Alyssa Straface — Science Leadership Academy @ Beeber

Alyssa Straface Capstone: Webcomic

Posted by Alyssa Straface in Senior Capstone · Moran-Johnson · ILP/TFI/CAP on Thursday, May 17, 2018 at 9:42 pm

Here is the link to my Capstone: Link

For my Capstone, I created my own webcomic on Line WebToon. I discovered WebToon in my sophomore year of high school, and I instantly fell in love with the comic website. As I transitioned into my junior year of high school I developed bad anxiety, yet having access WebToon really helped me. Reading the comics was calming, as though I had been transported to another word, and it helped me to recover. I’ve loved drawing from a young age, and of course wanted to make my own comic. Transitioning into my senior year, I knew that making a comic would be the best Capstone for me.

My comic launched on January 23rd, and I couldn’t happier with the result. I’ve received many nice comments and fan art from my subscribers, and I love watching them react to each new episode. However, the journey wasn’t easy. I had to work very hard to run the comic and to gain the almost 500 subscribers which I have now. My comic updated every Tuesday, meaning that I had to be drawing constantly in order to update it each week. One comic panel takes around an hour and a half to draw, and I drew eight of them per week. If I missed a day, I had to stay up late over the weekend to catch up. Yet I don’t regret a single late night of work. My comic is currently on a hiatus, but will continue after my graduation.

Lead Poison PSA

Posted by Alyssa Straface in Environmental Science · Aziz · E on Monday, January 22, 2018 at 9:43 pm

Link to PSA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Sa7ZfRjoRQ

My group's PSA was about lead poisoning and that dangers that it can cause, as well as what causes it and what we can do to prevent it. I agreed on the topic of lead poisoning because, as we learned in a previous unit, it is a very serious issue. This environmental issue stood out from the others because it affected you directly in your own home. The affects that it has on families is devastating, and I felt it was important to talk about.

For this project, I recorded the introduction and filmed the outro, and was in charge of the video editing. I enjoyed editing the video and bringing all of my group's clips together, and I feel that it turned out well. If there was something I would change, I would add transition clips in between each segment. I feel as though it would add more to the PSA. However, the moving images which were used in the project helps to keep the viewers entertained, and overall they got the message across. My favorite clip was at the end, which was a clip of my younger cousins presenting what they knew about lead.

The most meaningful part about creating this PSA was knowing that the people watching it will be better informed about a serious issue. Lead poisoning can greatly damage your health, and cause developmental setbacks in children which can affect them for life. I want to spread the word about this issue, so that no one's life will be disrupted by lead poisoning anymore. Hopefully, the message will be spread and the issue will be solved.

Lead Poisoning Infographic

Posted by Alyssa Straface in Environmental Science · Aziz · E on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 at 9:16 pm

Here is the link to my group's infographic.

Throughout the creation of this project, two things really stood out to me. The first was the alarming amount of high lead in housing areas. I can't believe that I did not know about this issue prior to creating this project; its affects on the city are very alarming. The second thing which stood out to me is the fact that the lead tastes sweet, almost like candy, to the children. I wonder what property in the lead causes this. I would be interested in conducting further research to figure that out. Overall, I just hope that this issue will be resolved soon before more families are affected.

Q1 Benchmark - Alyssa Straface

Posted by Alyssa Straface in Crafts · Hertz/Leaness · C1 on Monday, November 6, 2017 at 1:48 pm

Here I have created two bracelets through crocheting. The first bracelet is smaller with a pastel blue button and can wrap around your hand twice, while the bigger one is complete with a golden flower button and can wrap around your hand three times. Both of them were created using the twisted half double crochet. During the beginning creation of these bracelets, I struggled to gain the hang of crocheting, but by the end of it I mastered the different crochets that we learned. I am very happy with the final aesthetic of my bracelets.

Natural Disasters: Wildfires

Posted by Alyssa Straface in Environmental Science · Aziz · E on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 11:47 pm

Natural Disasters and Earth System Research

My group and I decided to research wildfires. While creating the project, I found that there were some things about wildfires that I knew previously, and some things that I had not known. For example, I knew that humans are one of the main causes of wildfires, but I did not realize that a larger percentage of people than I thought started wildfires by committing arson. All in all, the project helped me to further my understanding of how Earth's systems affect each other. Each of the systems has an important role, and they bounce off of each other. For example, a fire can start in the biosphere, but it can cause carbon dioxide to travel to the atmosphere. By knowing this, and by knowing how wildfires are caused, we can take the actions to prevent them. Mostly, this is being careful around fires and flammable objects, being more knowledgeable about them, and spreading that information to others.

Food Matters - Animal Mistreatment

Posted by Alyssa Straface in Bio-Chem 11 · Aziz · B on Friday, May 12, 2017 at 8:47 am

Alyssa Poetry Project

Posted by Alyssa Straface in SPANISH 2 - Moran - C on Friday, April 22, 2016 at 3:23 pm

For this project, I had to choose a poet and pick one of their poems to analyze in Spanish. I also had to provide a short biography of the poet and write my own poem in Spanish.

Alyssa Viajar Project

Posted by Alyssa Straface in SPANISH 2 - Moran - C on Friday, April 22, 2016 at 3:19 pm

For this project my group had to create a video, powepoint, and brochure for a trip to a Spanish-speaking country. The video is a commercial and the powerpoint goes more into detail about the travel plan.

Las Noticas

Posted by Alyssa Straface in SPANISH 2 - Moran - C on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 at 1:18 pm

For this project, my group and I had to come up with a news script in Spanish, and film a news broadcast. We had to include sections for weather, fashion, health, and breaking news. For my group, I handled the video editing and reported on the weather.

Conversational Prezi Project

Posted by Alyssa Straface in SPANISH 2 - Moran - C on Friday, January 22, 2016 at 9:19 am

For this project, my partner and I either had to create a PowerPoint or Prezi about the Spanish verbs "ser" and "estar," and the different categories they are used in. We had to compare and represent the different categories, along with adding video clips and pictures.

Alyssa and Alicia's Children's Book

Posted by Alyssa Straface in SPANISH 2 - Moran - C on Friday, January 22, 2016 at 9:07 am

For this project, we were assigned partners and tasked with creating a children's book in Spanish. One person was the artist and one person was the writer. I was the artist and my partner was the writer; both people helped with both aspects, but we were more responsible for our roles. We both worked on writing in class, and at home I drew the images and printed them out. Together, we colored them and added the finishing touches to our book.

Alyssa Straface's College Interview Video

Posted by Alyssa Straface in SPANISH 2 - Moran - C on Friday, January 22, 2016 at 9:00 am

For this project I was placed in a group and tasked with creating a college interview video in Spanish. We had to include certain categories in Spanish, such as clothing, family, and food. Together, my group created a script, practiced, and recorded our video.

Alyssa Straface's Día de los Muertos Project

Posted by Alyssa Straface in SPANISH 2 - Moran - C on Friday, January 22, 2016 at 8:49 am

For this project, we were tasked with creating a sugar skull and mask in memory of a loved one, writing a eulogy in Spanish, and creating a video. I enjoyed this project, and writing about something personal made me more motivated to do my best. I also liked the arts and crafts aspect; I kept my cousin in mind throughout the whole process. It was nice to write something for him, and the project gave me new-found respect for Día de los Muertos.

Humans of SLA Beeber: Jacqueline

Posted by Alyssa Straface in ENGLISH 1 - Zeller - E on Friday, April 17, 2015 at 2:42 pm

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

"I don't know the exact place, but I want to travel to a remote island and live there for three years. I'm kidding, not for three years, but I just want to go there,”

What is your earliest memory?

“Um, from when I was in preschool, my mom organised this scavenger hunt for my birthday and she put this favorite pink bear of mine up in a tree.”

What does your future hold?

“Everything.”

Humans of SLA Beeber: Andrea

Posted by Alyssa Straface in ENGLISH 1 - Zeller - E on Friday, April 17, 2015 at 2:21 pm

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

“I would love to travel to Italy because I’m Italian and I have never been to Italy before, and I would love to see the country.”

Tell me a story about your name.

“My, ooh, that’s a long story, actually my name was chosen out of a hat. So, there was four names chosen for me, if I was, um, because back then when I was born, because I’m really old, um, they didn’t know if if I was gonna be a boy or a girl. So, it was your Memom’s birthday, so everyone said ‘What are you going to name the baby, if it’s a boy or a girl?’ and they had no idea, and my mom and dad didn’t know. So everyone in our family chose a name, and my two brothers, your two uncles, Memom, and your grandpop, and they all chose a name, and it would have either of been Melony, Adrian, Andrea, or Susan. So Andrea was picked out of a hat on a little piece of paper three times. That’s how I was named.”

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?

“The most important lessons I’ve learned in life is to be yourself, be confident in what you can do, and don’t let anyone...put you down. Just be true to yourself.”

Raising a Puppy Infographic

Posted by Alyssa Straface in TECH 1 - Hertz - a1 on Monday, January 26, 2015 at 8:06 am

I chose this topic to educate people on how to properly care for a puppy. I hope people learn what to feed a puppy, how to give them a responsible amount of treats, and more about the age stages of a puppy, and how long puppy-hood lasts. It is important to know how to properly care for a puppy, since they are such a big responsibility, and my Infographic should give some helpful tips.

What Goes on the Internet

Posted by Alyssa Straface in TECH 1 - Hertz - a1 on Monday, December 15, 2014 at 8:19 am

I chose this image because it conveys how the Internet can turn on you. What you post on the Internet is hard to remove, and can end up haunting you for the rest of your life. Things you post on the Internet can even affect your job, and you can be fired for what you post online. The Internet may seem like a unique place to explore, but if you're not careful it can turn into a nightmare. This image displays an evil-looking computer, which is an artistic representation of the Internet becoming dreadful instead of enjoyable.

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