Yesterday, March 22nd, sophomores finally got the chance to show off their MYP Personal Projects that they have spent the entire school year working on. This is the second year of the MYP Personal Projects, a required individual project for all sophomores to graduate.
For the project, students get to pick their own goal they want to accomplish ATL (Attention to Learning) skills that they will develop through their project. Students presented in both the South and North gyms in an open house style so freshmen and 8th graders could walk through and observe what they will ultimately be doing in a year or two.
This year, common project themes included research projects, playing a musical instrument, and cooking.
Sophomore August Baker made a research project on the multi-faceted issue of childhood obesity in America.
Baker touches on the challenges of conducting a research project.
“It was kind of tough, I had to go through each week learning about how each of these worked, and then also writing it down, figuring out the layout, and also finding the right sources,” said Baker.
Sophomore Sam Denman worked on her photography skills and explored different methods of taking photos for her project. Denman was already familiar with photography, but after taking a photography class, her knowledge in the area expanded.
Denman describes what she learned through the project.
“I learned specific things like IOS shutter speed and aperture. I also used a macro lens to get close-up pictures of nature,” said Denman.
Additionally, many students decided to make their own culinary creations, like cookies and pizza. Some students decided to do art projects and got the opportunity to share their paintings and drawings.
Music could be heard from all around both gyms from students who learned to play new instruments or students who composed their own songs.
A few students chose to explore their cultural roots, learning dances, making clothing, and cooking dishes traditional to their culture.
Many students also had one-of-a-kind projects, such as sophomore Sydney Babcock who learned how to scuba dive and sophomore Kaitlyn Nicholas who made a stackable gardening bed.
Overall, the sophomores did an excellent job with their projects this year and we can’t wait to see what interesting projects next year brings!
