For my capstone project, I wanted to learn about the differences in resources for different genders for high school sports, mostly focusing on girls soccer. I created a survey asking various questions about schools and the resources they receive overtime as well as who is receiving these resources. I wanted to understand the ways that we can help to make sports more equitable for all athletes. I researched Title IX since it was the 50th year anniversary last year. I also researched some other policies that can help make things more equitable for girl athletes. I created a google slides presentation reviewing my research and data results, including an infographic on the policy I found when I started my capstone.I chose this topic because throughout my high school career, I was only able to play for the varsity girls soccer team for two years due to injury. So, I wanted to make sure that my senior year was a really strong year. But unfortunately, our school didn’t have as many resources, opportunities, or dedication as the other schools we played against. As a result, I created a survey for different coaches to respond to in order to compare the results with my school. I want to bring to light the differences in schools and genders and resources. The first core value of SLA is Inquiry and the way I used that in my capstone was by creating and sending out my survey, and looking for policies related to title IX.There are differences in public and private schools in the way sports are managed and supported. There is also a huge difference in boys and girls teams in general. Some of the important things are coach dedication and fundraising.

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

Abstract Paragraph: For my Capstone I decided to hold an event that helps to combat poverty in Philadelphia.I made bags with toiletries in them and handed them out, along with food and clothes that were donated. Poverty is an important social issue that needs more attention and more work against it. By researching poverty in Philadelphia, I have gotten a better understanding of its causes and effects. This information helped me come up with an effective way to fight poverty and do my part to try and improve the lives of those affected. Also, by showing the reality of those faced with poverty, I hope that my Capstone helps people realize how important this issue is regardless of us being desensitized to it. This was a long process that took a lot of planning but it was worth it to help people that are in need. During the event, I saw the effect that poverty has on people in Philadelphia. While I gave out the bags of toiletries, food and clothes, I saw gratitude and relief come over the faces of those that got them. It was humbling and reminded me of the urgency and need to find solutions for the systemic issues that cause poverty. With my Capstone , I wanted to raise awareness not only about the pressing needs of those affected but also about the issues that are overlooked that contribute to their situation. By engaging with the community and trying to provide basic necessities I hope I was able to inspire people to help fight against poverty.

Jed Ray Capstone Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOSqv25IYhk&feature=youtu.be

For my project, I have created both a written guide and a series of videos talking about ESports. Specifically, the topic of whether or not it is viable to pursue a career as a professional ESports player, or “athlete.” With ESports constantly rising in popularity, it’s a sport that’s been recently picked up by many schools, so there’s a good chance there’s many students at SLA who have at least thought about whether or not they’d like to create a career in ESports. What I have created is meant as a resource for them to look at as their introductory guide to all things related to the ESports industry, all laid out for them to read or watch. I put numerous hours into researching all different components of the industry in order to construct a lengthy, quality guide with the proper information for anyone interested in using it. The videos are there for anyone who does not want to read through the entire guide, as they are shorter but contain a lot of the important information, just not every single detail I went over. While creating this project, I have learned how much I loved expressing my strengths through writing, and I am proud of how I was able to create all of this by myself. Through my developed skills of researching and writing, I have created this project out of curiosity and love, and I hope someone can find use out of it.

Schools normally teach students things they might need in life. They don’t teach you how to be successful. They don’t teach financial savings in order to succeed. This project I will be teaching students how to become their own boss. I will be teaching them another way to be successful. Schools program you to become a doctor, teacher, lawyer etc. What schools don’t teach us is how to be a successful business man/woman. I will become a teacher and teach them the way! This also benefits me as well because I will be using this plan to hopefully have a successful trucking company/business in the future. I’ve been researching the trucking business I want to pursue. I’ve come up with steps you and I would need to make in order to be successful. I gathered all the important information from websites and videos. I also spoke with a couple people that are in the trucking industry for advice. I hope you all enjoy!