(no subject)
Name? Amanda Rose Stone
Grade? Senior
What was your role in the Outreach Project?
I played more of a minor role in the Outreach project. I was able to work on the cirriculum for the presentations to schools. I wrote the majority of the Sink or Float cirriculum, with help from Jessa Black and input from Mrs. Suchaenak. I also made visuals for the photosynthesis presentation. I, along with several others, wrote the newsletter for the Urban Creek Council Quarterly.
What do you feel were some of your successes?
I definitely feel that writing a lesson plan that could be successful in a classroom was a huge success. I wish we had been able to try it out to see if it would have worked, but I feel that from what Mrs. Suchaenak said the plan would work. I also learned a lot about oaks while writing this presentation. Since Outreach does not do any of the technical science work at the creek, we do not learn the important information other studies learn. I was able to pick up knowledge about oaks and acorns that are fundamental to the creek project. I think that another success would be writing the article for the Urban Creek Council. Not only were we able to publish information about what the creek project does at Mira Loma to people all over Sacramento, but I learned a ton of information while interviewing people for the section on what each study does. I found that I learned it more effectively through this way, where I had to use the information, than through the big site meetings. Also, in a crunch for hours at the end of this semester, I attended a sediment “sifting party”. While attending, I was able to observe sediment using their equipment first-hand to realize what they actually do. This is very helpful, and I advise anyone who wants to thoroughly understand a study to attend one of their data meetings.
What do you feel were some of the successes of the group as a whole?
The group accomplished some pretty amazing feats as a whole. I am aware that several members were presenting at the Discovery Museum, and that more recently members were presenting at the YMCA. As far as I know, members completed all the lesson plans this year, which means that we can reach our goal of going to schools a little earlier next year. Being able to publish in the Urban Creek Council Newsletter is another huge success. One of the group members, Talia Kennedy, was able to go to a school individually that she has been visiting since last year. This is a great show of initiative that the whole group should commend her for.
What could you have done differently to maximize/improve your role?
One of the things it took me awhile to recognize is how much of an individual project this is. While the group aspect of it is important, as well as the ability to realize that we are all working on separate parts of a common goal, it is also important to understand the amount of personal initiative goes into being able to complete a project like this. I definitely should have become more involved in the planning aspects of the group. I am organized beyond belief, and I think the group needed someone organized to get students out to schools. I am very upset that we were not able to do that, but I do take some of the responsibility in that I was not entirely helpful in setting up the outings. The multiple meetings at the end of the year were critical ones that I should have attended, but due to IB testing and the spring trip for band I was not able to attend those. Those were important meetings in which assignments were given and I was not able to volunteer because of my absence.
What were some of the setbacks the group experienced this year?
The group was not able to get into schools this year, which was our highest goal, so that is a major setback. Another setback was an onslaught of bickering that occurred mid-second semester. Also, scheduling was a major problem, especially at the end of the year. I believe I was the only one to have a problem with the meetings, but all the same I would have liked to have had the same opportunity for hours that everyone else had. I noticed all the emails to the group from group members said things like, “Congratulations seniors on being done with IB testing!” The only thing was, I still had two tests to go while people were saying this. One meeting was scheduled during one of my IB tests, and when I posted to that effect, I was given no reply. Also, when I posted asking what the meeting was about, or asking about something from another post, I was given no reply. This put a hindrance on my ability to help the group here at crunch time. I have also spoken to a couple other group members who felt the same way.
What could be done to fix these issues?
The bickering could have been settled by having a group forum where we all could have converged our ideas into one idea that the group would pursue. The school visitations should have been easy to accomplish this semester, and I was under the impression someone was working closely with Mrs. Suchaenak on them, however, it would seem that that is not the case. As for the scheduling, I understand that it is hard to meet when everyone in the group is available, because of it’s size and the busy lives of it’s members. However, I also believe that scheduling meetings during IB exams, or when a class is planning on being out of town can be remedied. However, they can only be remedied if people take the time to respond to other people’s concerns.
What do you think the goals of the Outreach Group should be next year?
It seems that we set our goals too high for this year. Some might argue that the goals were attainable, and the group is at fault for failing to achieve them, but really what we are left with is that they were not achieved, for whatever excuse. This implies they were too high. I think the goals of next year should be threefold: continue to publish in the Urban Creek Council Quarterly, get into schools and give presentations, and to enhance the cumulative binder to set up the 06-07 school year as well. Because of the hard work this year, the group next year should be able to accomplish and even exceed these goals.
Are there any changes that you would suggest to improve the Arcade Creek Project?
Unfortunately, I am not familiar with improvements to be made outside of the Outreach area. While I have a basic understanding of the other studies, I do not feel my gist is capable of pointing out problems. Overall, I still do not understand why the project is so important, in terms of helping the environment and community. Being in Outreach, I was never required to do actual science, and I feel now that, as much as I would have hated going to the creek, I should have asked for a more scientific study. I feel that that would have better accomplished the goals of Group IV. I originally put Outreach as my first choice because I am not an outdoor person: I have an invariably large fear of bugs, I would have detested the dirty creek water, and I would have been timid with the science, as it is not one of my strong subjects. I do regret that now, because I feel that I lost part of the creek experience by joining Outreach.
attn: everyone. i have no internet. parents conveniently forgot to tell me they were canceling our service, on the eve of group IV hrs due, senior check-out last minute crap, etc. am extremely pissed. (thanks em for checking that time for me, btw!!! :D)
so!
if someone could PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE photocopy or scan in the ML groupIV hrs sheet (the actual blue sheet) and post it online in livejournal (because i can access this but not my email from school) then I can get it tomorrow morning, fill it out, and turn it in.
i will do anything to get this piece of paper.