CH GCE Portfolio

In my humanities class, "A Nations Argument", we recently finished our second unit called Antithesis. In this unit, we learned about logical fallacies, premises, and the difference between valid and sound arguments. We learned about life in the US after separating from Britain. We looked closely at the United States Constitution and how the amendments were first used in supreme court cases. We met virtually with public defender Connie Jordan, 27th ward Alderman Burnett, and 40th ward Alderman Vasquez. To end this unit, our teacher asked us all to amend an ordinance in the Chicago Municipal code that we believe is unjust. I picked Chicago's hate-crime ordinance.  Unjust Chicago Municipal Code: 8-4-085 Hate crimes.  (a) No person shall, by reason of any motive or intent relating to, or any antipathy, animosity or hostility based upon, the actual or perceived race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, ancestry, sexual orientation, active or prior military status, or m...

In the third unit of my junior STEAM class "Light, Sound, & Time," we spent the past couple of weeks learning about time.  We spent the first week learning about different ways people measured time. We learned about latitude and longitude, Foucault's pendulum, and arc length. We learned about the theory of general relativity, the twin paradox, and the concept of time travel. Our class met with Taylor Hoyt, a UChicago graduate who studied astrophysics. The class focused on the history of time-telling devices such as incense clocks, candle clocks, and hourglasses. My research helped inspire my own time-telling device called the Light Alarm. I was inspired by the simplicity of the physical design of modern alarm clocks. I was also inspired by sundials and how the device uses light to tell time. I took these qualities and created a unique way of telling time. Watch my video to learn more about my invention! In conclusion, I liked completing this unit. I had a fun time lea...

In unit two of my junior STEAM class "Light, Sound, & Time," we spent the past couple of weeks learning about sound.  We learned the anatomy of the human ear and how it perceives sound. We learned about the speed of sound, reflection and refraction, soundwaves, frequency, and wavelength. We learned about the Doppler effect and musical instruments. For our action project at the end of the unit, we had to make a one-string guitar or Diddley Bow out of common materials.  CH. "Diddley Bow." 2021. The Diddley Bow creates sound through the one guitar string. This guitar string is pulled tight between two nails that are mounted on a piece of wood. At one end of the string, there is a dead battery wedged underneath the string to create tension. The other end of the string runs through a soup can, this also creates tension. The tension allows the string to vibrate. The soup can then amplifies those vibrations the same way a soundhole does on a guitar. This creates the so...

In my Humanities class, "A Nations Argument", we recently finished our first unit called Thesis. In this class, we focused on the Declaration of Independence and the way argument constructed our nation. In our class, we watched a lecture from Yale Professor Freeman about the American revolution. We also met with Principal Ben Blair of Rodgers Park Montessori School. For this action project, we had to declare an independent study. I choose to declare an independent study about mental health awareness.  “Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources.” Coral Springs, 2021.  Topic:  Mental Health Introduction: I am writing this declaration to fight for a class based on the wellness and awareness of mental health. It is necessary to learn about mental health so that we can all be more compassionate and understanding of each other. Personal and Logical Evidence:  School and learning are meant to prepare students for the world and the independent choices they will have ...

This is an action project for my core class Light, Sound, & Time. In this first unit, we learned about light and how it works. I learned a lot about wave-particle duality, the visible spectrum, the electromagnetic spectrum, human eyes, and similar triangles. A couple of students went on an FE to the GCE building to use the darkroom that our teacher set up. For this project, we were asked to build our own pinhole camera to show how we could use light to capture images.  CH. "Pinhole Camera." 2021 I made a pinhole camera. The dimensions of my camera are 4.5 inches tall, 6.3 inches wide, and 8.4 inches long. The volume of my camera is 238.14 cubic inches. In order to capture a picture, the inside of the camera has to be completely black. When you close the camera, it has to be a completely light proof so that unnecessary light doesn’t mess with the picture. Once you place the light reactive paper inside and close the camera, you can not let any light in unless you are taking...

During my three-week Civic Term course called "Music that Matters". We learned about music that has helped to teach, inspire, and ignite. During this course, we had three guests virtually talk to the class. Our guests Faiz Razi, Conan Neutron, and Fransisco Ramirez are active people in the music community and they talked to us about music and why it matters to them. For this action project, we were asked to create a proposal for My Block, My Hood, My City. Their newest project asks, "How can you make a positive impact on your neighborhood?"  I am proposing a giant interactive musical experience. I want to install a giant piano keyboard into the ground so that the community can interact with it. The piano will be playable and light up when the keys are pressed. I want to create it so that people could also pick from a list of songs and play them on the piano. When the songs are played the piano keys will light up in beat with the song. The music for this installation...

In my Humanities class, Rhetoric, we recently finished our third and final unit called Unity. In this unit, we furthered our knowledge of rhetoric and the impact it can have. We studied different situations where rhetoric has been used to inspire, unite, and bring change. We then focused on rhetorical devices. We studied different passages so that we could understand how these devices get used. For example, Common Sense by Thomas Paine was a pamphlet that continuously used rhetoric to persuade independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. For this AP, we had to create a piece of artwork that expresses an issue and brings together unity.  CH. "Collage." 2020. I am 17 years old and as a teenager, I can tell you that life is a mess right now. With all of life's ups and downs, it can often seem as if we are just moving through life with no real purpose or goal. In order to portray how I feel, I choose to create a collage. The words and pictures I used we...