Creative - 62 hours 30 minutes
Art Club - 25 hours 40 minutes
Description: Art club is an extracurricular club I attend after school every Wednesday from 2:50 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in order to learn and experiment with new art forms. Art club falls under the creative category only. Attendance lasted from September 9, 2014 until present, but hours were only recorded up to March, 13 2015.
Reflection: Art club was a form of self-express and freedom in CAS that I found refreshing. Art club allowed me to try new things in a subject matter I enjoy thoroughly and also allowed me to communicate with other people who are interested in art as well. I got to see numerous art pieces created from start to finish and also create bonds with people from different grades who I normally would not talk to at school at all. I tried the new media of watercolor, ink, and tried to experiment with a more abstract style of art since my ordinary style tends to be more realistic. Sometimes I would do art myself and sometimes I would watch the club sponsor demonstrate a new media - one such that I found particularly interesting and wish to try in the future is print making. Due to the nature of the club, which encompassed anyone who wanted to join of all backgrounds, I was forced out of my comfort zone to interact with people considerably different from me. I met people who specialized in graffiti design and pen and ink drawings. Both of which were media I was hesitant to try because they were media which require precision and do not allow room for mistakes. There is no erasing spray paint or ink, which was something I needed to overcome. Part of IB is being a risk taker and to try new things, so I soon found myself involved in spray painting murals and drawing colorful sugar skulls in ink. I'm now fond of both media and anticipate using them again in the near future.
New Art Form - Pottery - 3 hours
Description: On the 11th of January, 2015 I decided to try a new art medium I had never attempted before, but was curious about - pottery.
Reflection: This activity wound up being substantially harder than I expected. I went to Corks and Colors Art Studio with a voucher for a wheel-throwing pottery lesson where I was taught how to make bowls. First the teacher demonstrated how to make a basic small bowl. She made it seem effortless and was finished within two minutes of starting the wheel. When I attempted my first bowl, however, it was much harder than it looked. My bowl turned out with a crooked edge and uneven bottom. The second one would have turned out better except I squeezed my fingers too hard when attempting to make the sides taller and wound up ripping half of the bowl off of wheel. The experience was frustrating since I was used to new art mediums being fun and careless, but this particular medium requires careful attention and skill. Above all I would need a lot more practice to succeed in pottery. After my misshapen bowls were baked I went back to paint them, which also turned out to not be the easiest thing since you have to be precise and keep track of how many coats you have painted the bowl with. After being fired some of the colors had bled and the designs became warped, but overall I must say I'm honestly proud of the experience. I struggled through it and gained a new appreciation for those who do pottery and glassmaking for a living because of the amount of work and dedication that is required to be put into it for a successful product.
Cinematography Club - 3 hours 30 minutes
Description: Cinematography club was an extracurricular activity that focuses on learning more about the film industry and teaching students to develop their photography/cinematography/script writing skills. This activity falls only under the creative category.
Reflection: Cinematography club was one of the activities I joined with a purpose to learn more about script writing and photography because I felt having these skills would personally benefit me later in life. The entertainment industry is large in the United States and movies are no exception. So being able to study cinematography in a small-group setting where my personal questions and curiosities were catered to was appealing. I succeeded in my goal of learning how to properly script write with the proper notation for scenery, setting, voice, narration, actions, and everything else. I also learned other bits of information too about filming such as the importance of angles and lighting which I hadn't taken into account before. This new information was a set of challenges I met with curiosity and determination to understand. (Below is a filming project we undertook from the BCA Club at our school for their upcoming brunch. I helped film and edit the video along with my other club members.)
Chinese Culture Club - 4 hours 50 minutes
Description: Chinese club was an extracurricular designed to teach students about the culture and language of China. This activity falls only under the creative category for learning a new language.
Reflection: Chinese Culture club was one of my favorite activities I took up because of CAS. I had originally planned to start learning Italian on my own since it was close to the Spanish I was already learning in school, but when my friends started up the club I somehow found myself in Chinese club learning Chinese instead. The language somehow came easily to me and it was fun to learn how my own name would have been said and written in Chinese scripture. It also opened my base of knowledge to a whole new culture and people I do not normally get to experience having grown up in the United States which follows a distinctly Western culture. The differences between China and the United States are numerous, but I made myself keep an open mind when learning about their traditions, festivals, and other customs. I also gained a close connection with the other members in the club who were struggling alongside me to comprehend a whole new language. We helped each other with conversational speaking and pronunciation when our mentors could not.
Talent Show - 7 hours 30 minutes
Description: In November of 2014 Key Club put on a talent show in order to fundraise for UNICEF and it's Eliminate Project. I took part in running auditions, rehearsals, and was an MC for the main show. The talent show falls under all creative, active, and service categories, but has been counted towards the creative category.
Reflection: The talent show was a major obstacle for myself because of the amount of planning, collaborating, and communicating involved. Planning wasn't such an issue, but I'm the type of person who prefers working alone versus in a group. The talent show forced me to work with other people I may or may not know and to stay positive and become a problem-solver when issues with the sound system, show program, or performers not showing up arose. I was also forced to put aside my stage fright and step in front of a large audience and to keep them interested and enjoying the show. There was no room for my usual awkward pauses or shaky voice. By the end of the talent show I confidently went out on to stage with my cohost and wished the audience a wonderful rest of the night. This made me realize that I do enjoy working with people towards a common goal. Our club wanted to make this talent show a success and raise a lot of money to help combat neo-natal and maternal tetanus in developing countries. This was certainly achieved as we were able to write a $1000 check to the Eliminate Project. It was a victory all of the club members shared and bonded over do to all the hard work and long hours after school we had put into planning and executing the talent show. (Below is another video I helped create with Cinematography club, but has been placed here because it discusses the Talent Show.)
Cooking for Ronald McDonald House - 6.5 hours
Description: Cooking for Ronald McDonald House is an activity occurring once every month through Key Club, and I have attended two times thus far in the 2015 year (July 19, 2015 and September 20, 2015). This activity falls under both creative and service, but has been counted towards the creative category.
Reflection: I am not the world's best cook. This is mostly do to lack of practice and motivation, but Ronald McDonald House is helping me overcome this because it gives me an outlet to become enthusiastic about cooking while working for a good cause. While I'm mostly put on chopping or dish washing duty, I still am involved in the breakfast or dinner making process. It also brings me and my fellow members who attend a great joy to watch the residence come out and eat our food. When they thank us wish us a good day before going off to the hospital it is very humbling, but at the same time makes me swell with pride over the fact that I am able to make a difference. I know firsthand where my efforts are going and see their impact immediately. For myself cooking one meal a month is a small thing, but for a family who is struggling due to their child being in the hospital or otherwise and does not have the time or financial ability to allows provide themselves with a proper meal, it can make their entire day, week, or even give them a better outlook on their situation. Just knowing that other people are there to support and help them through their struggles is enough. How grateful these people are is extremely humbling and I wish to continue volunteering at Ronald McDonald House for a great deal of time in the future.
Metcalfe Arts and Crafts - 11 hours 30 minutes
Description: Every Friday after school members of Key Club and I go to a local elementary school to teach the kids in the EDEP Program a new art&craft each week. This activity falls under both creative and service hours, this portion of it has been dedicated to the creative category.
Reflection: With the new year came the need to find a new school since the last EDEP coordinator decided he no longer needed volunteers for his program. My cochairmen and I decided upon Metcalfe Elementary school. After contacting, setting up a meeting to discuss our volunteering program, and meeting with the volunteer coordinator, Ms. Baker, it was decided that the elementary school was our next place to do arts and crafts. The first week we just did an introduction to the kids and played a game to help them get to know us and vice versa. These kids were different from the ones we had worked with before. One, there was fewer kids so they were easier to keep track of. Two, they had better manners with reference to respect and knew discipline. Three, they were enthusiastic about the new activity we provided and many became regulars every week so we never lacked participants for our volunteers to work with. It was refreshing to teach a new group of kids and I am content with passing off this activity in correspondence with this school to the next chairmen. After such a rough patch of being told we were no longer needed by the school we had been collaborating with for years beyond when I had been at Eastside, it was a relief to find a new school so quickly and to have it be the right fit for our program.
