At the beginning of the semester, we worked on the SWPPP or Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan. This was the beginning of the massive amount of effort that I would put into chemistry. I was really excited for chemistry and that boosted the motivation and effort that I would put into the projects we would do. When we started interviewing for positions that we would work as I went and tried out for the challenging roles. After the initial interview with Aleida, a person who can judge a person based on their capabilities, I received the position of Assistant Sampling Supervisor. I think this displays my effort and motivation to work hard on this semester long project.
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The Poisons and Toxins project was a relatively small project as it was integrated into our Humanities project about murder mysteries. Although it was a small project, that didn’t mean that we could skip out on work and not give it our all. This project, I chose to work with a partner and because it was a friend, we had similar interests and aspirations for the project. My partner and I chose a poison called Phenol. It seemed like a basic poison but we used it to boost our understanding of chemistry, understanding of lewis structures, and most importantly, our understanding of bonds.
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For our presentation method, we chose something that we both enjoyed, an advertisement over the radio. This was where most of the effort was focused. Working on the jingle and writing the lyrics were some of the most enjoyable parts of this project and that was our motivation to make it the best we could. I can say that both of us feel proud of the product we made for this project and we have the effort and motivation to back us up.
In the latest project, the chemistry demo otherwise known as the Chemo Project, I feel as the motivation was the highest it has ever been. There have been numerous setbacks throughout this project, far more setbacks and obstacles than I’ve ever met with in my time at High Tech. Every time I was met with an obstacle, my motivation only grew from there. I think my mindset was that with the work that I’ve already accomplished, I couldn’t just back down and let everything go to waste. I only improved from there; I would continue to push through even if my head felt like spinning. The feeling of losing everything is a devastating feeling to have and to experience but it can also fuel the fire to continue. When the final 2 weeks of the project were approaching, I was still dwelling on the fact that my original experiment would still be the one I did. It hit me like a truck when I heard that the idea was unrealistic because of a single material. It only went uphill after that because I chose to reignite my passion with an experiment that I wanted to do along with my will to finish it. This demonstrates my effort in its entirety. Choosing to push through requires a lot from the person, determination, will, and grit are all basic skills in this endeavor. The most important trait to have is the willingness to put in more effort, the origin of all work is putting in effort to achieve the desired outcome.
In the latest project, the chemistry demo otherwise known as the Chemo Project, I feel as the motivation was the highest it has ever been. There have been numerous setbacks throughout this project, far more setbacks and obstacles than I’ve ever met with in my time at High Tech. Every time I was met with an obstacle, my motivation only grew from there. I think my mindset was that with the work that I’ve already accomplished, I couldn’t just back down and let everything go to waste. I only improved from there; I would continue to push through even if my head felt like spinning. The feeling of losing everything is a devastating feeling to have and to experience but it can also fuel the fire to continue. When the final 2 weeks of the project were approaching, I was still dwelling on the fact that my original experiment would still be the one I did. It hit me like a truck when I heard that the idea was unrealistic because of a single material. It only went uphill after that because I chose to reignite my passion with an experiment that I wanted to do along with my will to finish it. This demonstrates my effort in its entirety. Choosing to push through requires a lot from the person, determination, will, and grit are all basic skills in this endeavor. The most important trait to have is the willingness to put in more effort, the origin of all work is putting in effort to achieve the desired outcome.
The SWPPP or Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan was a semester long project that we did in Chemistry. As the name suggests, this was about caring for the watersheds and water sources that are interconnected by storm drains. Being a semester long project, including the curriculum can kind of be difficult. Something that was extremely difficult for me was the start of the proof or the personal projects, a project that demonstrates your knowledge of the matter and uses Source or Treatment control methods to reduce certain areas of pollution. I feel as though there were a lot of distractions and misleading work towards the end of the semester. This is a problem that is prevalent through all of the classes but I think it was most noticeable in this project specifically. The one thing that I would change about this portion of the SWPPP project would be the starting date of the personal projects. During the time of the personal project, the Chemistry demo project began and both the tasks seemed very daunting. The freedom of choice in both of the projects meant that you had to think of everything yourself and that it’s just unnecessary pressure on the students.
Some general learning practices that I plan to work on in the next year would be daily warms ups. I loved this section of Chemistry because it always had us on the tip of our toes and made sure that you didn’t slack off, The idea of daily tasks are helpful but actually executing them is the hardest part. One major problem about the daily warm up would be the scale in difficulty. With a teacher residing over your learning, you have someone to access the general knowledge that you have. Making personal warm ups would be challenging but working around them generates a whole new skill set, so there seem to be many benefits to this. Another practice that I plan on continuing would be the interning portion of Chemistry. We acted as interns for the City of San Marcos but there seemed to be an underlying depth to the semester long project that we did. Working or volunteering can be enjoyable and as a part of the SWPPP project, there were people that enjoyed the job surrounding the SWPPP field of work. What I want to find is something that I enjoy doing in the volunteer work area.
Some general learning practices that I plan to work on in the next year would be daily warms ups. I loved this section of Chemistry because it always had us on the tip of our toes and made sure that you didn’t slack off, The idea of daily tasks are helpful but actually executing them is the hardest part. One major problem about the daily warm up would be the scale in difficulty. With a teacher residing over your learning, you have someone to access the general knowledge that you have. Making personal warm ups would be challenging but working around them generates a whole new skill set, so there seem to be many benefits to this. Another practice that I plan on continuing would be the interning portion of Chemistry. We acted as interns for the City of San Marcos but there seemed to be an underlying depth to the semester long project that we did. Working or volunteering can be enjoyable and as a part of the SWPPP project, there were people that enjoyed the job surrounding the SWPPP field of work. What I want to find is something that I enjoy doing in the volunteer work area.
One major aspect that I learned about myself is that I still have a bit of introversy. I understand it’s just pressure that I’m putting on myself but it’s a habit of mine and habits tend to be hard to get rid of. I found myself noticing this whenever I would go for a check ins for worksheets, warm ups, and project presentations. A great example for this would be one of the beginning warm ups that we did for chemistry. We were working on coefficients and when the teacher came around to help me out on parts that I didn’t understand, I just froze up. It felt really hot and my brain was just in a scrambled state as the teacher kept on repeating the piece of advice. When I said I understood the concept, it took a moment for me to relax and set things straight in my mind. This was definitely the conclusive realization that I was still afraid to speak out and what I learned about myself.
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I touched a bit on this on this in the other paragraph but something that should definitely not happen in the overlap of two projects in the classroom. The beginning warp up and worksheets were all great pieces of work that built my foundation in Chemistry but that isn’t what I have a problem with. Towards the end of the semester, probably one of the most stressful times that someone will ever encounter. The start of a project can be demoralizing but you just have to do it and get it over with. However, hearing that you are going to be starting two projects basically at the same time can get real complicated for the student. Problems that arise are prioritization and management of the projects. It doesn’t help when teachers indirectly put emphasis on a certain portion of the project by dedicating time inside the classroom for it when other deadlines are coming up. The stacking of the previous problems are pretty terrible but I think that something that only adds fuel to the fire would be the freedom of choice projects. Choosing a topic that interests you helps a lot in that area of work but having something that isn’t what you want to do makes work feel like it’s ten times worse. Overall, something that I think Ms. Lyman can improve on would definitely be project planning as the biggest problem that I had in chemistry are the overlapping projects.
One of the most relatable projects that we did was the Chemistry Demo Project and that’s because a lot of time and effort went into personalizing the project for each individual student. Although most didn’t find a reaction that related to their area of interest, they did find a connection through the experiment that they chose to do in the end. This was the case with my experiment. I originally wanted to do something related to the medical field but most experiments were harmful and couldn’t be done. So I went to the next thing that I wanted to try, electrochemistry. This is a really interesting experiment as there are multiple ways to approach it. The numerous paths led to my three experiments at the end of the project. The main connection with my experiment and my life is the creation of electricity. The creation of electricity directly correlates to the machines and cords that surround my life like my computer and phone. I can’t imagine my life with the absence of electronics and without the discovery of batteries and power, I wouldn’t have these privileges.
What are your hopes for the SWPPP project for next year's students? What do you recommend they begin with, and what would you like to see them accomplish? Would you be willing to be a project leader for this next year?
Some hope that I have for the SWPPP Internship for next year would be that they go above and beyond the level of mastery that we achieved. As the first set of students in high school to do this internship or project, we acted as guinea pigs and saw potential things that could change to make it better for the next year. I think that they should consider the roles of the groups more seriously because this year, I don’t think any of the roles were balanced in work and in importance. If we could implement a more structured Best Management Plan project, then I believe better products would appear. I don’t believe that our class did many source control plans as the projects that I see around treat problems, they don’t solve them. I really hope that they come up with some source control plans to help the school in a more permanent way. As for future reference, I’m always available to help out if they are confused.
One of the most relatable projects that we did was the Chemistry Demo Project and that’s because a lot of time and effort went into personalizing the project for each individual student. Although most didn’t find a reaction that related to their area of interest, they did find a connection through the experiment that they chose to do in the end. This was the case with my experiment. I originally wanted to do something related to the medical field but most experiments were harmful and couldn’t be done. So I went to the next thing that I wanted to try, electrochemistry. This is a really interesting experiment as there are multiple ways to approach it. The numerous paths led to my three experiments at the end of the project. The main connection with my experiment and my life is the creation of electricity. The creation of electricity directly correlates to the machines and cords that surround my life like my computer and phone. I can’t imagine my life with the absence of electronics and without the discovery of batteries and power, I wouldn’t have these privileges.
What are your hopes for the SWPPP project for next year's students? What do you recommend they begin with, and what would you like to see them accomplish? Would you be willing to be a project leader for this next year?
Some hope that I have for the SWPPP Internship for next year would be that they go above and beyond the level of mastery that we achieved. As the first set of students in high school to do this internship or project, we acted as guinea pigs and saw potential things that could change to make it better for the next year. I think that they should consider the roles of the groups more seriously because this year, I don’t think any of the roles were balanced in work and in importance. If we could implement a more structured Best Management Plan project, then I believe better products would appear. I don’t believe that our class did many source control plans as the projects that I see around treat problems, they don’t solve them. I really hope that they come up with some source control plans to help the school in a more permanent way. As for future reference, I’m always available to help out if they are confused.
Best Management Practice Project Description
Fredo, Aidan, and I are working on a SWPPP campaign. This campaign is for raising funds outsides of San Marcos City Council or other backers and also for gaining awareness. As of now, we have an artist working on a commission for a poster that we're using to advertise for awareness as well as link our fundraiser(GofundMe, Edco, etc). The overall project is to raise funds for the future students and interns of SWPPP and for the future BMP's that might be implemented. Awareness is achievable through other projects so we don't have too much concern for that. Best Andrew, Fredo, and Aidan |