Author: addi.ernstmeyer (Page 1 of 2)

Rise Up

In this piece, my art takes inspiration from the musical Hamilton. Our task was to create a square shaped clay bowl and glaze it. I decided to name this piece Rise Up, as it reminds me of the musical Hamilton. We were told to choose a statement that’s reflective of a year that was important to us. The musical came out in 2016 and my life changed after I first heard “Satisfied”. I’ve always been into the art of theatre, but Hamilton created my obsession. My most obvious elements in the bowl are the odd, yet complementary colors from the Hamilton Playbill.

To create Rise Up, I used a variety of different tools and techniques. I used a wispy stamp, a popsicle stick, sponge, different letter stamps, a scratchy metal sheet, a straight metal sheet, slip, a thin needle-like tool, and my fingers to mold the clay. While glazing, I used the colors Tuxedo (SC-15), Sun Yellow (IN1003), and Iced Mocha (FN229) as well as a variety of different shaped brushes. It took a great amount of time to finish this piece, but I eventually got the job done. In order to make the color more vibrant, I glazed each part of the pot three times. I almost wasn’t going to use the black as a trim, but I thought it would do a good job of separating the wisp design from the sharper edges. Another last minute idea I had was to color in the indent of the “Rise Up!” phrase. While it made me struggle, I think the outcome of the coloring paid off.

As previously stated, I was heavily inspired by the hit musical Hamilton. The phrase “Rise Up” comes from the song “My Shot”. The song talks about coming up and rising to the situation beforehand, ready to face any struggles that might come your way and regardless of what circumstances might occur. It’s specifically talking about stepping up to fight in the American Revolution, but the creator of the musical created the whole thing to reflect on modern issues as well. 

My goal with this piece was to create a bowl much better than the one I made in eighth grade. I think this goal was met, but some of the glazing bled into each other and it’s slightly lop-sided. However, I had fun creating this pot and am satisfied with my results (kind of an unintentional pun because one of the songs is “Satisfied”).

I learned that improvising and adding new things can sometimes create interesting results. Like I said before, I definitely could’ve been more precise on the dimensions and been more careful when glazing. I think I will do a better job of taking my time and not feeling rushed next time.

Vortex

In this piece, my art looks somewhat like an alien/technological kaleidoscope. Our task was to create a design, mirror it, and color it. I decided to name this piece Vortex, as it reminds me of time travel. My most obvious elements in the piece are the solid background, the weaving reptilian scales, and the shading of the small detail pieces in the circles. 

To create Vortex, I used a variety of different tools and techniques. I used a number two pencil, a standard eraser, a ruler, different cups to trace circles, a variety of colored pencils, a thin sharpie marker, and a normal tipped sharpie marker. It took a great amount of time to finish this piece, but I eventually got the job done. In order to make the mirrored effect, I sketched out one design and then traced it in sharpie. From that point, my instructor, Mrs. Seitz, copied the design four times and I matched the design to the pattern I found most ideal. Then I used both a window and a light box to trace the four designs in the pattern I wanted onto a bigger piece of paper. After I had the initial sketch, I cut apart the four designs to test different colors and shading options. Once I found the right combination, I moved on to adding color to my design. I also outlined much of the pattern in order to give it a cleaner look. Lastly, I mounted the piece onto a bigger sheet of paper to give it a border and titled my work. 

I was heavily inspired by the British TV show, Doctor Who. In fact, the circular designs in the middle are actually an alien language featured in the show. I got the idea to use the language, which is known as Galifreyan, after scrolling through my Pinterest boards. 

My goal with this piece was to create a design that adheres to my nerdy interests. I think I created something that reflects the aesthetics of the show but is completely original in every step of the way.

I learned that the smallest of details take a great amount of time to perfect. I definitely could’ve been more precise on certain aspects of the design, but there were many times where I just had to get it done in order to be able to turn it in. I think I will try to do a better job of managing my time better so I can use it to smooth out the smaller details.

My favorite recipe to make was our Not Your Average French Toast: Razzle Dazze Edition!

Recipe

Reflection

This lab was the most fun because we got to create a recipe ourselves. Molli Martin, Raegan Holle, and I planned this creation ever since the first foods class. My group always did a great job of completing our tasks on time and helping each other when needed. I also really enjoyed the idea of fusing our cream cheese frosting with raspberries, as it was an exciting challenge.  When making this dish in the future, make sure you find an object with small holes, like a sifter, to help get rid of the seeds to make a jelly-like paste for the frosting. It took a couple of different methods to find out what worked best to get rid of the seeds.  I rate this a 10/10 and highly recommend the casserole because it was so much fun and very easy to make!

School Activites that I have Participated in:

•  Soccer: All 4 Years
• Basketball: All 4 Years
• Volleyball: All 4 Years
• Choir: All 4 Years
• Student Council: Freshman Year
• Community Outreach Leadership Team: Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Year
• Prom Commitee: Junior Year

Awards and Honors that I have received:

• Honor Roll: Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior Year
• Participation at Leadership Summit: Freshman Year
• Participation at Sportsmanship and Leadership Summit: Sophomore Year
• Participation at the Nebraska Youth Leadership Seminar: Junior Year
• District Choir High Class Rank Award: Sophomore

What three accomplishments are you most proud of?

• Having one of my poems published for a poetry competition.
• Being a part of the 2019 volleyball state championship team.
• Scoring the first goal as a header off of a corner kick in my Sophomore District game for soccer.

For my 3rd Quarter artifact, I decided to upload my Spanish Armada video. This project was a lot of fun to make and we did well on the assignment. My partners were Annelyn Caldwell and Olivia Knox. Enjoy!

For my project, I decided to share my speech about Malala Yousafzai. I had fun with this assignment because her story inspires me and I love the work that she does.

Speech Script:

Take a second and picture this: You are someone who is very public about what they support or believe in. In fact, many people might even say you are slightly famous for how outspoken you are about your cause. One day, you pile into the school bus, one that will take you and your teammates to play a basketball game at Malcolm. You put in your headphones and start to listen to music, not even realizing that the unfamiliar driver has a gun in his pocket. You are halfway to your travel destination when the new driver pulls over on the side of the road, and takes the gun out of his pocket. Silence falls, and the man threatens to kill everyone on the bus unless you reveal yourself. With no choice, you stand up, arms raised, and show yourself to him. The last thing you see before he shoots you in the head are his stone cold eyes. His source of aggression towards you is because he is a part of a group that opposes your cause or belief. That group decided that you were too well known to be spreading an idea that they heavily disagree with and that you needed to be expected immediately. However, by God’s hand, you survive this murder attempt. Now ask yourself this question: would you continue to speak publicly about your cause, knowing that there are people out there wanting you dead? Now let’s be realistic, not many of us would want to keep preaching our beliefs to the world after someone tried to murder us. However, in the face of death and darkness, some might stand tall. END SLIDE 

This is Malala Yousafzai. Malala was born on July 12th, 1997; to parents Toor Pekai and Ziauddin Yousafzai. She grew up in Mingora, Pakistan; where ever since she was a young, her father wanted his little girl to grow and succeed in the world, so he, a school owner, educated his daughter himself at his school. END SLIDE

In 2008, Malala’s life changed forever. Her hometown was taken over by extremists, called the Taliban, and one of the first things they did was ban the opportunity for girls to go to school. Malala was very distraught at the loss of not seeing her friends at school everyday, but she couldn’t sit idly by and give up her right to learn. She decided to take a stand and speak out on the issue of not allowing girls to go to school and learn. Malala stood tall at a local press club and asked the crowd a simple question, “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?” Her speech reached many newspapers and television channels, and was eventually brought to the attention of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting Open Minds Pakistan youth programme. She was made a trainee and eventually became a peer educator for this institution. The British Broadcasting Company eventually reached out to her to write a blog about her life in Pakistan. By 2009, all girls schools were either closed down or blown up by the Talibans. Malala continued to speak out against the Talibans in favor of promoting female education and  her name continued to speak across the globe. All of this attention she gained put her on the Taliban radars. The extremists immediately decided that she must die due to her “crimes”, so they constructed a plot to kill her. END SLIDE

On the ninth of October in 2012, a Taliban hitman shot Malala in the face. She was rushed to a military hospital by a helicopter where doctors immediately started the operation to save her life. It took the surgeons 5 hours to remove the bullet that had traveled through her left eye, right shoulder, and that was lodged near her spinal cord. Malala was said to have had a 70% chance of surviving this atrocity. Many doctors across the world, including the US, offered to help rehabilitate and treat Malala for her fatal injury.  The UK took great care of this young activist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, while the Pakistan government took care of medical bills to transportation for the family. Malala successfully recovered from her brutal attack more famous than ever. Many people around the world sent lots of love and prayers for Malala. Several celebrities gave a nod to this brave girl, including Madonna, who dedicated her song “Human Nature” to Malala. END SLIDE

After a murder attempt, Malala came back stronger than ever. She launched a charity called the Malala Fund which is dedicated to give girls across the globe an opportunity to strive in their futures. Malala’s work on her charity was recognized, so much so, that she received the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2014. Today she travels the world, making sure that young girls stories of discrimination and poverty are shared, and on top of that, she is studying at the university of Oxford, working hard to get her degrees in Politics, Economics, and Philosophy. Malala is a hard working, kind, intelligent, strong willed and spirited, and a resourceful young woman. END SLIDE

Now that I am finished with my website, The Curtain Call, I have been advised by my teacher to write some tips for future students who take this class.

First of all, you’ll hear this a lot but seriously take it into consideration – Use your time wisely. I sometimes didn’t take this seriously during work time and it came back to bite me in the end. Try planning out everything you plan on doing very specifically before you start on your website. This will help you create a “to-do-list” of sorts and it will help you manage time a lot easier.

Secondly, choose a topic that you can narrow down very easily. I was overcome with passion for my topic and I did not realize how much work would have to be put into it, which made my work load a lot heavier than I anticipated.

Lastly, pick a topic you think you’ll enjoy doing. Even though I was overwhelmed by the amount of work I had to do, I sincerely enjoyed what I learned while researching my topic, which fueled my perseverance to ghet to the finish line.

Good luck!

The Morality Of Animal Testing

    Imagine a world where humans are test subjects. The new species in charge puts substances on top of their chosen subjects and force feeds them chemicals. Some of the humans die due to the testing because it was harmful to their bodies. Others develop deformities because the toxic substances react grotesquely with their chemical makeup. The process of testing products on a living organism is very barbaric, but it helps the new species know what is safe to use. The new species continues to thrive, without fear of using products that would harm or even kill them. They can live a life where they don’t have to worry and it is made possible due to the process of using humans as their test subjects. In this day and age, many people draw a fine line on whether or not testing products on animals is inhumane or essential to the human race. Animal testing has greatly strained the idea of morality since it first emerged. It’s contribution to many cures, testing alternatives, an animal’s difference to humanity’s chemical makeup, and a biblical standpoint contradict the fact that testing is necessary for the protection and survival of the human race.

One cannot simply ignore the fact that the human population has gained a lot from this type of testing. Animal testing has produced many cures and treatments that have saved lives. Some examples include insulin, the polio vaccine, and has grown doctors knowledge in trying to cure and understand various types of cancer. Many doctors praise the processes, some even saying that “the contributions of animal research to medical science and human health are undeniable… When the majority of scientists see the work as scientifically justified, and so do the many professional medical and scientific organizations, the expert views cannot be simply dismissed based on wild claims of ulterior motives” (Dr. Dario L. Ringac). However, while this has deemed beneficial to the human race, animals suffer due to some testing products on them in harsh and barbaric ways. Animals that are tested are force fed substances, deprived of water as well as food, undergo physical restraint, and even suffer burns that are given to them just to see how the remedies respond to the wounds. (Animal Testing – ProCon.org) A test called the Draize test is used by many cosmetic companies, and it includes forcing rabbit’s eyes open with clips for long periods of time. (Animal Testing – ProCon.org) Another test, the Lethal Dose 50 (LD50), is used to determine how much of a chemical will kill an animals used for testing. About 50% of the animals die undergoing this test.

Many say there is no substitute for this need for testing, as an animal’s body is very complex, and rather similar to the human body. Humans and animals alike have similar as they both have a heart, lungs, kidneys, and a similar nervous system and bloodstream. Both organisms are faced with problems like heart disease and cancer, which only adds to an animal’s similarity of a human’s makeup.This makes testing on animals fairly accurate in determining how a certain chemical or substance will react to the human body. However, there are methods that contradict the need for an animal. Famous animal expert Jane Goodall states that “new ways of testing and experimenting [that] will not involve the use of live, sentient beings.” For example, artificial human skin is being produced using cells from a human, and it is said to produce better results than when one tests with an animal.

    Religion has placed many people in certain places along the spectrum on whether or not this process is okay. In Genesis 1:26, the Bible says, “And God said…let them [human beings] have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing the creepeth upon the earth” (English Standard Version). Many believe this is a nod from God that using animals for testing is considered okay, but just as long as they aren’t hurting the animals. This verse alone gives people room to side themselves with a process that benefits them, but they don’t see the dark side of the procedures. Lots of people who believe in this process justify their belief by saying that animals do not have souls. However, a verse from Ecclesiastes 3:19, puts that belief down the drain. It says, “For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity” (English Standard Version). God called humans to reign over animals but to protect and take care of them as well.

    While the war wages on whether or not this is required for the human race to survive, or if it can be locked in a closet and left there for all of eternity, this issue is being brought into the spotlight more every day. People are bringing the barbaric nature of the process into the light, and it is changing many people’s opinions on the matter once they see what is going on underwraps, which leads to the fact that there is hope in this issue.

    Before researching this issue for this assignment, I was automatically against animal testing. Of course, I didn’t actually have much knowledge on this issue and I assumed that nothing positive could emerge from something that was so cruel. I learned that animal testing has benefited the human race, assisting in the development of creating new cures and in doctors gaining new knowledge about a certain fatal medical condition; these processes have helped us create breakthroughs in cancer, insulin, tuberculosis, and so much more. However, my mind has been unswayed on the fact that this is morally wrong. We humans are taking advantage of our power over God’s creation and are using that power to suggest that our benefits from animal testing make torturing innocent animals okay. As the great Albert Einstein once said: “Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

Sources Cited

“Alternatives to Animal Testing: A Review.” NeuroImage, Academic Press, 18 Nov. 2013, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319016413001096.

“Animal Testing – ProCon.org.” Should Animals Be Used for Scientific or Commercial Testing?, animal-testing.procon.org/.
“Animal Testing – ProCon.org.” Should Animals Be Used for Scientific or Commercial Testing?, animal-testing.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001887.

“Dr. Jane Goodall: Animal Experiments Are ‘Morally Wrong and Unacceptable’.” PETA, 14 Oct. 2013, www.peta.org/blog/dr-jane-goodall-animal-experiments-morally-wrong-unacceptable/.
“17 Quotes From Famous Thinkers Who Got It Right About Animals.” PETA UK, 2 June 2016,

www.peta.org.uk/blog/16-quotes-from-famous-thinkers-who-got-it-right-about-animals/.

World History Quarter Book Project

Title of Book: Sarah’s Key

Genre of Literature (historical fiction or non-fiction): Historical fiction and some non-fiction

Author: Tatiana De Rosnay 

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin, New York 

Copyright Date: 2007

Number of pages (150-page minimum): 293

Setting(s): The Vélodrome d’Hiver roundup in Paris (July 6th, 1942), Paris (May 2002)

Main Characters 

Sarah Starzynski: Sarah is a Parisian Jew that suffered the cruelty of the Vélodrome d’Hiver roundup. She was sent to a concentration camp, but locked her baby brother in a hidden cabinet in her house in hopes of protecting him. She is a resilient, strong, and resourceful girl.

Julia Tézac: Julia lives in “present day” Paris with her daughter and husband. She works at an American/Parisian news company and is tasked with writing about the Vélodrome d’Hiver roundup. During her research she finds out a family secret that would change her life. Julia is very smart, compassionate, and passionate woman.

Edouard Tézac: Edouard is Julia’s Parisian father-in-law. He is depicted as cold, reserved, and somewhat impersonal. In the novel, he reveals a secret from his past that shocks everyone.

Summary – Sarah’s Key tells the tale of two women; one in present day, and one in the midst of suffering during World War 2. Julia Tézac is tasked with writing about the Vélodrome d’Hiver roundup. Along the way, she uncovers a secret by the name of Sarah Starzynski. The discovery of Sarah’s connection with her in-law’s creates havoc and tension within her perfect little life in Paris. While she deals with this new chapter in her life, she discovers something about herself that sends her husband over the edge. Julia learns how to deal with the sad ending to Sarah’s story as well as figuring out what she wants in her life.

POV – The book is mainly told from Julia’s point of view, but the first half of the book switches between Sarah and Julia’s points of view. The difference in points of view really helps the reader understand the pain that Sarah went through as well as the pain that Julia went through as she discovered things about the past and how she deals with personal affairs.

Important Event – I personally think the most important moment in this book is when Julia learns that, after what many depicted as a happy life, Sarah purposely killed herself in a car accident. It shows how hard it was for Sarah to live each day remembering all the dark things she went through and it is a pivotal moment that shows that horrible situations can really harm someone’s mind. (262).

Character Connection – Zoë Tézac: Zoë is Julias teenage daughter. She encourages her mom to keep going along with her research on Sarah’s life, even when it proves to be difficult. She is a very supportive, energetic, positive, and humorous character. 

Quotes

• “There’s something else I want to tell you…I don’t care what some of you think. I don’t care if you think Mom was wrong, if you think Mom did something stupid. I’m really proud of what she did” (267). This quote shows that Zoë is willing to stand up and support her mother when the rest of her family thinks that Julia shouldn’t have gotten involved with Sarah’s story.
• “Mom, I’ll never fit in, now they call me Frenchy” (275). This quote shows the slight humorous side that Zoë possesses. Her words pop up in the middle of Julia talking about leaving Paris and moving to America because she didn’t want to be reminded of certain things. I like how the author added this realistic bit of humor in a slight spot of heavy emotions from Julia.

I think Zoë is kind of like me. We are both driven with strong emotions whenever friends or family are involved, and we love to support those we love. I also get told that I am very energetic and positive which is something that we both share. Zoë is rather funny, and I personally think that I am funny at times as well.

Lessons Learned Quotes

• “Sometimes, Miss Jarmond, it’s not easy to bring back the past. There are unpleasant surprises. The truth is harder than ignorance” (124). This quote tells all; sometimes when you uncover the past, you discover dark secrets. We don’t know what people when through in the past. During World War 2, many people went through hell and back, and the concept that someone can go through so much can sometimes be hard for us to understand. Personally, I still don’t understand why people could do something so awful to a large group of people, but I can’t understand what the Jews went through because it’s such a barbaric reality.
• “[But] She did not bow her head in shame. She stood straight, her chin high. She wiped away the tears” (58). I think everyone can learn something from this quote. This quote comes from Sarah’s point of view at the beginning of the book. Sarah is in a train car surrounded by filthy, sick, and dying people; she doesn’t let her guard down. Sarah is driven to save her brother and nothing will get in her way. This quote is a good reminder that we need to be strong in tough situations, as a strong will can help you overcome tough issues.

Historical Importance- For starters, if Hitler had won World War 2, Jews wouldn’t exist anymore. His plan with world domination and creating a “master race” would be completed. No one would have freedom of religion, and those who were anything but white wouldn’t be here today.

Another thing that would be different is if the people included in the Vélodrome d’Hiver roundup would’ve escaped their captivity. We would have more survivors from the sick time period in history and they would’ve been able to tell their stories.

Life Lessons – Even though Sarah didn’t make it to her brother in time to save him, she still did her best to get to him. I can personally use this as a reminder to persevere even when the world is against me. The effort is worth so much in the end.

Another thing that I learned is to look to the past and learn from it. What happened that day in World War 2 is something that should never happen ever again. It’s a good reminder to be fair to others and to create a positive environment where people are loved and accepted no matter what.

I also learned that horrible situations change people, and you might not even know it. Sarah was struggling with the guilt that she didn’t get to her brother in time for so long and no one even knew. There are people in my class that have probably gone through things that I wouldn’t understand, so it’s a good reminder that I need to be kinder to others because I might not know what is happening outside of school.

Renamed Book – I would rename this book to be “The Secrets of Paris”. Throughout we learn a lot from the past and present. Julia uncovers the secret of Sarah, as well as her own discovery that she keeps hidden for a while. The book dives into Sarah’s secret, that she is actually very depressed and killed herself. We learn that Julia’s husband had an affair on her and that Julia is pregnant with her husband’s child. Julia’s husband reveals that he is depressed and is in the middle of a midlife crisis. Many new developments surface in this tale.

I would highly recommend this book. It has a lot of aspects that I think would appeal to many of my peers. For one, there is Romance, Action, Mystery, and even some Thriller genres in the book. Also, this story is something that needs to be shared. The way that the author describes Sarah’s story is utterly morbid but very eye-opening. We can learn much from this book.