One of the problems I saw at Sla was the lost and found we have. As someone who loses everything that he owns, I need a place that I can be sure I can go to find my property. Our old lost and found was just a flimsy coat rack and a recycling bin; not only was it inefficient, but it also didn’t fit many clothes in it. Throughout my years at Sla, I have lost many things, from water bottles to sweaters to even coats, and because of that, I chose to fix this problem. Completing this capstone project was difficult. There were many challenges that I was forced to overcome, but by overcoming them, I was able to complete my capstone. Some of the steps I took to complete this project were first finding a good mentor. I personally found my mentor, who specializes in engineering, which was a big help in finishing my project. Something I did learn was how to figure out a solution when a problem appears.

Finished product:

Link to my Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nZotaKQ2S4pIVaev-hG57BvjgRok0o5fkspPymQD88s/edit?usp=sharing

For my capstone project I taught a mini-course to freshmen at SLA about basic bicycle maintenance skills. We met once weekly for a total of seven classes, and over the duration of the course the students learned everything from the names of individual bike parts, to doing mechanical repairs or maintenance on complete bikes with industry tools. Each student is now capable of doing any basic maintenance they could need at home, like fixing flat tires, installing brake pads, or tuning their shifting.

I chose this project because it made valuable use of one of my most developed skillsets. I am very passionate about bikes - I donate kids bikes in my neighbourhood, I fix those bikes for free, and I’ve turned bikes into a means of entrepreneurship for myself selling and repairing bikes. To me, being able to help these students become more confident working on their bikes is an important part of continuing to use my abilities to help my community.

Example of lesson slideshow and pictures of demo-frames shown above.

See my Annotated Bibliography here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MbPHnKCZSaiJzPaFViC6rMdwzfERfaWRRypNDX6keSg/edit?usp=sharing

For my capstone I designed and created a storage shelf for the weight room at my school. I chose this project because I am intending to major in architecture in college. I wanted to do something related to design, where I got to work in Vectorworks (a computer software for drafting), in order to give myself some extra practice with the program before I go off into the real world and am required to use it in my field. Since freshman year I have been a part of the athletics at SLA. I knew going into my senior year that I wanted my capstone to integrate not only my love for creating, but for sports as well. I started off by being curious about woodworking and ended up with a final fully standing piece of furniture that I could not be more proud of. I had to utilize every core value to satisfy my curiosity and complete something not only functional but beautiful as well.

Annotated Bibliography:

Teenage bedrooms act as a sanctuary, a place to be yourself, where you’re allowed to make yourself at home, making the room completely yours. For many, this involves the accumulation of items, utilitarian or decorative, on any surface available. The things we keep closest to us, most easily accessible at our most vulnerable-in our sleep-say a lot about us. Medicine, lamps, receipts, lotion, glasses, contacts, coins, keys, books, writing utensils, old food/drink. They show that we are more alike than it may appear. That at the end of the day we’re all just humans. However, not every teenager has the luxury of closely collecting material items that reflect who they are, or their daily routines, not every teenager has the luxury of a bedside table, or even a bed. My peers and I are extremely lucky to be able to participate in the material citizenship conveyed through this exhibit. All proceeds raised from the opening reception will be donated to Covenant House to support meals, housing, healthcare, and essential services for youth experiencing homelessness and trafficking in Philadelphia. - Juniper Nims

My capstone project was Bedside Table(au)s, a photo series featuring 20 Philadelphia teenagers bedside tables. The opening reception for the exhibit was a benefit for Covenant House PA, held on May 6th. The reception included performances by the SLA rock band, a DIY collage table, $5 and $1 secondhand clothing bins, handmade zines and snacks. It was a pay-what-u-wish event, and between entry donations, zine sales, and clothing sales, we raised $320 for CHPA. My mother donated this sum to CHPA through Comcast, her employer’s donation portal, which means Comcast will match that donation in 60 days-so $640 total to CHPA!

For my capstone project I created a website designed to help students learn more about their teachers and who they are as a person. I did this by interviewing as many teachers as I could, and writing down key takeaways about their teaching style, classroom atmosphere, and advice for students. The goal for this was to be able to turn all the information I gathered into an easy to use resource that helps students be more comfortable before entering the classroom for the first time. This website helps create a stronger sense of community and connection between students and teachers. I always have felt a little intimidated and scared when walking into a new class for the first time, especially when the teacher is somebody I have never had before. I wanted to create something so that future students didn’t have to feel like they were blindly walking into a new classroom. I knew that I wanted to get information about teachers and compile them somehow for students to view, but I wasn’t sure what the best way to do that was. I decided a website would be the best way to combine all of the information I had because a website is both easy to use, and extremely accessible to future students.

Hi, my name is Geona, and my capstone was mostly a target for teens. As I am currently a teen in their senior year of high school. Going through high school, I had noticed how much of a struggle  it can be when it comes to maintaining your mental health. Over my time at SLA, I had gone through many things like mental breakdowns, panic attacks, and more. Of course, it was never easy going through those experiences, but that’s how I learned how to cope with them. At first, I was just learning how to handle stuff by myself and was just always pushing my issues to the back of my mind until they built up and just came out when I became too overwhelmed. Then, eventually, I started to look at things that would relax my mind, which would usually be things like music and baking. These things just mostly helped me steady my mind on the task at hand, letting me not think about the things that I was worried about stressing me out at the moment. From learning this, that is what made me want to create my website, Sugar & Therapy. Being able to connect with other teens who deal with the same struggles through something therapeutic like baking videos makes me feel like I’m making an open space for teenagers who feel like their problems are never heard. So, overall, our mission at Sugar & Therapy is to add a little powder to your mind and give you comfort through something so simple as baking. So, I hope you enjoy looking into our mixer!

For my Capstone project, I created a website about building safety and the importance of construction codes, inspections, and maintenance. My goal was to raise awareness about how buildings are supposed to be designed and built properly from the start, and how small mistakes or ignored problems can lead to serious collapses and loss of life. The website explains basic building structure, how different parts of a building work together, and what safe construction is supposed to look like. Then it shows how failures in inspection, maintenance, and oversight can cause things to go wrong over time. A major part of my project was honoring the victims and families affected by these disasters and ensuring their stories are not forgotten over time. I wanted the website to show respect for the lives lost and the families affected, while also explaining in a clear way what makes a building to collapse.

This project also gives ideas on how to prevent future collapses, like better inspections, following safety rules more strictly, and fixing problems early before they get worse. It can also help people who are interested in architecture understand how buildings are made and how important each step of the process is.

Throughout this Capstone, I learned that many disasters are preventable and often happen when problems are repeatedly overlooked instead of addressed. This project changed my perspective on the spaces people trust every day and helped me realize how much responsibility comes with designing and maintaining structures

Capstone: https://www.buildingscodes.com/

Bibliography below:

For my Capstone, I created a complete beginner to intermediate Python programming guide designed to make learning code simple, clear, and also accessible. Over the course of the year, I researched Python through official documentation, books, and YouTube video courses, then transformed that information into a structured, easy to follow resource. The guide covers essential topics such as syntax, variables, loops, functions, modules, file handling, error handling, and object‑oriented programming, all written in a style inspired by Jenkov’s Java tutorials.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mvRhik8Qw8O96JicZfGrKUbWBWpUtKwq0HAATULMTnU/edit?usp=sharing

Philadelphia is often defined by cold statistics rather than the vibrant and joyous nature of its people. While having and investigating data is essential for understanding our gun violence crisis, this lacks the “soul” required for true and change making advocacy. The CornerStone is a collaborative zine designed to bridge that gap, shifting the narrative from utter devastation, to youth driven agency and resistance. This ten month process involved extensive outreach to our communities, editorial strategy and intense formatting. Despite challenges in submission rates, persistence and grit resulted in a high quality, creative, impactful, and aesthetic end product. The final 34 page product is a meticulously curated collection of art of all mediums, journalism, and personal narratives. The CornerStone matters because we are more than the numbers on a headline. We are the story - and we are the solution.

Below is my Annotated Bibliography:

For my capstone project, I made a website to raise awareness about fast fashion and its harmful effects on our environment and society. I wanted to show that people can make an impactful change in their habits by choosing to repurpose old items rather than just throw them away. For this project I reused old clothing and fabric from my family that was just going to get thrown away and end up in a landfill. I documented the process for each item on my website and I hope the tutorials can encourage other people to start sewing. My website hopefully will encourage some people to stop contributing to fast fashion companies and to value the items they have now more. With this capstone I learned that there is a person behind every clothing item. Everything is handmade by someone, and it takes a lot of commitment and time to make clothing. I gained a greater appreciation for the people being exploited by the fast fashion industry. I also learned a lot about the terrible impacts the clothing industry has on our planet. This capstone taught me that there is power in repurposing things that are old and giving them a new life, and I hope that other people can learn more about what they can do better to help the fast fashion epidemic from my project.

Kaitlyn’s Kloset Website