“Prom has all the elements of a popular story. It reeks of all-Americanness, tension, drama. It has romance. Pretty dresses. Dancing. Limos. High school. Coming of age.” - Adora Svitak

The Capstone project that I completed along with two other partners was the planning of the Junior class prom.  The initial person responsible for the inspiration of this project was my partner Tajanae Smith, but after several discussions we decided to work collectively along with Aliyah Watson. I believe that with this Capstone project, it would positively impact the SLA Beeber community. For instance, by helping the juniors, we were able to show the rest our community that by collaborating you can truly learn from one another despite how hard you may think the challenge may be. The vision for my Capstone project was to be able to effectively create the best prom experience for the Junior class. Despite what you may think, planning a prom is not the easiest task. There are sleepless nights, constant phone calls, mass group texts, and not everyone agrees with each others ideas. However, the job must be done!

During my experience I also set a personal goal before starting my Capstone experience. The personal goal that I set for myself was to be able to apply all of my knowledge that I have learned from the five core values and apply them to my prom planning throughout the year. I strongly believe that by setting personal goals for this project, it helped me develop several skills that I didn’t think were essential for the prom.

Samihah Maven

Dia de los Muertos Benchmark

El elogio

Me preocupaba Hassan. El fue el esposo de mi prima y yo lo trataron como mi primo.

Edgar Warren nació, el veinte de octubre de mil novecientos sesenta y ocho en Filadelfia, PA a Edgar Warren primero y Sallie Warren. El separo su vida entre su casa con Dios el veintinueve de septiembre de dos mil catorce. Hassan fue amado por su familia y amigos. El graduó de la  escuela secundaria de Benjamin Franklin. Hassan siempre tuvo un amor por la cocina. El graduó de la escuela y trabajo como cocinero para viente anos. Hassan fue casado y tenía tres hijos y una nieto. Siempre fue solidario.

The person who has passed is my dear cousin Edgar “Hassan” Warren. Hassan was my cousin’s husband, but in my eyes he was my biological cousin. I decided to create my sugar skull and mask in remembrance to him because I believe this was the only loss that really affected me. Usually, I am not affected by funerals or by anyone dying, but with Hassan it was different. Hassan’s death was the only death that I actually felt sad and mourned over. I believe I mourned over his death because he was such a vibrant, loving, compassionate, and charismatic person. I thought that this project would be a great way to show that I truly cared about his death and that he will forever be alive in my heart. I also thought of this project as very therapeutic. I thought of this project as therapeutic because it helped remember the positive memories and how he was truly a good person instead of remembering how he passed.

My mask reflects him because it shows how much of a vibrant person. For example, the vibrant colors represents how much of a fun person he was. As I made the mask, I remembered the times I used to see him take my older cousin Daja and her two siblings to ride their bikes down Broad St. I used to think, “Wow. I wish my dad would do that with me.” I thought this because my dad was never a bike riding type (he never learned.) So, I explained this to him and we actually went. I was so excited this day! I mean, even though this was not my father or even biological cousin, he took me in as his own child as we rode our bikes to the supermarket. It felt like I was apart of the Warren family.

I reflected this moment through the bright colors. I used bright colors such as, red, green, pink, blue, and even a bright yellow! I thought no other colors could reflect this “biking moment” ,but those. I also added cotton balls along the top of the mask to create a “chef hat.” I chose to create a chef hat along the top of the mask to show how much he truly loved to cook and how passionate he was about food. Throught Hassan’s life, I always remembered him with a chef’s coat on. I used to make fun of his uniform when I was younger. But, I was always curious as to why he always had the uniform on (even on Saturdays.) My curiosity began to stop when I finally asked him why he always wore the jacket.

My sugar skull represents him because it is a reflection of a joke he always said. The joke was,”At least, I’ll die black.” I thought of this funny, yet sarcastic joke as I began to paint the sugar skull. I thought it was ironic and I found the humor in yet a not so funny situation.

In conclusion, I believe “Dia de los Muertos” has opened my mind to celebrating the passing of loved ones because I find it very therapeutic. I find it therapeutic because Dia de los Muertos, helps me think of the positive as I try to represent my now, passed loved one on a mask and sugar skull. I believe it helps you think of how much laughter and joy they bring to your life rather than the pain they caused by departing.

https://www.movenote.com/v/kvEDAi6qG9ZeE

What is your name?

Christopher Dashawn Jones

Where were you born?

Philadelphia, PA

Okay, so what ethnicity are you?

Um, Im mixed with alot of different things. But, i'm mainly African American

What do you want to be remembered as?

When constructing my sculpture, I chose the occurring theme of “dance”. I chose the theme of dance because it is my passion. Since I was about five years old , I was enrolled into dance school. But, my very first lesson was actually a ballet lesson. Which explains why I chose my sculpture to be a ballet pointe shoe. The pointe shoe represents several elements other than just dance itself. It also represents me. The pointe shoe represents how alive I feel when I put them on. When I perform, I feel like I am being shown in my nest light. So, I demonstrated this in my sculpture with an essential piece that helps me be shown in my “best light”.