Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Blog 24: Last Presentation Reflection




(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
I am most proud that I made my presentation so beautiful. It looked great and I think it had enough pictures to keep the audience interested. 

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?  Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

AE       P          AP       CR       NC
I was professional. I was engaging and I did the work to the best of my ability. I was well rehearsed and I met all the contract requirements on the contract. I had strong volume, I made eye contact with members of the class. I engaged the audience. I used my time well, I had multiple props, and I had a power point. All my research supported the answers. I mentioned an interview. I did use specific examples. My hook was cool, my activity did all the answers, and I had a clear intro. 


b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

AE       P          AP       CR       NC


I did everything to the best of my abilities. I  got AE's on everything I could possibly get an AE on. 
(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
My own personal research and the interviews. 
(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?
I would have found a different mentor that could actually help me. 


(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.


I think it will be very good to remind me that I can make it through presentations like this. It also taught me to choose a topic I am interested in or I will be so bored. 

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Blog 23 Exit Interview.


Please be advised.  The senior team will not conduct any exit interview in which the student has not turned in a passing notebook count and completed this blog.  In addition, you are expected to dress as you would for a job interview.

Content:


(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?
How can we close the food gap between different socioeconomic classes. 
1) Addressing food waste
2) Public Policy
3) Cultural Competency

All three answers because food waste is a short term solution to immediate hunger. Cultural Competency is important so organizations can properly advocate what should be put in bills. And changing public policy is important for the long term solution. 

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
I figured out each answer through examples and then I looked at the overarching theme of the examples. Then I tried to think of how that could be turned into an answer. 

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?
I had a really bad mentor so I sought outside assistance from Professors and educators. 

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
" How a National Food Policy could save millions" by Michael Pollan
Weighing in: Obesity, Food Justice, and the Limits of Capitalism by Julie Guthman
Be prepared with evidence and specific examples to support any response.  It is also significant to cite sources as you explain.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Blog #22 Independent Component 2

LITERAL
(a) Include this statement: “I, student name, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents ___ hours of work.”

I Kyle Levin affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 33 Hours
(b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.
3)Hirsh, Jesse, and Reyhan Harmanchi. "Food Waste: The Next Food Revolution - Modern Farmer." Modern Farmer. Modern Farmer, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.
(c) Update your Independent Component 2 Log (which should be under your Senior Project Hours link)


1)"A Guide to Starting a Composting at Your School." A Guide to Starting a Composting Program in Your School (n.d.): n. pag. Green Mountain Farm to School. Green Mountain Farm. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.
2)Cochran, Soni. "Vermicomposting - Composting with Worms."Vermicomposting. Nebraska Extension, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.
(c) Update your Independent Component 2 Log (which should be under your Senior Project Hours link)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ak9gS11eCj2b6EwDruGGuzSKWN1hG6KCDfrNwRKDAB4/edit?usp=sharing
(d) Explain what you completed.    
I attempted to complete a compost. However after I already got over zealous on my project, I noticed that it takes months for worms to break down the food.... so I would have needed a lot more worms to get the dirt that I was going for. 

(e) Defend your work and explain the component's significance and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.   



(f)How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped. 

This project made me realize how difficult my first answer to my EQ was. I thought it was a slam dunk get rid of food waste, but it turned out to be far more difficult than I anticipated and more time consuming. Some may think its easy to get rid of food waste, but it takes hours to up keep a compost and a lot of people aren't willing to dedicate that type of time. 

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Blog # 21 Fourth Interview Reflection




1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview? 
The most important thing I learned from this interview is how big of a boundary language can be when looking at cultural competency. I was trying to learn from this woman who only spoke spanish, so I needed to bring a friend to help translate what she said or else I would have not been able to communicate with her at all. 
2.  How will what I learned affect my final lesson?
This interview really taught be about my third answer to my EQ. I feel that it has helped me shape my final presentation. 

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Blog 20- Interview Prep 4




1. Who do you plan to interview? What is this person's area of expertise?
I plan to intervier Arthur Levine who works at Huerta De Villa in Ontario. He has started a community garden there that has flourished. I find it important to understand what is the best way to create a community program that doesn't feel intrusive.
2. Post 20 open-ended questions

 you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers to your EQ. If you have already interviewed someone two times, you aren't allowed to interview that same person without House teacher approval.


  1. Why do you find it important for this community to have a garden?
  2. How do you make a community program feel non-intrusive to the public? 
  3. What are some of the effects of your program on the community?
  4. How does one go about setting up a community space for people? 
  5. How did you decide to start a garden?
  6. What is the most important thing to starting a community space?
  7. What are some of the reactions you have received in regards to the garden?
  8. What do you do with the food you produce? 
  9. Why do you think its important to have these community spaces?
  10. What is your response to people who believe community gardens aren't helpful?
  11. How do you incorporate the local community into the project?
  12. What does a good community garden look like and what does a bad community garden look like?
  13. Who will take over the garden when you are gone?
  14. Did you receive any corporation support for the garden?
  15. Is there a way to teach people about a healthy life style with respect to their different backgrounds and privileges? 

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Blog 19

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EQ 
How can we close the food gap between the middle class and people in poverty?

Answer #3 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)*
Attacking healthism is how we can close the food gap between the middle class and people in poverty. 

3 details to support the answer 
  • When people come and try to help communities in food deserts and such, they are faced with the reality of the unknown. When this occurs, people try to tackle what they see. However telling people to eat kale is not a good way to teach people to be healthy. 
  • Very much like colonialism. Important to find ways to create community X that are actually run by the communities. 
  • Accountability is important in volunteership and dedication to the project. 


The research source(s) to support your details and answer

# 39, 40, 28, #6 
Concluding Sentence
Healthism makes people feel more inhuman.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Blog 17 Interview #3

Interview Audio


1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  
The most important thing I learned from this interview was my three answers to my eq. I found that I also learned a lot about the vocabulary in my book that I didn't understand. 

2.  How has your approach to interviewing changed over the course of your senior project?
I feel like I am more comfortable blindly emailing people and calling asking to conduct interviews. I do more background research on their topic so I have more in depth questions. 

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Blog 18 : Answer 2


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1.  What is your EQ?
How can we close the food gap between the middle class and people in poverty?

2.  What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
Reducing food waste is a way to close the food gap between the middle class and people in poverty.

3.  What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
Using oppositional politics to address economical inequalities are an important way to close the food gap between the middle class and people in poverty. 

4.  List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.
Oppositional politics
-The best way to participate in oppositional politics is to address issues such as the wage gap. Money is definitely the biggest factor in making food accessible and by giving people a living wage it therefore makes it possible for the food gap to close. 
- An important way to close the food gap is to treat farmers better. This involves eliminating the pesticides that get continually sprayed on people who work in the fields. 
- Destroying the stigma of fat people because many people lose out to job opportunities and such because of their fatness. It is important to look beyond those stigmas and into the underlying  reasons there.
 5.  What printed source best supports your answer?
Weighing In By Julie Guthman
6.  What other source supports your answer?
Food Politics by Marion Nestle
7.  Tie this together with a  concluding thought.
I think that these two sources that were written specifically to talk about how to use oppositional politics to combat food stigmas will definitely help me. 

Monday, February 8, 2016

Blog 16 Independent Component 2


1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
For my 30 hours of independent component I want to either start a composting site or system at the school with approval from Flores, or if that does not work, I want to start a compost at my home. 

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
I will be taking photos of the compost progress, hopefully in a time lapse fashion. To meet the 30 hour requirement I expect it will take 3 or so hours to do the research on how to compost. I plan to meet with the people who run Pomona College organic farm for information on the best composting materials. I want to meet with Flores to discuss a possible compost plan. All of these things will already take close to 10 hours. For the other twenty hours... it will take at least 15-30 minutes a day to maintain the compost ( turning the soil, keeping pests out.) and even more if I do the compost at school because I will need to moniter the bins and such to make sure people are composting the proper things. I will also need to move the soil once its done to another location. All these things will take approximately, take 3 to 4 hours a week. 

3.  Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.
This really addresses my food waste answer to my EQ. It delves into the systems that would help eliminate food waste, and illustrate how difficult it is to get these programs off the ground. Furthermore, it would limit my own, and the schools food waste. 

4.  Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.


Independent Comp Log 2

Friday, February 5, 2016

Independent Component 1


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(a) Write: “I, Kyle Levin, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”
(b)Michelle Torres and Megan Nehamen from Foothill Family Shelter guided me through my 30 hours of mentorship.

(c) Update your hours in your Senior Project Hours link. Make sure it is clearly labeled with hours for individual sessions as well as total hours.??

  • (d)Through out my time working at Foothill Family Shelter I continue help to reorganize the shelves, work with other volunteers, and sort through donations. During the holidays especially I find that volunteer work is the most important. Over the break, we received more donations than we possibly knew what to do with. 
  • INTERPRETIVE 
    Well, I have a log that tells the reader exactly how many hours I have done and what I did during that time. Independent Comp Log.    I was not allowed to take photos at my mentorship due to confidentiality purposes. My mentor only verified that I may take photos last night. 
  • APPLIED
    I found that while I was working at Foothill Family Shelter, that I was looking at my project all wrong. Through careful research and observation I realized that there are many misconceptions that the public and myself had about obesity, food justice, and overall the food system that we have in America. I felt that it was highlighted especially in my work at Foothill Family Shelter due to the lack of resources and understanding that I personally found through my mentorship. In a way... it is like I was focusing in on one leaf of the tree ( Foothill Family Shelter) when there is a whole system of charities, companies, food programs that contribute to figuring out a solution to the food gap problem. 

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Lesson 2 Reflection




Content:

1.What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?
I am very proud of the presentation I gave because it had a lot of content and it was ordered in an understandable way. Throughout the presentation I felt very confident and that felt really good. 

2. a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

     
  AE       P          AP       CR       NC

     b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.
I filled all the requirements and I kept the audience very engaged. I was not boring. I hit all the points hard with confidence. 

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?
My powerpoint really guided the presentation and the content. 

4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?
I forgot to mention why my hook was important. 
5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?
Policy change. 

Monday, January 11, 2016

Blog # 14 Interview Prep





For this interview, you will prepare 10 open-ended questions that focus on your newly approved EQ (in fact, your first question can be your EQ). Remember, all interviews must be done in person unless they are specifically approved by your house teacher. Additionally, one person may be interviewed a maximum of two times.

 1. Who do you plan to interview? What is this person's area of expertise?
I plan to interview Nancy Neiman. Her area of expertise is political science and she leads two courses on food justice.

 2. Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview. What is the date and time of the interview?
 I have talked to her in person before the interview post came out, and I am waiting till next week to schedule an interview because classes are starting up again for the college she works at. 

3. Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.
What are some of the models scientists are working on to help limit the food gap?

 4. Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc).
 What types of projects would you suggest I work on to get hands on experience with my topic? 

5. Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ.
 How did you get involved in the food justice branch?
Why did you choose the locations you did to start up programs to help people that are food insecure?

Other Possible questions :
What were some of the effects that your programs had on the community?
Do your personal values align more with the second wave of food justice activists or the third?
Do you feel that there is a truly perfect model of a world with no hunger?
Have you personally been able to bring your food waste down to zero?
What kind of effects have you seen in student's personalities after taking your class?
What do you feel is the most important factor in help limit the food gap?

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Blog # 13 10 Hour Mentorship check- in

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1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?
Foothill Family Shelter 

2.   Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert?

Megan Nehamen. She has been working at foothill family shelter for twelve years. She is the co- executive director of the nonprofit, and has had years of experience in all aspects of the organization.

3.   How many  hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right hand side of your blog).

38 hours. 

4.   Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours.
I spend most of the time working with the volunteer coordinator. I feel like I don't get adequate time to talk with my mentor and that is frustrating to me. I plan to spend the remaining hours working at the volunteer place but also working concurrently with a professor at Scripps College for more guidance.


*You need 50 hours plus the original 10 in the summer by May.   The original 10 from the summer do not count toward the 50.  By the end of the year, you will have 60 hours counting that original 10.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Blog #12 Holiday Project Update


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1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project?
 Over the break I learned more about my topic. I found out that it actually has a name. ( Food Justice) It is a social movement that has been slowly arising. Unfortunately I found out about it too late to strongly incorporate the ideas I learned from food justice thus far, but I hope to be able to give a better explanation of it in my final presentation. I also volunteered at my mentorship for seven hours. I almost changed the whole focus of my project. I reached out to a professor at Scripps College, who I will be talking to tomorrow about my project, so I may get a stronger insight into my topic. I looked at my local grocery store and priced out items in preparation for my 1st component. I struggled with should I write journal entries for my 1st component or vlogs. I hope to talk to Mr. Holt about that soon. 


2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?I learned that you can't take breaks. I took a huge gap during my mentorship between November and December. When I came back I felt so out of the loop. I missed so many important events. I felt terrible because I didn't help, but I also realized how much of an impact the volunteer work is. During the holidays, people donate ALOT more, so non profit organizations get swamped and need as many volunteers as they can or they can't effectively do their job. 


3.  Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?
If this conversation goes well with the Scripps Professor I hope to interview her. ( Nancy Neiman) She teaches two classes pertaining to my topic and also has started two programs in the local area for food justice. I hope that she can give me insight into the questions I dont know I should be asking and more resources to look at in the area.