Passion Project Reflection

 

Ava Angelini – ARS Cookbook 

 

For my passion project, I made an Ann Richards cookbook. An ARS cookbook consists of recipes from Ann Richards students. These recipes can range anywhere from healthy to a little bit on the sweeter side! During this project I worked on getting recipes from students, putting those recipes in the “cookbook” format, designing the cookbook, and putting the cookbook together.

While making the ARS cookbook, I ran into a few bumps in the road. Initially, when I was first getting recipes from students, it didn’t work out so well. I sent out a google survey for students to enter their recipes in and not many people did. I waited for a while longer and I still wasn’t getting the amount of recipes I wanted to. So, instead of relying on my google survey I went around and asked people if they had any recipes at home that they wanted to see in the cookbook. Sure enough, I eventually got the amount of recipes I needed. The lesson I learned from this was that not everything goes how you want it to the first time. You have to keep on trying over and over again until you get results you’re happy with.

This project ties to the mission statement by helping students lead a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle. By making this cookbook, there is a place for students to go look and get inspiration to start cooking more for themselves. And by doing that, students will be more aware about what goes into their food and start making better choices!

I met success at the end of my project. Being able to see the turnout of something that I worked hard on made me feel like my project was successful. I faced some difficulties throughout this project, but getting through those is what made it worth it. I will definitely benefit from what I learned today. In the future when I face another similar challenge I will know exactly how to tackle it and to never stop believing in myself. Other will benefit from my project as well, but not in the same way I do. For them, it will provide them new easy recipes to cook at home. But for me, it will not only do that but it will provide me with a sense of pride.

My next step for this project is to share it with the people around me. I want as many people as possible to get a chance to see and utilize my cookbook. I not only want that, but I want people to feel inspired by my project to start cooking more for themselves and start leading to a healthier lifestyle.

Poems

Threads

With much variety,

With the comfort it gives,

With the limits it holds,

With the protection it provides,

With its soft fabric,

And sweet aroma,

It is only yet

A collection of threads

That is much depended on.

A poem

It feels wrong.

I never thought it would happen.

Though now that we are here,

It couldn’t feel more real.

A part of me is missing

Now that you are gone

Like a river without water

Like summer without the sun.

For June, you will forever be missed.

Sister

Time

Time is what we have together

Time is what bonded our souls

Blood

Blood is just the facts

Blood is not the reason we love each other

End

Love is what makes us human.

That we care

That we want

That we need.

Love is what ties us all together.

We care too much

We want too much

We need too much
That is what makes us who we are.

Mel’s Life

Ava Angelini

1st Period

Empathy Project

 

                                              Mel’s Life

 

Ever since I was a little kid, I have always been very close to my family. My aunts and uncles were just like my second parents, and my actual parents and I have always been so close that if we got any closer, it would be suffocating. I grew up with two sisters, one who is now 16 going on 17, and another 11 soon to be 12. My older sister goes to school with me, while my younger sister goes to elementary school.

 

I think the reason my family and I have always been so close, is because we have always spent so much time together.  I think my favorite thing to do with my family is to drive around with all the windows down and the music blasting, preferably where there are tall buildings. It’s times like that where I know that my family and I are inseparable.  

 

My favorite family memory would have to be when we all went to Cancun for spring break in 2016. It’s the most recent memory I have, but it’s also one of my favorites. It had to be some of the most fun I had in a really long time. What really made the trip is having a lot of my family there with me. About 20 of us went!!

 

My family has always traveled a lot! We actually used to go to Mexico almost every weekend! We really have ever only been to Mexico, California, Washington D.C, and Florida. We still travel a lot, though not as much. Mexico is like a second home to me. I practically grew up there! I have so many friends and family in Mexico, it’s such a huge part of me. That’s where my parents are from, and where I was baptized. Even though I was born in Austin, I have a really strong connection to Mexico and I don’t think anything could ever change that.  I have such great memories of everywhere that i’ve been and will always cherish that.

 

I have had a very nice childhood and it is something that I can look back on and smile at. I went to two different elementary schools and made some pretty great memories there. I am actually still friends with and talk to a lot of people from elementary school! The only regret I have is not taking the time to step back and enjoy elementary school. I treated elementary school as if it was middle school; I always pressured myself to make the best grades. Though, now that I am actually in middle school, I can see that elementary school should have been that time for me where I could just breath.

 

Though school has been pretty stressful in the past, my favorite memory is getting accepted into Ann Richards. Ann Richards has a very good reputation, so when I found out I got in I was thrilled! I worked so hard to get in and I wanted it so badly. Now that I am going to ARS, I am so glad that I made that decision. ARS has become such a big part of me and I have made so many close friends here. When they say that Ann Richards girls are sisters, they are not joking. Much like my family we are all very close whether we like it or not.

 

Because I come from a family where hard work is cherished, I thrive to do the best I can in school and in life. I currently want to go to Texas State University. I don’t necessarily have a plan of how I want my life to go. I am more of the kind of the type of person who goes with the flow. Though, there is one thing I do know and that is that I want to always stay close to my family. They are such a big part of me and I can’t even imagine a world where they are not there.

 
I  come from a family of hard work. We came from a very poor background and a poor country. My dad started at the bottom of a company and worked his way up. If there is one thing I learned from my family, it’s that if you work hard and and put in effort, your life will go to fantastic places. My family is unbreakable. I am unbreakable.

Spanish 1 SLC

One assignment we had in spanish this year that I am proud of is our research project on cultural foods in Mexico. My table was assigned to research cultural foods in Mexico and make a presentation out of it. My job was to research and make slides about cultural dinners. To see my food presentation CLICK HERE

Algebra 1 SLC

In algebra this year, we not only learned a ton of math, but we did a project called Cities in Space! The challenge was to build a colony on either the Moon or Mars. We had to design a place for people to successfully live on another planet. Our colony had to have water, food, oxygen, gravity, and its own culture. Though, all of these things could not be imported from Earth, so we had to find a way to grow our own food, create an oxygen system, generate gravity, and get and recycle our own water. My team chose to take this challenge to Mars. We researched Mars’s geography, climate, and weather (because Mars does have an atmosphere) and much more in order to make this possible. This project made me problem solve and think in a way that I never had to before.

 

Theatre SLC

In theatre this year, we learned multiple skills that will come in handy in not only our future acting careers but in everyday life. During the first semester we did a play called Two Donuts. In this play, I played the role of The Great Sea Tortuga. Playing this role was a challenge for me because I have never portrayed the character of a turtle before. Doing this play taught me to be creative, expressive, and to play the role of something I originally didn’t know how to. It also taught me to be open to any new experiences and conquer is with a happy attitude! Currently in theatre, we have been learning how to analyze monologues and duet scenes. This is causing me to think critically and to explore outside of the box and into a character’s life.

Social Studies

This year, I have grown tremendously as a scholar of social studies. I have learned to think of history in new perspectives and to form my own opinion about the events that happened. For example, some things that we did in class that have caused me to think of things in a new perspective are discussions and role plays! In discussions, we go around as a class and share our ideas about the topic and what we think about it. Also in role plays, we go back and imagine how the people felt and what their ideas and opinions were.

P.E

Work

Operate

Running

Kindness

Optimistic

United

Teamwork

Pathway Selection

 

On pathway day, we visited and learned many different things about each pathway. We learned that in BioMed, that are a lot of dissections, notes, and labs. In Engineering there are enthusiastic teachers and plenty of problem solving. And finally in MediaTech, there is tons of animation and film making. Though, out of all of the pathways I learned that there is only one for me. BioMed. I want to go into BioMed because i’ve always loved science, it is going to benefit my future, and it is going to change my life in a positive way.

I chose BioMed because I have always loved science. In BioMed, we not only study the different functions of the human body, but we also learn forensic science, dissections, even how to draw blood! And to me, that is what I truly want to do. I find BioMed very interesting and fascinating. I want to be a doctor when I get older, and BioMed is the perfect pathway to get me set up for that.

BioMed is going to benefit me and my future in multiple ways. BioMed is going to prepare me not only for the medical field, but for college too! In BioMed we will learn how to take great amounts of helpful notes, which will be a very good skill in our college classes. We will also learn how to write lab reports and perform dissections. All of this is great, but most of all BioMed is going to make me happy. It is what I really enjoy doing and what I want my future to look like.

Going into BioMed is going to change my life in a positive way. It’s going to teach me grit, hard work, critical thinking, and most importantly, it’s going to grow me as a person. BioMed is going to teach me very important life skills. For example, eventually we will learn how to do stitches (suture someone up). This is a very important skill to have, not only just for a doctor. In case of and emergency where you can’t have immediate medical help, the skills you learn in BioMed could potentially save someones life. 

In conclusion, I chose BioMed because I feel that it is the pathway that most suits me. It will continue on my love of science and influence the kind of student I will be in the future. It will grow my mind and knowledge of the world! 

Books I Read Last Semester That I Loved and Grew me as a Reader

Last semester, I read many books that I loved and that grew me as a reader. Five of the books I read grew me as a reader, and the other five I cherished. Here are some books that grew me as a reader.

Book #1: Fangirl By: Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl is about a girl named Cath who absolutely loves to write fanfiction about her two favorite characters Simon and Baz. This story follows Cath’s journey through college and the difficulties she faces while she’s there. What I loved about this book is that I was really able to connect with the characters. This book grew me as a reader because it really challenged me to read more, considering it was on the longer side. Also, it was a different genre then I usually choose to read. I think the main message of Fangirl was to never give up on your dreams no matter how difficult things get.

Book #2: The Selection (3 book series) By: Kiera Cass

The Selection is about a girl named America who lives in a pretty twisted world. When comes a tradition in Illea called the selection where the prince Maxon has to choose a suitable bride to be the next princess, America’s family pressures her to enter. (The selection is much like the bachelor) While slowly finding herself falling in love, America discovers many things about her country. I think the theme of this book series is to put yourself out there and take risks for they can benefit in the future. I personally absolutely loved this book series! I loved it because I was very connected with the characters and the story. I felt apart of the world that the author created. This book(s) grew me as a reader because it really challenged me to think of the world in a different way. It made me question “What if this really happened?” And “How would that affect me?” 

Book #3: Heartless By: Marissa Meyer

Heartless is about a girl name Catherine living in Wonderland. She is a favorite of the King of Hearts but wants a different life for herself. She wants to open a bakery. Though suddenly, Catherine finds a mysterious Jest who she can can’t help but be charmed by. This story follows Catherine’s crazy yet amazing life in Wonderland. I loved, loved, loved this book! I felt apart of the story and world, and better yet it is extremely well written! This book grew me as a reader because I didn’t have any previous knowledge of the world Wonderland, and was constantly learning new things. This book also taught me to look for hidden messages in a story because most of the time, there are a lot!

I picked this book out originally based on what the cover looks like.

Here are some links for more about these books! :

Heartless: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18584855-heartless   http://www.marissameyer.com/book/heartless/

The Selection: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10507293-the-selection  http://www.kieracass.com/books/

Fangirl:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16068905-fangirl   http://www.rainbowrowell.com/fangirl/

You can find all of these books in a public library or your local book store!

Image Sources: 

All of the pictures above are from Google Images.