to create an island civilization to keep everyone safe. This is vital for survival, as disengaging from nature is imperative in any other inherently civilized setting as well. This goes to show that civilized settings are not of the ‘natural’ world, but rather manufactured by fearing, rational human beings, like Ralph, in order to gain charge.

Jack, however,  occupies himself with thrill and unkempt curiosity, traits that lack of civilization induce. His first act in savagery was killing a pig. When he lead his former band members on a quest to obtain food for the group, he was overcome with desire to witness gore. "Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!". Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering. (74-76)”. This shows how quickly children can return to primitiveness, given circumstances stripped from societal guidelines. Even Ralph, the more docile of the two,  was inspired to partake in the pig’s murder. He too wanted to exert power over the vulnerable animal, to escape the reality of being a vulnerable child on a remote island. This brazen act of cruelty also shows that children, who have experienced civilization for a shorter amount of time, and who have not yet been fully inculcated with shared morals, can be more barbaric than adults. The transition from adolescence to adulthood,  reflects the ‘natural’ world that adults, symbolizing a fabricated, modernized reality, continually suppress.

The clear lack of empathy for the sleigned pig, emphasizes bloodlust and the need to fill a power vacuum. Because the boys are seemingly susceptible on the deserted island, some boys, like Ralph, seek comfort in the power exerted to cause pain in others, and others, like Ralph, seek control in the energy exerted to separate from beastiality. The creation of the shelters and pig hunts were more than about having a safe place to exist in and having food to eat: They were the early displays of  acquiring control through polar means.. Ralph had created a habitual shelter on the serene beach, and had coined the idea of a fire  signal. This greatly contradicts Jack’s choice of residing. Castle rock becomes a personification of Jack. It is a reflection of what Jack becomes: blunt, stoned-hearted, apathetic and merciless. Rocks and stones, in this novel, generally symbolize savagery. As opposed to Ralf's home on the beach, Castle Rock represents a departure from a democratic society and a step towards authoritarian society. Jack instinctual tendencies thrive at this symbolic location. His fanatic followers soon acquire his system of values, which encompass dancing, killing, and hunting, without a question on the lack of morality. His willingness to immerse in this natural setting does not only engender his barbaric behavior, but also his apparent negligence for everything associated with civilization.  For instance, when Ralph decides to lead his group of followers to repossess Piggy’s glasses, the only object that can rekindle the fire, they are greeted by a malignant, resisting Jack. Ralph’s group, who was concerned with returning back to civilization, needs Piggy’s glasses to maintain the fire signal, which symbolizes return to society and restored values. Jack’s zeal to integrate in the savage setting belies his true feelings of lack of control. He would rather embrace all of the unknown variables , so he  sacrifices rationale, for savageness.

This concept is greatly exemplified in the dealings with the ‘beast’. The ‘beast’ becomes an embodiment of all of the boys’ fears, representing external savagery, that only the presence of civilization can protect the boys from. At first, the beast was nothing more than a product of the boys' imaginations. The smaller boys, or little’uns, are afraid of things they see at night; rather than be blindly afraid of The Great Unknown, they make their fears tangible in their mind. Because they cannot defeat something that does not exist, they manufacture a "something" To hunt and kill. And then an actual "something" does show up: the dead parachuting man, who seems to come in response to Ralph's request for a "sign" from the adult world. Later on, Piggy basically describes the beast as just a fear of the unknown: "I know there isn't no beast—not with claws and all that, I mean—but I know there isn't no fear, either" (99). This excerpt truly highlights the frailty of human nature resurfacing in a uncivilized setting. Because the boys felt powerless, isolated from a dominating world, and forced to live in the world that was usually subdued to slake the fears of human beings, they cast their eccentric fears into the unknown. Personifying the ‘beast’ which inherently lives in each of them is an attempt to regain control of their lives again.  Having something existential to fear and overcome comforts them,  inspiring the illusion that the beast is palpable, distracting them from actual, materialistic externalities.

Later in this novel, Simon insists that the beast is "only us" (195), meaning the boys and he. The beast is indeed just them, a person who fell out of nowhere, both literally and figuratively. When the twins listed off the horrible attributes of the creature they saw, they reveal that it had both "teeth" and "eyes", something humans too possess. But the ‘beast’ is a man who is not, the animal in all humans. Simon was extrapolating on the beast being the darkness that is inside each and every person. As the Lord of the Flies later suggests, it is incredulous to think that the beast is something that one  "could hunt or kill" (8.337). If it is indeed internally stationed, the ‘beast’ is an entity that can never be defeated, seen, or given a justifiable form. However, the boys do manage to do all of these by very savage means. "What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What's grownups going to think? Going off--hunting pigs--letting fires out--and now!" Piggy asks in reflection of all the barbaric acts the boys had participated in(82). Piggy, who represented civilization, for having some rationale and valuing morale, was later murdered by a rock, which symbolizes savagery, as mentioned before.  Their senseless actions expose that humans make their inner ‘beasts’ corporeal to avoid fearing a force more inherently evil by nature : themselves.

‘The beast’ transcends the pages of Lorde of the Flies and can be observed in the nonfictional life of human beings as well.  In Tanzania, Africans with albinism have been persecuted relentlessly. Albinism causes lack of pigment in human beings. In many East African communities,  people with albinism have been ostracised and even killed because they are presumed to be cursed and bring bad luck. Of course, this superstitious suspicions are baseless, but they are having a detrimental impact on the population of albinos in the area. Similarly to Lorde of the Flies, the Tanzanian natives who are partaking in the discrimination against their aalbino counterparts are funnelling their fear of bad luck and unfortunate events into human beings, to make it more tangible. Just like how it made the boys on the island feel more empowered to have a ´beast´ to hunt, the persecution of Albinos allows the persecutors to chanel irrational fear of bad luck on a source more compelling than a superstition. They cannot see nor defeat a superstition, it being abstract, so they are comforted by a physical outlet to cast their trepidations. Ralph, Jack, Piggy and the littluns, of course,  could not see the ‘beast’ because it was an internal reflection of unease, so they made a physical being, the parachute man, their ‘beast’. As the ‘beast’ became more real, the possibility of expunging their fear augmented.

According to a series of Huffington Post articles on Albinos in Tanzania,  Albinos are sacrificed to cure AIDS, to gain wealth, and for witchcraft. Peter Ash, founder and director of Under The Same Sun (UTSS), advocation group to protect the rights of Albinos, explained in the article,”Albinos In Tanzania Being Hunted For Their Body Parts For Witchcraft”, that “there is belief that if you have relations with a girl with albinism, you will cure AIDS”. Of course, this belief is baseless and is founded upon no scientific principle, but the fear of this widespread sickness, for 1.7 million Tanzanians have the aids virus, drives people to commit these licentious acts.  Especially since the  majority of the Tanzanians cannot afford the medicine and treatment for the illness, some choose to make their fear of death come alive in their vulnerable human counterparts. The boys on the island chose to make their fears tangible by creating the ‘beast’, similarly as some of the Tanzanian natives chose to make their fears tangible by hunting innocent Albinos.

In conclusion,  the characters of Lorde of the Flies ironically took comfort in the creation of the beast.  While they were looking for ways to justify the myth they created, they inflicted many evil acts on people around them. Alike, some Tanzanians have been reported to hurt Albinos, with the motive stemming from their fear of sickness, and their erroneous belief that the organs from albinos hold magical healing properties. For as long as civilization existed and continues to persist, humans will deflect their inner beasts into discernible beings. The allure of assigning a face to their inner demons give human beings a false sense of control and power. Because these 'beasts' are internal, and humans fear they have to fear themselves to attack it, they tend to transform it to a physical entity. This way, when they persecute their 'beast', they do not hurt themselves in the process. Humans can sometimes resort to inhumane crimes while morphing their fears into concrete forces.

Works Cited:

Cristina (Hoteles)

Hay muchos hoteles en Bogotá Colombia! Los hoteles son extravagantes y hermoso con muchas actividades. Nos quedamos dentos la Hotel Vilar Americano,  cuando estábamos Bogotá. El hotel costo sesenta y dos dolares por cada noche. ¡Es un precio fantástico!.Tuvimos no problema con el personal porque ellos muy agradables.  En el hotel, comimos en un restaurante dos veces a la semana. Cuando nosotros fuimos a la isla de San Andrés y Providencia, quedamos en Hotel Lord Pierre para un poco mas. Los hoteles fuimos muy divertido y relajante. Porque tuvimos lugaras agradables para quedarse, nosotros fue muchos impresionante sitios alrededor Colombia, tales como discotecas.

Maria (Nightlife/Clubs):

El verano pasado mis amigos y yo fuimos Colombia. Una vez yo llegué, dije mis amigos, “Yo quiero ir al mejor club!” Fuimos a clubes en Colombia. Bailamos en Theatron de Película. Escuchamos bueno música. Pudiste tuviste mucho bebidas y miraste los bailarines. También fuimos al club: La Negra. Conociste mucho las personas bonitas. Una persona dijo, “Yo quiero a Armando Records.” Así que fuimos a un concierto en Armando Records.  El concierto estuvo muy caliente, pero fue divertido.  Empecé a cantar con los amigos y mis nuevos amigos. Una vez fuimos al hotel, dormimos todo la noche.

Jesus (Tourist Attractions):

Supimos mucho turista atracciones durante nuestros tiempo en Colombia. Primero nuestros fuimos la ciudad Bogotá. Bogotá es el capital de Columbia y es muy popular. Nuestros a la oro museo. Vieron pudimos encima de 55,000 oro el pesados y material de pre hispanic cultura en Colombia. Después fuimos a la noventa y tres parque. Fuimos café Renault y tener café y famoso torte de chocolate. El dia siguinete fuimos la isla de San Andrés y Providencia. Nadamos en la océano, quis habla con nativos, pudimos las olas. Fuimos a las Bogotá. Vener visitar otra attractions incluyen nacional café parque, de Bogotá botonical harden, y Amazon selva excursíon.

Angelica (Restaurantes):

Colombia tuvieron algunos de los más restaurantes elegantes en Sur America. Con una mezcla de culturas diferentes, tuvieron muchas estrellas porque de la comida y el diseño. La semana pasada, estuvimos Matiz y La Tartine. Otras restaurantes populares son Rafael, Capital Cocina y Café,  Carmen Medellin, y Restaurante Club Colombia. Matiz tiene cuatro fuera de cinco estrellas para la comida, que fue muy delicioso. Encantamos el diseño también. La Tartine tiene cuatro estrellas porque su influencias de Europa, África, y América pero tienen los platos de Colombia. Cuando visitamos, sirvieron nosotros el “Lomo Angus” y es nuestro plato favorito a Matiz. “Lomo Angus” es bistec Antes la cena, fue tiempo de los postres. Nuestro postre favorito es un pastel. Su nombre del postre es “flores de carnaval”. La comida fue muy delicioso y quisieron a comer a los restaurantes de nuevo.

1. What was our favorite attraction?

2. What rainforest is in Colombia?

3. What hotel did we stay in?

4. What was our favorite dish?

5. What restaurants did we go to?

6. What city did we stay in?

7. What hotel did we stay in?

8. What island did we visit?

9. Why did we love going to Colombia?

 Through this project, I have been inspired to be active in my beliefs, rather than passive. I now see that it is very important to not only express your passion through words, but also by being proactive.  For my research, I found extensive information about the impact mental illnesses has on society(i.e suicides, bullying), I wish I would have found more information about more ways the mental illness is broken and unrepaired.This would have definitely enhanced my first blog post because it would show my readers that the problems I described in my blog post actually exist. For my original research, I stumbled upon some disappointments such as getting no response from a lot of organizations and people whom I reached out to. This was discouraging ; however, it was not enough to stop my determination. Initially, I wanted to interview Eleanor Longdin because I had watched her Ted Talk, "The Voices In My Head", where she explained her struggles with mental illness and the reactions of others around her. I figured she would have a lot to say on my topic( America's broken mental health care system). I google searched her, hoping she would have a website, by which she could be contacted, but I was not that lucky. I soon realized, after research, that I would only be able to reach her through social media, which appeared to be a long shot, due to the many farce 'personal' accounts titled 'Eleanor Longdin' on twitter. I decided to abandon my pursuit of Longdin and instead use sources more local. I called about five psychology professors at Penn, but got no response, which is expected looking back in hindsight.  After those attempts failed, I used one of the closest sources available: The teachers and students at SLA. I first created a survey that gauged the knowledge of my freshmen peers about the broken system. I decided to do this because I wanted to reach out to the youth because we are future leaders. Moreover, I interviewed Jevon Price and Ms.Menasion, my advisor, about their opinions on the dull mental health care discussion and how the discussions are resuscitated by tragedy(Newtown).  I decided to interview Ms.Menasion, not only because she is very supportive, but also because she is a special education teacher. Her responses were insightful and very helpful. Ultimately, I felt equipped with my 50 survey responses and two interviews, although that is not originally what I wished my original research to compile of. If I could change anything, I would have used sources closest to me(family, friends, teachers, etc.). My Agent of Change was trifold, including two collaborations.  I was not originally planning to collaborate, however, when I was aked by Opoku to help out with hi bake sale raising money for Autism Awareness, I knew I had accept because it was my very own autistic brother who inspired my topic for this project. Together, we donated $245 to an Autism Awareness Research office in New Jersey. I felt like we made an impact because we contributed to research, which will find new treatments and therapies. Also, we created awareness within our school by distributing autism informative brochures to those who bought our baked goods. Next, I decided to give a presentation at TFI to educate my peers and bring awareness to the gaps in our nation's mental health care system. I found this to be very successful, despite video uploading errors, because my audience looked genuinely interested in what I had to say and I received a lot of compliments afterwards. At last, I combined forced with Jae Regino and Jhazzelle Majarucon and created a social anxiety awareness website. I am really happy with the way it turned out. It is both aesthetically pleasing and educational. Jhazzelle, through her own research,  even discovered the already existing tongue twister challenge, which brought awareness to the complexities of the lives of the socially anxious.  I really enjoyed my three-part Agent of Change awareness-bringing activities and do would not change them if I had another chance.

In my last two blog posts, I introduced raders to my You and The World  and shared with readers my original research, which composed of creating a survey and interviewing a fellow classmate.  In both blog posts, I have explained that it is importing to bring awareness to America's broken mental health care system and stressed the impact of educating the youth about the breaches in the current system.  Because I did not want to be someone who preaches what they do not practice, I crafted a 3-step plan to bring awareness to this issue because I believe, as youth, we have the power to drive salient discussions that can engender effective results.

My 3 Step Plan consisted of two collaborations and 1 independent project.

1. Bake Sale collaboration with Opoku Kwateng

2. Presentation at The Franklin Institute

3. Website collaboration with Jamina Regino and Jhazzelle Majurucon

Bake Sale

Opoku Kwateng and I held a bake sale on the 22nd of May during lunch to raise money for Autism Awareness.  When I first learned that his issue was autism awareness, I did not immediately think a collaboration would be likely due to the focus of one mental illness; however, I soon realized that dealing with specific types of mental illness is as important as dealing with a broader assessment of mental illnesses. Opoku approached me and proposed the idea of a bake sale and I ultimately agreed. We then took about two weeks to prepare and advertise our bake sale.

The main attraction! Vanilla cake with the words "Autism Awareness" iced deliciously onto the surface.

Informational pamphlets were distributed to those who purchased items and even those who did not.

Through our successful partnership, we donated $245 to the Autism Society Organization stationed in Mount Laurel, NJ

I believe the bake sale was indeed successful in bringing awareness because it reminded that mental illnesses exist and that it is impactful. Our bake sale also helped raise money for autism research, which will help bring awareness to this specific type of mental illness.

TFI Presentation:

The second part of my Agent of Change plan was to deliver a presentation at The Franklin Institute to my 9th grade peers. I thought this was an interesting setting because most presentations were held at school. In my presentation, I explained where I got my inspiration for bringing awareness to America's broken healthcare system and educated my grade about the detrimental impact the gaps in the system engender. I provided a few statistics, personal anecdotes, and quotes from credible sources to support my message. At the end, I explained that it is most important that we break the discussion stigma affiliated with mental illnesses and make those who are mentally challenged feel accepted and welcomed into society.

Highlights from presentation: uploading error

In the end, giving this presentation allowed me to educate my peers on something they may have not been aware about.

Step 3: Website

With the help of Jae and Jhazzelle, we created a website to inform people about social anxiety, another specific type of mental illness. We decided to create an alliance after we learned our issues centered around mental health.

Some screenshots from our website.

The special feature of our website was the tongue-twister challenge:

From website : "I will simply explain how you could raise awareness to Social Anxiety since I found this really cool website that will explain further the details to raising awareness for Social Anxiety. Some people may call it a "challenge", but this website calls it the #TongueTwisterTask. The #TongueTwisterTask is the idea to raise awareness to social anxiety because of the fact that people who suffer from this condition avoid social situations and public situations. It's as if their lives are an impossible tongue twister and the words in their minds are all tangled up.

How do I participate?

If you would like to participate, you make a short video of just yourself or with a friend or a family member doing a tongue twister three times fast.

When you are done doing this challenge, post the video on social media sites such as: facebook, instagram, twitter, etc. using the #TongueTwisterTask hashtag. But, wait! Don't forget to challenge two or more people to donate or post their video within 24 hours and send us a link to your post or your friends'. You could even send us more tongue twisters!

Here are some tongue twister ideas:

• “She sells sea shells by the sea shore.”

• “Red leather, yellow leather.”

• “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”

• “He shot three free throws. He shot three free throws.”

• “Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.”

• “Pad kid poured curd pulled cod.”

• “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.”

• "How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?"

• "Send toast to ten tense stout saints' ten tall tents."

• "Sheena leads, Sheila needs."

• "Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?"

• "You cuss, I cuss, we all cuss, for asparagus!"

• "Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks."

• "Timid talking turtles told Timmy to tell tommy to talk to Tally"

Factors I feel are contributing to the broken mental health care system, as discussed in my blogpost 1.

• Public Ignorance of prevalence, local and global impact

• "Mental-shaming", average citizens being unsympathetic to those who are mentally challenged, making it difficult for them to feel comfortable in society

In my last blogpost, I introduced my You and the World project, where I described my methods in trying to bring awareness to America's broken mental health care system, and provided factual information to corroborate my claims. I stated that my inspiration stemmed from my younger brother, who is autistic. Moreover, I expressed that the broken system is a result of public ignorance of mental health illnesses, the impact they have on citizens, and the impact they have on the world. Because of this, I explained how I plan to bring awareness to this issue by finding a unique way to educate the public about mental illnesses and the treatment patients receive. In this blog post, I will be elaborating on the original research, data and perspectives that I have collected through a survey and interviews,  portion of my You and the World project. In addition to my original research, I will include new, credible information concerning the structure of America's mental health care system.

Since my last blog post, I have collected an agglomeration of insightful facts and statistics  covering the perspectives of those who work in the mental health field, the prevalence of mental illnesses, and the public's ignorance/indifference about this very important topic. For starters, while doing more research, I came upon a very interesting article on Michigan's Local News website. The article includes quotes from Paul Ippel, executive director of Network 180, Kent County’s public mental health and substance abuse resource agency. "When a person is admitted to the hospital[for physical reasons], we send flowers and cards...There was a time people wouldn't say the word cancer and now we talk (openly) about going for cancer treatment, but we’re reluctant to say we've been admitted to a psychiatric hospital," he states. His words specifically resonated with me because it gave me a unique perspective other than my own. As you can recall from my previous blog post, I mentioned that it was important for citizens who were not personally affected by mental illness to not ostracize those who were different. I made a point that people who were deliberately ignorant, as well as those who were subconsciously passive, made integration into society especially difficult for those dealing with anxiety, autism, ADHD, anorexia, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. However, when I read Ippel's response, my train of thought expanded, and I began to wonder if reluctance to be open about one's own mental health challenges and needs was also a factor of why the system has remained tarnished. He references cancer, which was once a sensitive topic, which people opted to take a circuitous route in discussing. Now cancer is widely spoken about and research, innovations, and new breakthrough therapies are coming at the result of the salient discussion. His point correlates to one of the factors I previously discussed: Mental shaming.

Excerpt where I spoke about mental shaming in my previous blog post.

 I am still passionately driven by the belief that American citizens are not building a comfortable environment for those who are mentally-ill to express themselves. Even at an early age, kids are bullied and isolated for holding differences. For example, 2.7 million children are being bullied every year,and over 100,000 of them missed school due to a bullying incident in 2010. It is even worse for children who who are mentally challenged.  Approximately half of adolescents with autism, intellectual disability, speech impairments and learning disabilities are bullied at school, new research suggests.That’s much higher than the rate of bullying faced by typically developing students, (about 1 in 10 are victimized by their peers).    

Visuals created by me to portray the juxtaposition:

When I interviewed my fellow classmate, Jevon Price, to receive a youth perspective. I received some interesting responses.

                 1) Do you believe that the national discussion of our mental system was resuscitated by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that occurred in 2012?

Yes. I feel like people do not discuss mental health because they want to live in blissful ignorance.

--> Do you think the discussion made any type of impact? Whatever impact it made was certainly very short lived. People are not even talking about it anymore and when it was a huge topic, the discussion got diverted to gun control and whatnot.

2) According to a Time Magazine article, there are only 7,500 psychiatrists, while 20,000 are needed. What do you believe engenders such a significant shortage? What implications do you think the shortage causes?

People do not care if they are not personally confronted with mental illness.  These shortages cause more accidents like Sandy Hook if people are not being treated

3) How knowledgeable do you believe teenagers are about mental illnesses and how patients receive treatment?

They are only knowledgeable when dramatic things occur.

4) Do you feel as if the general public is concerned with making mentally-ill patients feel accepted and welcomed in society?

No. I feel like people are so into themselves that they do not really care and take into consideration of people who are different

5) In what ways do you think the services that the current mental health care system provides can be enhanced to be more coordinated and organized?

You need more psychiatrists and to  bring public awareness because if people don't know how much of an impact mental illnesses have in our lives, as a country, they are honestly not going to care.

6) Can you name some positive facets of the current system?

To be completely honest...no, mainly because I do not know a lot about the current system.

7) Can you name some negative facets of the current system?

Well I know that it must not be at its best due to the school shooting and I know that it is somewhat uncoordinated. Also, the current system is not taking advantage of technology and media. We have computers, cellphones, TVs! You need to make your case heard through these devices. It s the only way people will hear you.

8) In your opinion, does the good outweigh the bad, or vise versa?

I don't really know much about the good, so I will have to say that the bad outweighs the good.

I was inspired to interview a young voice because I believe that as youth, we hold a lot of great ideas and can make an impact on the world, hence the You and the World project (haha!), I believed that an interview would be a unique way to gather original research.

Highlights from interview:

• "...people do not discuss mental health because they want to live in blissful ignorance"- I think this quote relates back to when I discussed people not making the effort to learn more about mental illness. Perhaps they feel uncomfortable discussing it, afraid they will offend someone, or simply do not care.

• "...We have computers, phones, TVs! You need to make your case heard through these devices. It's the only way people will hear you."- I found this response especially significant because lately I have been discussing how I want to bring awareness to this issue, however I have not specified how exactly I want to do so. Hmmmm…

In addition to a student interview, I conducted a survey.

 

Correct Answers

1 in 4

Only 40%

                 1 in 5

               Only 20%

Survey Conclusion:

I decided to do this survey because I not only wanted to test how much my friends, and adults I know, knew about mental illnesses and the system,but I also wanted them to share stories of times they had experienced someone being bullied due to having a mental illness or a time when they were bullied.

Anonymous Stories I received:

I've seen it happen where someone can't speak correctly because of their illness and others make fun of it.

When I was in high school, I noticed someone being bullied. I didn't do anything about it. It still haunts me.

Someone I know has autism and he was made fun of for not being able to keep up in the classroom. Long story short I almost beat up people…

I would rather not, it's traumatizing. It really is a horrifying experience and truly humiliating.

When I was in second grade, one of my best friends had autism and kids would always make fun of him and hit and tease him because of his disabilities.

      9 more stories

Although these stories were short and simple,they have left a lasting impact on me. I am sure that if more people were willing to share stories like this then the world will truly know how important it is to care about the mental health care system and treat everyone kindly, despite their uncontrollable differences.                  

At last, through my student interview and my interview where almost 49 students,friends, and adults,responded, I learned many things. For starters, I did not expect the respondents to perform so well on the surveys. Maybe the youth is as ignorant as I predicted? This brings the question: Why aren't there more kids sharing their stories, making people care, devoting their time to sparking a discussion about the mental health care system? My answer is that kids feel powerless sometimes. In my Agent of Change plan, I want to empower kids. I want to create a virtual environment, where they can feel safe about sharing their stories, anonymously. I want adults to see how many stories there are. I want to bring awareness.        

I was devastated when I realized that I would likely be disregarding of America’ s failing mental health system if it were not for my own nonverbal, autistic, younger brother. I find it terrifying to think that I would just be another kid who paid this issue no mind, if I did not have this personal connection. It disappoints me even more that there are many people who simply do not care about this problem, or even refer to this as a significant issue.  Despite the occasional spark a deadly school shooting ignites in the discussion of mental illnesses, this topic is usually ignored and the invisible cult of depressed, autistic, bipolar,  children remain hidden at the back of classrooms, where they become shadows of a system that fails to provide the resources essential to their growth.  They are then forced to thrive in a competitive world, where people with differences are usually ostracized and shunned without a chance. In my project, I plan to connect the defective mental health care system to the general ignorance shared by the public about how these issues affect the mentally-challenged.

This picture metaphorically illustrates the dangers the breaches in the mental health care system cause in reference to the Connecticut shooting.

The numbers are sickening. 40,000 people die a year by means of suicide. Only 30% of depressed teenagers are being treated for depression. These statistics make me wonder: Why is there not a lot of emphasis being put on mental illnesses? Why do politicians seldom talk about underfunded special education programs at school? Why does death resuscitate the usually ephemeral debate? I believe that if the public was educated about the cracks in the mental health system,and the deadly consequences they engender, more citizens would care enough to drive an imperative discussion that can lead to awareness concerning ways to make people with mental illnesses feel welcome in the society they live in.

This picture represents a campaign to stop teen suicides.

For years, I have watched my parents struggle to provide my brother with the best opportunities, mainly because few exist  without a hefty price tag. Moreover, many of the programs that are supposed to aid his development are uncoordinated to the extent when calling the state of unorganized, and sometimes ineffective services,  offered to the mentally-challenged,  a “ system”, can be questioned. Families in desperate need of assistance are usually forced to navigate a circuitous route, involving professionals who know little about their child’ s history, and experimenting with countless prescriptions, praying that one bottle of pills makes a difference in their children’ s lives along the way. These families, like my own, live in the constant fear of being unable to provide their loved ones with the necessities they need in order to stay healthy and content mainly because the current makeshift system is not secure enough to support their needs.

Through research, I found that there are only 7, 500 psychiatrists, while 20,000 are actually needed. 5 million American children suffer from mental illnesses, however, reimbursement for mental health services, from public and privates insurers, often falls short of providing the most salient services. These issues are seldom spoken about in society and in the media unless a mentally ill person goes on a murder spree. Even then, the excitement is short-lived.

 This graph shoes how mental illnesses affects American students.

My project will bring awareness to the gaps in our mental health care system. I plan to do so by showcasing how little the public knows about the issues that negatively affect the mentally-ill through a survey and field observation at a treatment center , and correlating my findings to the broken system. Stay tuned!

Bibliography

!Hola! Nuestras nombres son  TK y Jae¡ Somos estudiantes de Science Leadership Academy. Bienvenida a nuestro maravilloso aprendizaje medio ambiente! Aquí en SLA, nosotros hacemos escuela divertido, nunca un aburrido momento. Asombroso maestros, motivado el estudiantes, y fiable el personal hacer arriba nuestro familia-como comunidad. SLA se encuentra en Center City y está cerca The Franklin Institute. Sólo hay quinientos estudiantes y aproximadamente veintena de profesores. SLA tienen cinco pisos y es a pequeño escuela. Las clases ofrece aquí  reto estudiantes a pensar afuera la caja. We obtener nuestro información por haciendo experimentos. Por ejemplo, SLA estudiantes disecar animales en bioquímica para que podamos aprender sobre la anatomía de diferentes organismos.  !Esto es mejor que leyendo texto libros! !Hay mas! Tenemos un almuerzo de una hora y muchos después de la escuela programas tal como robótica, poesía, y estudiante unión. Adicionalmente,ofrecemos muchos deportes como fútbol, baloncesto, última frisbey, y el voleibol. Participamos en la robótica y poesía en lunes, martes, y jueves porque nos enseñan cómo colaborar y trabajar en equipo. !Hay mucho más en SLA! Hay una piscina interior. !Es una broma! ¨La piscina” es SLA jerga por un única abierto estructura en el segundo piso. Por otra parte, nuestra escuela es increíblemente diversa. Estudiantes SLA son de diferente culturas y orígenes, una mezla de razas. Tenemos nuestras diferencias, sin embargo nosotros aceptamos el uno al otro por lo que somos. !Eso es lo que hace que esta escuela especial!

¡Atendemos muchas clases en su primer año! Nuestros clases son: inglés, teatro, tecnología, arte, ingeniería, bioquímica, historia, geometría, español, y almuerzo. Nuestro favoritas clases son almuerzo y geometría. En el almuerzo, hablamos con amigos. En la geometría, participamos activamente en ecuaciones y problemas. Geometría es chevere. Nuestro profesora de geometría es la Srta. Giorgio. Ella es muy simpática y divertida (¡mismo con la clase!). Unas materiales necesario para la clase son: una transportador, una regla, un lápiz, y unas hoja de papel. Para tener éxito en todos clases, tenemos que trabajamos duro, prestamos atención, y estamos preparados. En inglés, leemos Shakespeare novelas y escribir nuestras propias memorias. ¡Todos clases en SLA es bastante interesante y ofrece tanto!

         Y como si fuera poco, inteligente gentes asistir SLA. Todos los estudiantes tienen batas de laboratorios porque esta aquí en SLA, nosotros hacemos muchos experimentos. Los estudiantes aquí preferir aprendizaje mediante la creación de proyectos singulares. ¡Además, nosotros todos tienen chévere computadoras! Con estos potente el dispositivos, tomamos el aprendizaje al siguiente nivel. La estudiantes en SLA utilizar su computadoras a la investigación. ¡Las profesoras aquí son también asombroso! Ellos son trabajan duro y devoto a la enseñanza. También tienen muchas habilidades. Por ejemplo, medio de la professores puede hablar español. ¡No es eso chévere! Un poco profesoras incluso entrenador deportes. Específicamente , Señorita Giorgio, una geometría profesora,  también entrenadors las niñas equipo de baloncesto, también conocido como “The Rockets”. Enseña muy bien! Señorita Manuel enseña español. !Ella es muy divertido y simpático!Su clase es atractivo. Señor Todd enseña Afroamericana historia en el cinco piso. Es un poco estricto.

Script

Intro: Los seres queridos en mi vida

Transition:

Todo Sobre mi yo

Soy: !Hola! Mi nombre es Tigidankay Saccoh pero mi apodo es TK. Tengo quince años. Mi cumpleaños es diciembre nueve. Cuando tengo tiempo libre,yo leer y escuchar canciones.Me gusta Taylor Swift porque muy talentosa. !La quîero mucho!

Ella:

siguiente……..

Es mi mejor amiga, Jae! Ella le gusta programa de televisión Black Butler. Ella le gusta ver Doctor Who. Ella es inteligente y bonita. Ella juega guitarra. Jae tiene mala vista del ojo es por eso que ella necesito gafas. Tiene catorce años. Por último, pero no menos importante, ella le gusta salir con los amigos.

Ellas:

Ellas son nombre Sam y Madison. Estos son mis amigas. Que tienen el pelo morena. Tienen ojos marrones, también. Que les gusta Chris Brown. Asisten SLA. Las chicas son de filadelfia. Ellas bastante linda.

Ellos: Ademas, ellos. Ellos son nombre Mekhi y Obie. Son agradables y comico. Les gusta batman mas de spider man. Son africanas-Americanos. Ellos gusta ir al cine.!Qué Chévere!

Nosotros:

Somos estudiantes y amigos en SLA. Nosotros encanta comer. Estamos con estilo. Estamos trabajadores y la gusta de la escuela. Y como si fuera poco, nosotros también talentosos.

Conclusion:

Net neutrality describes the state when everyone, who can access the internet, is open to the same material and content as other internet users. The term was first coined by Columbia University media law professor Tim Wu in 2003. This term is imperative for teens to be knowledgeable about because most teens are heavily-dependent on the internet. As the world advances, textbooks are being replaced with e-books and a myriad of innovative new ways of acquiring information is being developed. Moreover, the internet is a salient influence in the lives of most teens. They use it to complete homework and further explore subjects that they find interesting. Net neutrality allows them to have access to more information, so that they can form their own personal opinions and grow academically.

Moreover, if certain students and teens are limited to certain information, it could prevent them from becoming individualized character. For instance, if one never knows the different aspects and facets concerning a topic, they might find it harder to form opinions on that subject due to ignorance. Furthermore, this topic is also important to teens because it decreases the amount of information students can use for projects and assignments related to school. Some teens are not even aware of this term, when in fact it is something that affects them.The internet is a wonderful, complex tool and students need to be able to have access to all the possibilities is provides in order to be successful.