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Aiden expresses his artistic sideEver since Aiden was a little kid, he was excited about shoes, especially sneakers. For his project, he decided to create a custom sneaker that reflects his personality. He used an app to design a digital mock-up of the shoes.
The Personal Project invites students to choose any passion to pursue, and many often choose projects that are specific to furthering their talents and expressing their individuality. Aiden’s project does just that.
“I have a genetic condition called VHL that can cause tumorous masses to grow in different places in my body,” shares Aiden. “I have had two tumors that were benign, and it shaped who I am as a person.”
Aiden also developed an interest in baseball after his first surgery. His dad signed him up for a team.
“As a result, I have learned perseverance and that failure is ok. I also learned to push through things by being part of a team effort,” he says.
Both experiences influenced Aiden's project. The VHL Alliance is a support and awareness foundation and its logo is featured on his design on the back of the shoe. He also created a fade of blue baseball stitching along one of the cuts of leather.
This project exemplifies the learner attributes of being an inquirer to further develop a design as well as reflecting on life experiences to express who you are. | Anaya brings her love of dance“I am a very shy person, and dancing took me out of my shell," says Anaya.
Anaya started dancing in 6th grade and remembers early performances in front of large parent audiences. She remembers how nervous she was when she first started but how through experiences she felt it became easier.
This year she tried out for and made the POMS team, and she started performing at football and basketball games. Although initially apprehensive to perform in front of large crowds , Anaya soon became more confident through her experiences. This journey of hers as a dancer inspired her project.
“I thought dancing would be a way to help younger kids feel comfortable with expressing themselves, and I made that the goal of my personal project,” she explains.
Through Anaya’s planning, the POMS team went to Meade Middle School and performed for a group of dance students. Afterwards, they taught them the dance and the rest of the team assisted the students who needed help. Eventually, they performed the dance themselves.
“The first time, they looked nervous, but the second time through, they were smiling and giving a better performance," she shares. "It was interesting to see the change in them because the same thing happened to me when I started dancing.”
Anaya shared that the experience helped her build her confidence in communicating in front of a large group, and how her own enthusiasm can become contagious for others.
“In the end I had a positive experience, and I believe that everyone else did as well.” | Edwin Pursues BoxingFor sophomore Edwin, his project made him get in the ring and learn to harness his power towards beating his opponents through effective maneuvering. Edwin, who points to boxing as a way for someone to learn to defend him or herself, learned how to move, appropriate stances, and how to defend himself again others. One stance he highlighted was the “south paw,” which is a position one can take when you start a fight, which allows you to defend with one hand and hit with the other. In boxing, you have to learn to do both. "Some people get so angry they want to hurt someone or break something," Edwin explains. "Boxing helps me learn to defend myself and also they teach us about dealing with anger by calming down. Boxing helps me stay focused." Edwin’s ultimate goal is to hit the Golden Gloves tournament at the state level where he can compete with other people at that level. His personal project is one step in that direction- learning to improve his abilities in the ring.
"When I got angry, I used to punch things," he reflects. "Boxing has taught me how to control it by using my punching bag. It has inspired me because I like to help others. Some people have family issues and other conflicts and I help them learn to deal with their problems thanks to boxing." |
Aiden expresses his artistic side
Ever since Aiden was a little kid, he was excited about shoes, especially sneakers. For his project, he decided to create a custom sneaker that reflects his personality. He used an app to design a digital mock-up of the shoes.
The Personal Project invites students to choose any passion to pursue, and many often choose projects that are specific to furthering their talents and expressing their individuality. Aiden’s project does just that.
“I have a genetic condition called VHL that can cause tumorous masses to grow in different places in my body,” shares Aiden. “I have had two tumors that were benign, and it shaped who I am as a person.”
Aiden also developed an interest in baseball after his first surgery. His dad signed him up for a team.
“As a result, I have learned perseverance and that failure is ok. I also learned to push through things by being part of a team effort,” he says.
Both experiences influenced Aiden's project. The VHL Alliance is a support and awareness foundation and its logo is featured on his design on the back of the shoe. He also created a fade of blue baseball stitching along one of the cuts of leather.
This project exemplifies the learner attributes of being an inquirer to further develop a design as well as reflecting on life experiences to express who you are.
Anaya brings her love of dance
“I am a very shy person, and dancing took me out of my shell," says Anaya.
Anaya started dancing in 6th grade and remembers early performances in front of large parent audiences. She remembers how nervous she was when she first started but how through experiences she felt it became easier.
This year she tried out for and made the POMS team, and she started performing at football and basketball games. Although initially apprehensive to perform in front of large crowds , Anaya soon became more confident through her experiences. This journey of hers as a dancer inspired her project.
“I thought dancing would be a way to help younger kids feel comfortable with expressing themselves, and I made that the goal of my personal project,” she explains.
Through Anaya’s planning, the POMS team went to Meade Middle School and performed for a group of dance students. Afterwards, they taught them the dance and the rest of the team assisted the students who needed help. Eventually, they performed the dance themselves.
“The first time, they looked nervous, but the second time through, they were smiling and giving a better performance," she shares. "It was interesting to see the change in them because the same thing happened to me when I started dancing.”
Anaya shared that the experience helped her build her confidence in communicating in front of a large group, and how her own enthusiasm can become contagious for others.
“In the end I had a positive experience, and I believe that everyone else did as well.”
Edwin Pursues Boxing
For sophomore Edwin, his project made him get in the ring and learn to harness his power towards beating his opponents through effective maneuvering.
Edwin, who points to boxing as a way for someone to learn to defend him or herself, learned how to move, appropriate stances, and how to defend himself again others. One stance he highlighted was the “south paw,” which is a position one can take when you start a fight, which allows you to defend with one hand and hit with the other. In boxing, you have to learn to do both.
"Some people get so angry they want to hurt someone or break something," Edwin explains. "Boxing helps me learn to defend myself and also they teach us about dealing with anger by calming down. Boxing helps me stay focused."
Edwin’s ultimate goal is to hit the Golden Gloves tournament at the state level where he can compete with other people at that level. His personal project is one step in that direction- learning to improve his abilities in the ring.
"When I got angry, I used to punch things," he reflects. "Boxing has taught me how to control it by using my punching bag. It has inspired me because I like to help others. Some people have family issues and other conflicts and I help them learn to deal with their problems thanks to boxing."
Jenna Lerro
IB Middle Years Programme Coordinator
Meade High School, IB World School
