On March 23rd, Highland held their Personal Project Showcase, the showcase is where students get a chance to show others what they did for their Personal Project. The showcase was held in the field house. There were many long tables with each person’s name in alphabetical order. Students could bring anything they wanted to show.

I went around to talk to some of my friends who did the project. One of my friends said that she started the project just about two or three months ago, then did the rest of the work two weeks before it was due. She composed a song on her own, she chose to do this because music is really important to her. She stated, honestly, that she hated the project, and hated that she was forced to do the project, and then came the due date which made everything worse.

I asked her that if she had a chance to redo her project would she take that chance, to which she replied that she would redo her project if she was given another chance at it.

I also talked to others who did the personal project. They stated that the Personal Project was given to them early, so they had the whole summer to do it, or plan things out. But with the assignment given early, they felt they didn’t receive good guidance on what was to be expected until the meetings with their advisors.

After talking to people that completed the project, I went to talk to some Freshman on their thoughts about the project. One of them said that they thought the project was cool, interesting, and it was very fun to see everyone’s projects. Another one said they were scared of the project, and wanted to wait before doing the project. Most of them didn’t have ideas yet for their projects, but it’s something that has been on their mind for a while.

The project went well for everyone: people had boards and videos of what they did. The showcase had many people and a lot of other students came to look at the projects. Overall, the showcase was fun and Sophomores are glad the project has ended.

This school year’s Personal Project due date has passed, those who missed it can no longer turn it in. The Personal Project is for Sophomores, but information was given out during the spring of their Freshman year. The students are given a packet with what the project required from the students. The packet also had ideas or topics the students could possibly be interested in.

What is the Personal Project? The project is an IB-MYP project with the expectation that all students take on the project and create something unique and personal to them. The motive is to get students motivated about doing things that interest them.

Each student has their own Personal Project advisor who can help them deicide a topic, guide them with their paper, and answer questions students may have about the project. Throughout the student’s Sophomore year, they will meet their advisor at least 3 times to talk about the progress of their project.

The project has requirements to be completed. Students who decide to complete the project are required to physically turn in their paper along with five journal entries and five pictures of proof. The paper is where students write about their process of learning about their topic. The paper is then graded using the criteria on the packet.

Some ideas people choose for their project are: Learning a new instrument, joining the dance team, learning a new skill, or building their own computer. Many of the ideas are personal to the student and is something they would like to learn more of.

On Tuesday, February 2nd, Highland Park Senior High held a showcase for History Day projects in the cafeteria. Students in Ms. Bonk’s and Mr. Berndt’s accelerated history classes were required to complete a History Day project. Each year, History Day has a new theme, and students must find a topic, in history, that relates to that theme. This year’s theme was “Taking a Stand in History.” Some of the topics that were chosen include: LGBTQ Rights, Black History, and Women’s Rights.

There are 5 different ways a student can present their project, they are: exhibits, websites, documentaries, performances, and a paper. Students that choose to present something, other than a paper, can work in a group of 2 or 3 people. If a student chooses to complete a paper, then they have to work individually.

There is the opportunity for students to compete in History Day beyond their Freshman year, if they so choose. This year, there were 2 Sophomores, and 2 Juniors working on History Day. There was also an entire 11th grade regular history class completing the paper for History Day.

Judges come and evaluate student presentations. Each type of presentation has their own criteria that is judged, and each is judged at least twice by two different judges.

The students are encouraged to wear formal outfits on the presentation day. The presentations are then graded and the teachers in charge of History Day will decide who makes it to the next round known as Regionals. Regionals judging is a little different; students from different schools who made it to Regionals will have a specific time when they are judged. The judges will ask questions about your topic and observe your presentation.

If students pass Regionals then they move on to the State History Day competition. The project itself is very competitive so students thrive to make the best out of it.

This year’s Highland History Day went well and there were many interesting topics that students chose.

Students at Highland Park Senior High (HPSH) were given a chance to spend the day with Four Seasons Elementary 4th graders on January 6th, 2017. Students that went on the field trip were from the school’s Newspaper and AVID classes.

When the students arrived at Four Seasons, they were instructed to put their belongings on the back wall of the gym. Every student was given a name tag and a button to show they were students from HPSH. The students were there to be “helpers” to the youth group leaders that were in charge for the day.

After checking in with everyone, the youth group leaders came and had the students stand in a circle. There were three leaders: Sebastian, Vanessa, and Sesay. While two of the leaders were setting up, the third taught the students what to do when the 4th graders arrived in the gym.

When the 4th graders arrived, the high school students paired up and went to choose a number for their small group. My partner and I chose number “4.” Every 4th grader with a number “4” by their name tag was in our small group. We met up near one of the walls of the gym and sat in a circle.

In our small group, we had around eight 4th graders. We went around the circle introducing ourselves. After that, we were ordered to follow the instructions on the back of the sheet of paper we were given. We talked about what were some of the bad things that happen at school. We listed them all. The one that came up the most was “spreading rumors around the school.” We then talked about ways to end these bad behaviors in school.

Soon after, everyone gathered up again and to play a few games with the leaders and other groups. The games played were: Ships Ahoy, Train Dance, and many more. After playing the games, we had story time. Sebastian told us stories about when he was faced with bullying and when he saw people being bullied. The stories were great and full of lessons.

After a while, we were sent back to our small groups and then talked some more. Lunch time came after the small group talk. We had to sit by our small groups for lunch. After lunch, we played a game kind of like Charades. Our group tried, but we only got 8 points.

Once the games were over, after lunch, everyone went back to the front and listened to the youth leaders. Everyone got up and we danced and danced, and at around 1:15, it was time to leave. The trip was fun; everyone seemed to enjoy the retreat.

Every 4th grader had a great time with us (hopefully). The kids really enjoyed the leaders, though some seemed to like them more than others.

Hopefully, we will get the chance to go go back next year to help with the students and upcoming retreats.