Gold Award Idea!

   On Friday I ended up going to The Oaks Retirement Home to observe the tutoring that Blair Students do with the seniors. The seniors were so welcoming, and so grateful that our school's students were willing to help and make a difference in their community.
   Upon hearing that I went to Blair, was in video club, and loved volunteering- One woman, Mary Jacobs, had the idea to make "A Legacy to My Family" Videos. Ms. Jacobs explained that everyone has a story, and every story deserves to be told. Now that videos can easily be made by people, why not preserve these seniors stories for the generations after?
 I thought her idea was great; it could help the seniors, Blair, and me.
I could use this as a Gold Award Project for girl scouts. This award makes you eligible for many scholarships, and is the highest achievement of the girl scout program, equivalent to the boy scout's eagle scout award. More importantly the award rewards you for making change in your community.
I'd really like to pursue this idea, and hopefully I can use Blair's resources to complete the project.

In other video related news, Our interview with LFFP for the documentary project was cancelled-but will be rescheduled soon. We were going to observe their peace leaders meeting in Arlington Virginia, but no other group members could come. Luckily I have some B-Roll videos from this summer, which we can use if we start editing.

This is my last post of 2012! Everyone have an amazing Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year!
 

Christmas Time !

I've really been in the mood for Christmas lately! I love the movies, the family, the presents, the vacation, and the general feeling of giving. This weekend i organized a service project of making stocking for the organization Little Friends For Peace. We successfully made 25 stockings to be delivered next weekend!(: 

Another project i'm doing is making Decoupage  magnets, which are really adorable and nice for xmas gifts. 

I love doing crafty things like this but haven't had a chance since sophomore year started. 

This weekend I've also been trying to learn how to knit, so that I could make scarves for xmas presents. Unfortunately I'm terrible at it, and YouTube hasn't been much help. 

Over the break i'm planning on volunteering at a food drive in DC, going to Zoo lights and spending time with my cousin who's coming to visit from California! I'm really excited for the break to come. 

Here's a 3 hour medley of Christmas songs! 

Greenbelt/Taking Photos!

When I was 10 we moved from Greenbelt Maryland, to Silver Spring. I definitely like both, but this weekend made me realize how much I miss the community aspect of Greenbelt. I go there all the time for Girl Scouts, to see my friends, and to do theater, but not living there is hard.

One thing I absolutely love, is that EVERYONE knows each other. Walking in the center there I see old neighbors, friends, friends of friends, and almost everyone says good morning. This weekend my girl scout troop did our annual tradition of caroling at the retirement home. It's such a fun tradition and it makes the seniors so happy, as they always tell us. After caroling there me and my friends went to our friend Clara's game night, where what seems like half the town was there. We all went caroling again around lake side. In the 5+ years I've lived in Silver Spring we've never once received carolers. And i think that's sad. I don't know my neighbors here, and there isn't a sense of community. Not even in our school.

Another thing about Greenbelt is that there are always things to do. This weekend the local high school Roosevelt, performed Grease on Friday and Saturday. Many of my friends were in it and it was a great production. On Friday night there was the Christmas Tree lighting, where a choir sings and free cookies and hot chocolate are giving out, and Santa Clause comes riding in on top of a fire truck. The whole weekend there was a crafts fair, showcasing the beautiful local art work, glass sculpting, knitting, etc.

There's always something to do there. And I love that. I really miss living there.


On another note:
This weekend me and my friend Mairead took pictures, and I got to use several techniques that I learned in Mr. Bustillos' class.

Here are some of the photos:

I really liked how they turned out, and I'd like to pursue photography more in the future.