Activity #12

Swimming Year-Round with SwimGSA

August 2014-March 2015

200 hrs 

Action (200 hrs) 

Outcome 1 was easily achieved because practicing on a year round swim team involves exposing yourself and others to your strengths and weaknesses as a swimmer. Outcome 5 comes with the commitment involved in swimming in a year round team.

Swimming is one of the most strenuous physical activities you can do. It works nearly every muscle in the body and pushes your cardiovascular system like crazy. I chose this as my sole sport in the 5th grade, after trying nearly every other sport. I have been doing it ever since, except for a short hiatus I took junior year, which I did because I knew junior year would be the toughest year of school so far, and I didn’t want the commitment of swimming to get in the way of swimming. My senior year I started back up, with the main goal of reaching the fastest times I achieved my last year of swimming. The most important time I wanted to get again was the 51.37 I swam in the 100 yard freestyle my sophomore year. That was a fast time for my age, so I thought it wouldn’t be too difficult to get it my senior year. I swam from August to March, and finally got a 51.3 at a meet and called it a day. The Spring musical was starting to ramp up, and I had enabled myself to swim well in the by-then finished high school swimming season. Since this is my senior year, that would be the last time I swam on a year-round team.

Swimming taught me a lot of lessons about life. It taught me that you have to set goals if you ever plan on getting better at something. That applies to everything in life, and I never fully understood that until this year. I had specific times I wanted to get because they were times I had already hit two years earlier. Swimming also teaches you that time management is crucial in being successful, for if you can’t prioritize the things you have committed to, it will be difficult to do well in any of them. My TOK teacher junior year stressed that to me frequently, claiming that I said ‘yes’ to too many people and requests, not giving myself enough time to be me. I realized that, while swimming was excellent for my physical fitness, it was also straining on my mentality. Getting up at 4:30 in the morning to go to practice was something I never enjoyed doing, but I did it because I knew it would bring good outcomes in my swimming performance. In the end, swimming made me a better person because I discovered that I had to set my course in life and stay off the beaten trail if I wanted to remain on the road to success.

Activity #11

Performing as a Page Playmaker, 2014 and 2015

December 2013-April 2014; December 2014-March 2015

250 hrs 

Creativity & Action (250 hrs) 

Outcome 1 was easily achieved in the 2015 musical, ‘Mary Poppins,’ because it was my second musical, so had more experience under my belt than I did when going into the 2014 musical, ‘In The Heights.’ I achieved Outcome 2 because unlike the 2014 musical, I earned a named role in the 2015 musical. This was a completely new challenge for me. Because this was a musical performed by the drama club, the Page Playmakers, this activity qualifies for Outcomes 3 & 4. Being a part of the musical is a commitment that requires attendance at every rehearsal, which gave me Outcome 5.  Outcome 7 was reached when I had to consider the discretion of the audience when performing. Outcome 8 came when I was given the role of Robertson Ay. I did not audition for that part, but at least I got a part. It was a new challenge for me.

Acting and singing were both things I did not do before my junior year. Sure, I sang in the car and the shower all the time, but I had in no way ever acted before. I went to see my school’s musical, “Legally Blonde” my sophomore year, and loved it. I really enjoyed seeing my fellow peers take on different characters, and really become those people, all while singing. I never knew some of them could sing, and I thought I wasn’t a bad singer myself, but I had never sung in front of anybody before. Nevertheless, junior year I took on the challenge of auditioning for the musical. Called “In The Heights,” it was unknown to me and everyone else, but only because it was a relatively new musical. It was about a group of Latin Americans living in New York City, and I auditioned for the lead role, a guy named Usnavi. It was one of the most terrifying moments of my life standing in front of my friends on stage singing. I sang Maroon 5’s “This Love,” and was surprised with an uproar of cheers from the audience when I was done. I din’t think I was that good. I ended up not getting a part at all, probably because my dancing and acting skills were lacking. I was still excited to ben in the ensemble, however. I was a good sport about it, unlike a bunch of other guys who thought that part should have been theirs. The musical was a fun experience, for I met new people and saw some people really come out of their shells. The performances went generally well, but we were all more excited to find out what next year’s musical would be. 

Here I am in “In The Heights”: 

I found out that the 2015 musical would be Mary Poppins, and auditioned for Bert, the chimney sweep. I did not get that part, instead I got Robertson Ay, the Banks’ house boy. I was excited I got a part, and went to great lengths to make sure I was as successful at being Robertson Ay as I could. The performances turned out excellent. I felt accomplished when the audience sang along with me and Mary Poppins and the Banks’ to “Spoonful of Sugar,” a classic song from the original Disney movie. We knew we had gotten it right when we could see the young children in the audience dancing with us during “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” The performances were everything we could hope for, and we became better people from it. The rehearsals were lengthy and grueling, but we made it through and knocked it out of the park! 

Here I am as Robertson Ay in “Mary Poppins”: 

Activity #10

Speaking at Page’s Freshman Orientation as President of the Principal's Council

8/19/14

1.5 hrs 

Service (1.5 hrs) 

Outcomes 1 & 2 were definitely achieved because this was the first time I ever spoke in front of a large audience. I had performed in the school musical the year before, which was not difficult, but this was certainly something new to me, and gave me a standard to exceed from then on in terms of public speaking. Outcome 7 was reached because I had to consider all the points I made in my speech and make sure they would accurately and appropriately paint a picture of what Page’s Principal’s Council was all about.

Business executives, political leaders, and a variety of artists would be nothing without

their ability to address large audiences, speaking confidently about their passion or

chosen topic. Public speaking is not only a skill, but a talent that people utilize to get

their message out or present information. It takes practice and years of exposure to

different audiences to master. For me, I had never been in a position where I needed

to acquire public speaking skills, but that all changed at the beginning of my senior

year, when I was asked by my principal to speak in front of the entire incoming

freshman class at freshman orientation. At the end of my junior year I was elected

president of the Principal's Council, a club that works alongside our principal to make

policy and improve our high school. Because of my leadership position, it was my job

this year to speak to the students and parents at freshman orientation about the

benefits of joining Principal's Council and all of the activities and services in which we

participate. Having never done anything like this before, I looked up ways to conquer a

major speech on the internet. I discovered that reading your speech out loud to a

mirror helps maintain good posture and facial expressions during your speech. It also

helps to read your speech to a friend or family member, so to receive feedback for

editing.

With this preparation under my belt, I walked up on stage at freshman orientation and

began speaking. The school's auditorium was packed like a can of sardines, with

parents and students having to stand in the very back just to see me. I did not have

my written speech on stage with me as I spoke, but I hit every point I wanted to make

in almost the exact wording I originally wrote it. My heart was beating just like it does

when I am getting on the block for a race at a swim meet, but I ended my speech

relaxed and relieved. I appreciated the comments I received from parents afterwards and the

number of students that made their way to the Principal's Council sign-up desk. My

principal was beside herself, telling me it was one of the most professional and well-conducted speeches she had ever heard from a student. She said it seemed like I didn't take any time beforehand preparing for it, yet I presented all the facts to the audience like I had a "Ph.D in the Principal's Council." Of course, that was only my first attempt at "public speaking," but like the countless practices I put in for improving my swimming, freshman orientation was just the first of a series of training sessions that will eventually turn me into an exceptional public speaker in my education and career.

Activity #9 (Initiative Project)

Macy’s “Be True to Your School” Video Contest 

9/1/14 - 10/3/14

40 hrs 

Creativity (38 hrs); Action (2 hrs)

INITIATIVE PROJECT

Outcome 1 was reached because my skill at filmmaking was needed to create a video that would enter into Macy’s video contest. I learned more about my skill and how to get better at it in the process. Outcome 2 came about because I had never made a video that basically my entire school would be a part of. I discovered the contest and initiated the idea of participating in it to the Principal’s Council, plus the video required extreme amounts of planning, logistics, and cooperation of all involved, so it also helped me achieve Outcome 3 & 4. Outcome 5 was reached because once the Principal’s Council, our administrators, and the IB Theater class were on board, it was up to me to stay committed to the project and produce a great video, for they were counting on me to. As part of the logistics of the video, I had to consider that some students had signed “No Photo” requests at the beginning of the year, so I had to make sure none of those students were to be seen in the video, allowing me to reach Outcome 7. The video had to be one continuous take, so I learned how to run backwards for 9 minutes straight while holding a camera, achieving Outcome 8 in the process!

The Katy Perry Roar video contest my junior year was nothing compared to the video contest I would tackle my senior year. Macy’s announced they were holding a contest called the “Be True to Your School” Lip Dub Contest. Its aim was to have schools across the country show their spirit by creating a continuous lip dub video to a modernized version of the classic Beach Boys hit, ‘Be True to Your School.’ The video could be up to ten minutes long, must include students and faculty of the school, and had to use the version of the song Macy’s provided. I learned from the Roar video that spirit is amplified in numbers, so this time I would have to involve the whole school in order to have any chance at winning. I made this my initiative project because I knew the winning school would receive a large sum of money, which we desperately needed, so I wanted to help the school out while having fun doing it. I couldn’t do it alone like I did with the Roar video, of course, so I sought out the members of the Principal’s Council, a club I was now president of, asking them to help me think of ways we would show off the school and our spirit while filming a continuous lip dub video. Though the council had bright students in it, they weren’t great at coming up with creative ideas for the project. So, I turned to the most creative people in the school, the IB Theater class. Their teacher, Mrs. Laura White, became a huge component to the success of this video, as she took my basic concept of a treasure hunt and ran with it in her class. They made it a daily activity to plan the filming of this video. I would come by every other day to meet with them and discuss what they had developed as far as a plan. Eventually we decided that the video would indeed be a scavenger hunt of sorts, where those lip syncing in the video would pass off a treasure map as they ran through the halls looking for the treasure. We decided on the students and faculty who would act as the lip-syncers, and finalized our ideas. Once we had the plan, we had to figure out how we were going to execute it. One of our assistant principals, Mr. Roger Wood, was they key figure in helping set aside a day where we would focus solely on doing this video. Students in different clubs would drape the hallways, the cheerleaders and marching band and sports teams would be outside, and the football field would be a nexus as the location of the treasure. The treasure was the student body, the diversity, the talent, the sprit, the community. It came together much better than I ever thought it would, because it was hard to imagine that over 2000 high school students would cooperate like they did.

After multiple stop-n-go's and retakes spanning a two hour period, the video ended up being nine and a half minutes long, during all of which I ran backwards, contributing to the Action portion of the hours that made up this activity. Its length may have been its downfall, for we did not win the contest, but the video was even more remarkable than the Roar video had been the previous year. This video showed our school being one community of friends. Hopefully those students and faculty who had the privilege of being in it will never forget the experience. I know I won’t, for the hard work, the tripping and falling while filming, the audio snafus, and the help we received from students for decorating the school and making it shine were everything I could ask for. This video truly changed my life, and I hope others’.

You can see the original, quite lengthy video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxzwWn0ul_U

However, I created a trimmed-down version that is much more bearable in terms of duration, and it can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2F-08FKLQ8

Activity #8

Good Morning America’s Katy Perry ‘Roar’ Music Video Contest

9/13/13 - 9/28/13

6.5 hrs 

Creativity (16 hrs)

Outcome 1 was reached because my skill at filmmaking was needed to create a video that would enter into Good Morning America’s contest. I learned more about my skill and how to get better at it in the process. Outcome 2 came about because I had never made a video for a contest before. I discovered the contest and initiated the idea of participating in it to my IB TOK class, plus the video required much planning and cooperation of all involved, so it also helped me achieve Outcome 3 & 4. Outcome 5 was reached because once my classmates were onboard to participate in filming, it was up to me to produce a stellar video that had a chance at winning. I made sure each individual in the video felt comfortable putting themselves out there by being in it, for ethical privacy reasons of course, allowing me to achieve Outcome 7.

When Good Morning America announced it would be holding a contest to see what school in America could create the best music video to Katy Perry’s new single, “Roar,” I jumped right on the opportunity. The winning school would be given a private concert by Katy Perry herself, and I had been a fan of Katy Perry for a while, and I liked the song, so I asked a few friends if they would help me do an entry for Page High School. They agreed, and Friday, September 13th we filmed the first take. It only consisted of three of my friends and my IB TOK teacher, but it was just an example of what I really wanted to see in the final product. It can be viewed below:

After showing the first ‘draft’ to my TOK class, I was flooded with requests to participate in the next take. The result was a video that included a lot more people, as well as an ending that took place at our homecoming football game. The contest required that the video be up to two minutes long, which presented the challenge of cutting out parts of the song and keeping it as a continuous track. I did this successfully, adding a special element to the music right when the football player is about to kick the football. The actual concept of the final video was surrounding a girl who was trying to stand out in a sea of monotonous, brain-dead followers of convention. She saw how people weren’t thinking for themselves, so when she gave them a ‘roar’ of a hint, they finally snapped out and realized what they had been missing. The rest of the video shows a real-life example of what it is like to live life to the fullest, the student section at one of our most attended football games. You can see in the video just how spirited and exuberant everyone is, traits of people who like to be who they are and have fun in life. I titled it, “Page High School and the True Colors of Roar,” and it can be seen on my YouTube channel at: https://youtu.be/Sjxtgkx9LXs

This video really touched a lot of people at my school, especially my principal. I am close to her due to my position on the Principal’s Council, and when she saw the video for the first time, she immediately scheduled a day where the whole school would tune in and watch it. The moment that happened was really special, for I could see everyone’s eyes light up as they watched our school spirit come alive in this video. Unfortunately, we did not win, but I still feel that the video was a winner anyway, for it brought the school together and taught everyone that being yourself is the only way to be.

Activity #7

2014 Page High School “Teens for Jeans” Video

2/7/14 - 2/9/14

10 hrs 

Service & Creativity (10 hrs)

Outcome 1 was reached because my skill at filmmaking was needed to create a video that would encourage students at Page to participate in the student council’s “Teen for Jeans” service contest. I learned more about my skill and how to get better at it in the process. Because I worked together with the student council members featured in the video to decide the theming and concept for the video, I reached Outcome 4. Outcome 6 was reached because “Teens for Jeans” was a service activity that allowed students to donate new and used jeans to kids across the county who needed them. This is an issue of global significance, as there are children all over the world in need of clothes, food, etc.

All over my county, there are kids in need of clothes, food, shelter, and homes. The student council at Page High School decided to help support those kids needing clothes, specifically jeans, by starting this campaign called “Teens for Jeans.” It’s purpose was to garner donations of new and used jeans for these kids from our students and faculty. When I noticed that there was a lack of publicity for this campaign, I stepped in and volunteered to create a video that  would promote “Teens for Jeans” and would be shared with the school via my YouTube page. I am not a member of the student council, but I knew the members well, and was happy to help them with this project. I wanted to accompany the uplifting theme of the video with a unanimously uplifting song, so I chose “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. 

When thinking about the global implications of a campaign such as this, it is important to remember that people all over the world suffer from poverty, and many people I am close friends with probably experience it as well. It makes me feel very thankful I have the family I do, a family who can provide me with the things I need to not only survive, but thrive in today’s world. Without them, I would never have been able to start my hobby of filmmaking and make a video like this at all. The philosophical thought that occurred to me during the filming of this video was how I came from a setting of poverty in Russia and was brought to a successful family in America. Without the family I have now, I could have been one of the people “Teens for Jeans” is in existence for in the first place. While holding my nice, expensive camera to film this video, I realized that I was supporting a cause that could have been my life if my parents hadn’t discovered me in that foster home across the Atlantic Ocean seventeen years ago. I already knew that I should be thankful for what I have, but this video reminded me that I should be extra thankful I have the family I have.

A link to the video can be found here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf74hU-0QxY

Activity #6

2014 Page Varsity Basketball Promotion Video

2/4/14 - 2/7/14

6.5 hrs 

Service & Creativity (6.5 hrs)

Outcome 1 was reached because my skill at filmmaking was needed to create a video that would encourage students at Page to attend more of our varsity basketball games. I learned more about my skill and how to get better at it in the process. I achieved Outcome 2 because I had never filmed a sports event before. I hd to learn how to follow the swift basketball as it flew around the court and into the other team’s basket! Because I voluntarily and individually filmed this video to peak interest in our school’s basketball team, I reached Outcome 3. 

I have a strong love for making videos, and I love matching my videos with music that increases their sophistication and creativity. When the coach of my high school’s basketball team came to me asking me to film a video of one of their games to help promote the team and get more students to attend the games, I couldn’t resist. The more opportunities I have to practice my skill at filmmaking, the more experience I will have under my belt when looking at starting my career. So, I filmed this video contentedly in hopes of impressing the coach, the players, and all those who would be viewing it. Once the video was complete, I posted it on my YouTube account and shared it with the school, which yielded numerous complements and increased attendance at the basketball games. The game I filmed was special because it was played against the Page Pirates’ arch rival, the Grimsley Whirlies, and had a lot of students in attendance. Like I said earlier, I love putting music to my videos, so in this video I used the song "Harlem" by New Politics, a song which I thought sounded very fitting of a basketball game. You can notice how I paid attention to timing each clip to the tunes and nuances of the music.

The video also contained shots of the Page Pirates marching band, the step team, and the Page and Grimsley student sections, which were both as spirited as ever because of the rivalry associated between the two schools. For the basketball players and the coach, this video meant a lot because it showed Page students who didn’t normally go to basketball games just how fun and interesting to watch in person they could be. I had actually done a service to them by increasing interest in their sport, and they learned to value what a good video can do to highlight the importance and excitement of sporting events. Knowing this, this game wouldn’t be the last Page sporting event I would film during my time at Page.

A link to the video can be found here. The music used in the background is New Politics' "Harlem" -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn7d66rqIKw