The Rise of Zes-May-Turn

I took a class called Stories which is the first humanities class of the year. In this class, we discussed different types of stories, features of stories and many other components of a good story. In this class, we also took a few different FEs. To name a few we went to the Field Museum and we had a storyteller come in. For this Action Project, we had to write a story that included metaphors, similes, and other things. Enjoy the story!

Once upon a time, there was a planet in the sky called Zes-May-Turn.  It was a beautiful place, but it was extremely cold. People had to live in a contained world built on top of the cold landscape. One day, the god of the land got fed up with his people not being able to go outside the contained world. He screamed so loud that the whole planet shattered. Similar to what the earthlings call the Big Bang. A huge part drifted away with everyone on it. The broken part was named Snara 8R after the noise the god made and the roar from which it split. This new world became warmer and warmer the farther it got from its original location. Therefore the people became happy These are not average people though.

As time went on, the people began to grow stronger, since they were able to go outside and actually do work, instead of machines doing everything for them inside an indoor world. These people evolved into much stronger creatures known as Annunaki Aliens. They were able to roam the Orhadious mountains that stretched across the landscape like the spine of a Spinosaurus. These mountains had been created when the god became mad and his horrid roar left the landscape in different unique shapes. The Orhadious mountains, and I quote, Annunaki Alien,  “Are the spine of an ever-changing landscape”. The mountain range is huge, thriving with life, colorful, mysterious, and glistening with water. The mountains almost looked like they had been accidentally placed because surrounding the range was a simple grass field that stretched for miles in all directions. This part of the world seemed to be the only part that wasn't endlessly changing.

Another thing that allowed the Aliens to grow stronger as the need to be able to outrun the fast flowing Amazon River which the god had named after the most amazing river on the closest planet to their home, Earth. The Amazon was created when the rocks that formed the mountain started to rise because they left a huge line of empty space in the ground. The river on planet Snara 8R was much faster, stronger, deeper, and much, much more dangerous. This river is the fastest flowing river in the galaxy. The river was never predictable because it was common for a massive piece of ice to run down the river at speeds exceeding two-hundred miles per hour. The currents would also appear with such force that whirlpools would randomly appear on the river. People said the river was like an out of control freight train made from water and ice. The aliens had to learn how to carefully navigate the river as to make sure they didn't get injured. To give you an idea of how daunting it was to cross the Amazon even when you get within one hundred feet of it, you start to feel winds that are colder than your freezer flying by your face fast enough to pick you up.

The last iconic part of the island is the huge glaciers at the far side opposite to the river. These were created when the god yelled and some of his ice teeth flew out of his mouth settling down perfectly where they rest today. The glaciers are like a mountain of ice. They never move and never melt. These glaciers are where the aliens go to collect ice and store large amounts of food. The glaciers are a freezer. They are one of the most beautiful parts of the island tall, white, sparkling, clean, and crisp. When the aliens first saw the glaciers they had walked carefully toward them since they were scared of the cold.

Below is a drawing of the mountain range that can be found on planet Zes-May-Turn. Along with the mountains is the glaciers (top left corner) and the amazon river (bottom right corner). These are three main features of the planet. Another, not so iconic feature is the field which surrounds the mountain range because it is literally just a flat area without any features. The field also never changes. I also included a compass on the bottom right so that you get an idea of which way is which. What you see below is drawn to scale. I would like to point out that the mountain range is about 25 miles wide so that should give you a good perspective of how large the rest of the features are.

S, D R. Map. Chicago, 3 Oct. 2017.

Bolar Pear

I am taking a class called Population which is the first STEAM class for my sophomore year. In this class, we are currently discussing animal taxonomy which is how we classify animals. We also have discussed some concepts such as Venn diagrams and set theory which is a way to write out the way a thing interacts with a set. So far for this class, we have taken one FE to the Lincoln Park Zoo where we observed our animals. I tried to observe the polar bear but unfortunately, it wasn't outside for me to see so I went to the brown bear to see a similar animal. On top of the polar bear not being outside, the brown bear was asleep. This affected me because I was not able to make observations about how these animals interact with the environment. For this AP, we had to study a certain animal and also research its taxonomy. Then we had to make a piece of art representing our animal and label what makes it the animal it is (spine, aquatic, etc). Below is my research on the polar bear and what I have observed about it along with my comparison to other animals.

For this project, I studied the Ursus maritimus which is also known as a polar bear. This creature lives in many different places such as Alaska, Greenland, Canada, Russia, and Norway. Polar bears are always found in a cold climate which is where they thrive. They have adapted for the cold because they have a thick layer of fat and lots of fur. Polar bears are carnivores which means they eat meat. A polar bear's main food source is ringed seal and bearded seals, but they also eat things like beluga whales, walruses, narwhals and bowhead whales. A polar bear needs to consume 4.5 pounds of food per day to survive.

This is the different Taxonomic levels of a Polar Bear:

Here is a visual of what makes a polar bear a polar bear

This is what my drawing was based on

I'm going to be comparing the Polar Bear to a Fennec Fox and a White-Cheeked Gibbon. I created a Venn diagram to compare the three different animals. You can check out CMs blog for the White-Cheeked Gibbon or RPs blog for the Bald Eagle.

In this Venn Diagram, I am showing what the Polar Bear, Fennec Fox, and White Cheeked Gibbon all have in common, what differences they have and what two of the three have in common (such as a Polar Bear and Fennec Fox). I also show you what none of the animals have in common such as the ability to fly.

Below is the polar bear's relations put in math terms

During this project, I had a great time studying polar bears, going to the zoo and finally drawing out my animal and labeling what makes it a polar bear. My favorite part was making the drawing because it was probably the most personalized piece and I am very proud of it. I also like the set theory because it is a fun challenge to tackle and probably gave me the hardest time to complete. Overall this project was super fun and I learned a lot of things about polar bears and other animals.

Foresman, Scott. “Polar Bear.” Wikipedia, Wikipedia.

DS. Polar Bear. Chicago, 20 Sept. 2017.

DS. Venn Diagram. Chicago, 20 Sept. 2017.

DS. Math Sentences. Chicago, 20 Sept. 2017.

DS. Polar Bear Taxonomic levels. Chicago, 20 Sept. 2017.

Franczek Radelet

Over the summer I worked at a law firm named Franczek Radelet. I started the internship on June 19 2017 until August 10, 2017. During my time at Franczek Radelet I did many different things such as updating client files, sorting through documents and putting them in chronological order, sending files offsite, updating Excel spreadsheets, sorting and delivering mail, setting up conference rooms, copying and scanning, and finally court filings. I had a wonderful time meeting new people and learning so many new things. I would love to return to Franczek Radelet next summer!

Future Founders

I took a camp called future founders over the summer. This camp consisted of learning about entrepreneurship and how to make and plan out an app. We started off by meeting at the merchandise mart which is located downtown. When we all got to the correct room we introduced ourselves and learned more about our different backgrounds. We then proceeded to walk to the capital one building which was located down the street. When we got there we took the elevator to the 27 floor which was where to work room was. For the next two weeks, we worked with our designated partners on an app of our choice. My partner and I worked on an extreme sports app call sport-aid. Our app idea was to have the app download all the information necessary for basic medical or mechanical fixes that you could encounter on the trail when out of cellular range. Our idea ended up winning along with a few other teams.

Sea Scouts

I am currently in a organization called sea scouts. In this program we learn team work, how to sail, and how to be a respectful sailor. The first day I went on a short sail with my new teammates, Noah and Sean. Along with meeting new people I also took a vow and learned a ton of new things. This program has already helped me become a better sailor and teammate. I now can take the sailboat out and back into the harbour by myself. Another thing we do is respond to a emergency if its within a reasonable distance, this is another part of being a sea scout is that you have to help society. I plan on staying with the sea scouts for many years to come.

Leadership camp

At leadership camp, which was run by The American Youth Foundation we learned many new skills and we got to interact and learn with other people around our age for a full week. When we first arrived at camp I was a bit overwhelmed but soon realised everyone there was super welcoming and really fun to be around. The first day that I was there I thought it would be similar to a normal camp but I was completely wrong. After that first day they began to regularly give us tasks to complete as a group at random. One day they brought us to lunch, sat us down at specific tables, told us not to talk and started giving tons of food to the middle table who eventually realized we weren't getting food and started passing out food to the other tables. This was a good learning experience not only because we learned to use team work but we also learned what it was like to be a third world country. In all, this camp taught me to be a better team worker, be more organized, and plan better so that I was on time to all my activities.