SON GCE Portfolio

I am a high school senior applying to college. Initially, it was overwhelming and stressful. I assumed every college required ACT or SAT test scores. I assumed I would need a big resume of summer jobs and internships. I assumed it would be impossible to get into a school that I love, and have to settle for any place that would take me. Eric Davis helped me through the process of college research and application over the summer. He made me realize that all of my assumptions were wrong. He told me not to worry and said, “There is a school for everyone, Simas.” My dream is to attend a school with a nationally ranked Game Design or Animation program. At first, my parents were encouraging me to look into Product Design or Industrial Design schools. Their rationale was that it would incorporate my love of creating/drawing with my love of science/problem-solving. Seemed like a good idea... but I never really got excited about it. During the pandemic, I have spent a lot of time playing video g...

Welcome to my first Computer Science action project. So far, this class has been really fun. I already learned a bit of coding languages for Python, got to make some cool code-based stuff, and know what I am doing most of all. I always tried getting into coding and never really understood what I had to do, but this class helped me with that. I only know the basics so far, like printing, variables, calculations, and more. However, with my knowledge of these things, I can still make some pretty cool stuff. My teacher for this class provided me and my classmates with some tools to try out our skills in making something the user can interact with. These tools are called codeskulptor and trinket.io. Basically, what you do with them is type in some Python code, and they will have an interactable screen which displays what you made with your code. Using trinket.io, I made a few things you can try out  for yourself down below. I hope you enjoy! First off, we have the compounding interest c...

For the first Action Project in this term's Humanities class, Journalism, I was assigned to report on a presently occurring event. Using what we have already learned in class, we were to apply those techniques to a more in-depth report. Some of the techniques include how to properly get information from a story, the interview process, and knowing the 5 core values of journalism. For this AP, I chose to write about the overnight popularity of online services that have helped us navigate the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. From food delivery to streaming services to video conferencing, online services have kept us safe, as well as sane. Where would we be without these technological advancements during a time like this? I hope you enjoy! -- For many people, if not most, the year 2020 has been the worst year on record. In March, COVID-19 forced all of us inside and unable to attend concerts, restaurants, museums, or the movies. The live entertainment, restaurant, and hospitality industries ...

Urban planning is the development of comprehensive designs for the use of space within cities, towns, and developments. “It focuses on the physical form, economic functions, and social impacts of the urban environment and on the location of different activities within it” (Fainstein). It aims to develop open land and revitalize existing parts of a city. For this Action Project, we were instructed to focus on renewing and revitalizing a small, urban area - in my case, the Village of Wilmette’s Linden Square. I chose this area because, not only is it just down the street from where I live, it is the location of the Linden CTA Purple Line, which I ride frequently. Using what I have learned about greenscapes, pedestrian needs, public transportation, traffic, parking, commercial and residential buildings, and amenities, I improved the existing area for both residents and commuters, alike. I attempted to create a safer, more comfortable, and inviting space, while capitalizing on t...

This unit of Urban Planning was entirely focused on electricity. So much of what we learn in STEAM classes at GCE often relates back to electricity...and it isn't a bad thing. This unit, however, was devoted entirely to electricity. We learned about the War of the Currents, Ohm's Law, a bit about Benjamin Franklin, AC vs DC, almost everything related to circuits, different kinds of electricity, and more. Near the end of this unit, we touched on ways to be more efficient with electricity and talked to someone who works in this area on a virtual FE. This all led to the main objective of the AP. For this AP, we were required to use the electrical parts sent to us via mail, create a circuit, and add additional components from our own homes to make an energy efficient design that connected to a target for Sustainable Development Goal 7. I really enjoyed this unit because, not only did I developed a better understanding of circuits, how they work, and how they are applied to modern ...

I am seventeen years old and unable to vote in elections. During tumultuous times like these, the inability to vote is incredibly frustrating. In the meantime, before I am voting age, there is something I CAN do - spread awareness and encourage support of issues that are important to me. In this unit of Policy, we discussed both the Spanish-American War and WWI, history of proposed bills and legislations, and, most importantly, how a bill becomes a law. I was given the assignment to choose a pending proposed legislation that is important to me, research the Senators sponsoring the legislation, and write a formal letter encouraging my state representatives to support and vote for the proposal to become law. The proposed legislation I am supporting is the Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020 by Senator Henry Johnson Jr., co-sponsored with Senator Elizabeth Warren. This is a federal policy that would not only change the sale, transfer, and possession of firearms and am...

Welcome to my first action project for this terms STEAM class, Urban Planning. In this class, we focus on what goes on behind designing architecture. This includes a bunch of physics and knowing what should go where. The first thing we started looking at was bridges. Since we are all in quarantine and can't be close to each other, our teacher video chatted with us as he walked to a well known bridge in the city. From there, we observed its supporting foundations and what makes it special. The next thing we started doing was sketching out our ideas for what our bridges should look like, studied other already existing bridge designs, and then started making them in real life with popsicle sticks and glue our teacher sent to us. It was a really fun thing to do when making them with each other over a video chat. Anyways, the last step was to place our popsicle stick bridges over a one foot gap and see if it could hold itself up against a gallon of water on top of it. The results of th...