SON GCE Portfolio

The purpose of this Food For Thought Action Project was to trace the origin and evolution of a particular food. This process began when I was asked to interview a family member about a popular recipe that has been handed down over generations. Naturally, I looked to my maternal grandmother because the Lithuanian culture is heavily rooted in traditional dishes. My grandmother learned these recipes from her mother (my great-grandmother), who learned them from HER mother (my great-great-grandmother). My grandmother cooks many traditional Lithuanian dishes, but the one that stands out the most is 'saltibarsciai' - cold beet soup. Her connection to this recipe is very personal because it began as a means to an end, but evolved into a family favorite. The main ingredient of this dish is the beet - a red, earthy, and sweet root vegetable. Join me as I trace the origin and evolution of this unique and versatile food. ⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺ Table Beets - Google Images ...

A garden is any space with soil where fruits and vegetables can grow. Simple, right? Well, I suggest you dig a little deeper. Think of what plants are...they are alive. All living organisms require unique things from the environment in order to stay alive. Imagine a huge farm where different varieties of fruits and vegetables are, randomly, placed - each plant needing different things from the environment in order to survive. Caring for that garden wouldn't be easy. When organisms are forced to compete, someone always loses. Plants are known to strangle or starve each other over something as simple as water. In order to plant a successful garden, you need to prevent competition and create a non-threatening environment. Plant companions are plants that grow well together. If plants need different things from the soil in an effort to stay alive, they will make good companions. Plants that don't grow well together are, most likely, competing over the same nutrients. The main focus...

In this unit for WAI, we learned about doubt and dreams. Dreaming is a way for our minds to process and organize information, thoughts, and emotions at the end of the day. When we sleep, the veil between our conscious and subconscious becomes thinner, allowing repressed feelings to take center stage. Dreams are not just funny, weird, or scary sideshows that keep our minds busy during the long night. Instead, dreams are messages from our subconscious, giving us guidance as to who we really are and how we feel.  SON. Dreamcatcher. (2017) SON. Dreamcatcher. (2017)

For the third and final project in FUEL, we demonstrated our knowledge of changes we can make in our daily lives to reduce our carbon footprints. In this unit, I learned many things like the law of conservation of mass, additional chemistry, and a deeper understanding of the carbon cycle. In this post, you will learn about the Earth's current carbon imbalance and what we can do to help reverse the damage that is being done to the globe. I enjoyed learning all of the small ways we can emit less carbon, besides just driving less and recycling more. By reading this report, I hope you find a new, eco-friendly lifestyle choice that will help save Mother Earth.

What's up with wind? In this unit, I researched exactly that! Our latest assignment for FUEL was to create a video presentation aimed at convincing someone to invest in a chosen renewable power source. Even though it has a few drawbacks, overall, wind's positive environmental impacts far outweigh the negative. As the earth experiences more global changes due to increased greenhouse gas emissions, switching to any alternative fuel source isn't just a trend...it is a necessity. I hope you enjoy this presentation on wind power.

Hello, in this blog I was told to make a podcast about myself. I thought, what would I feel more connected to than my Lithuanian roots. This is for a class called Who Am I, WAI for short. It is a philosophy class where we learn all about different philosophers and ourselves too. Sometimes it would even connect to our FUEL class. We were assigned to read a book called "Sophie's World", which is a philosophy based book about a young girl named Sophie who receives unknown letters written by a mysterious philosopher. The letters would contain data of famous philosophers from the past, and questions like "why are legos the most ingenious toy in the world?". This is where the FUEL part comes in. Sophie would observe the letter and actual legos and realize that they are like atoms. They are unbreakable, could be connected and separated, and used to make something else. Like how atoms are used to create elements. That is a taste of what Who Am I is like. I hop...

This term, I have been taking a class called Fuel. The topic of Fuel is to find more ways to use renewable fuels instead of non-renewable ones. Renewable fuels are energy sources that never run out, such as wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal energy. Non-renewable fuels are fuels that we only have a limited supply of and have to find, like oil, coal, uranium, and natural gas. Non-renewable fuels are the cause of the greenhouse effect. The more we use them, the more global warming becomes an issue. During our FE (Field Experience), we learned how the Tesla company is making cars that run on electricity. In addition, Tesla is helping pave the way for alternative energy sources by manufacturing solar panels, solar powered home storage units, and electric semi-trucks. The main issue with electric cars is the ability to take them long distances and locating charging stations along the way. If we can increase the demand for electric cars, gas stations could, eventually, be re...