Chelsea Martin | Mechatronics Engineering

        As part of a Grade 12 Challenge and Change in Society course group project we were instructed to create a social awareness research project on a social issue of our own choice.  My partner and I chose to bring attention to the Education of Children with Learning Disabilities. First, we researched articles on various academic websites and databases. We then summarized the data we collected and created accurate statistics to use in our presentation. I took initiative by going beyond the assignment requirements and suggesting the idea of creating an ad campaign about our local special education school, Niagara Children's Centre.

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        First, I suggested my idea to my partner, Nicole, to get some feedback on how she thought the idea would work for the project. Then I brainstormed different ways of how to create a great advertising campaign for the centre, such as posters, commercials, or a website. After listing all the possible solutions that I came up with and presenting them to her, we decided on creating an informational video for the centre. In order to make the video a reality, we contacted the centre and talked to a staff member about arranging a time to visit for an interview and shoot the video footage. To well-prepare for the interview, Nicole and I drafted some possible interview questions that we thought would provoke some thoughtful responses. On the day of the meeting Nicole and I both arrived on time and successfully conducted the interview in a professional manner. During the interview, I proposed some questions to the interviewee, Julia McNamara, after which she gave detailed answers. I was also able to get lots of great informational content for the video. She then gave us both a guided tour of the centre, during which I was able to capture exceptional footage of the different equipment that the school uses to accommodate to the different disabilities of each child. After completing the visit, I discussed with Nicole her ideas on how to construct a well-organized informational video for our project. I personally crafted the video using the iMovie application, editing the video clips and adding text and music to create a captivating informational video. The video presents our collected information from the interview and showcases the beautiful facilities that the centre has to offer.

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        My ability to take initiative, make a suggestion, and make my idea come to life resulted in a great addition to our project. I really enjoyed being able to take analytical information and primary research that would otherwise be presented in a boring way, and incorporate it into an interesting video. My teacher commented that the video complimented our research project very well and was enjoyable to watch. I also received positive comments from my classmates about the creative way in which we presented our project. This situation is one example of my capability to take initiative in class and create a project that has an impact outside of the classroom.