Naomi Springer

Period 0, 4/23/15
Senior Retrospective

Hello my name is Naomi Springer, a lot of you underclassmen already know me because
I been so interactive in this school. I always love to make new friends every year. Thats why Im
a little sad that Im graduating and I wont be able to see my classmates in a very long time. But I
also feel prepared, thanks to the teachers and the school for making me ready to explore the
world and my career. Im a senior and a musician at Vaughn International Studies Academy
School. Today Ill be talking about each high school year and how the year in high school has
transformed me into the student I am now. First Ill be talking about my freshman year projects;
next Ill be talking about my sophomore year. Then Ill be talking about my junior year. Finally
Ill be talking about my senior year.

In my freshman year of high school everything was new to me the campus, the teachers
and classes. I was really nervous about learning the Chinese. I had to learn how to handle
multiple classes. But even with all the new changes, I still grew as a student. I created projects
that made me take action and raise awareness. The first project is Visa Lunch Proposal in Digital
Literacy. In digital literacy class we did a project called the VISA lunch proposal. The objective
of my project was to persuade more VISA students eat school lunches. I made a proposal to the
schools cafeteria, solutions for students to eat school lunch. My lunch proposal project helped
me grow as a student by taking action and finding solutions in a real life situation. How I made
a solution was by making a business letter about the school lunch issue and giving them my
personal solution that I gather up from polls and surveys that the students answered. After the

project I realized how the students negative impact on the school lunches affects the school and
government.
My second project is Be Smart Think Internet safety. The purpose of this project was to
show people to be safe on the Internet. Everyone in our group had a different job in the
presentation; my job was to look for valid information about internet safety and help make the
Prezi. This presentation help raise awareness by teaching to the younger crowd more about
internet safety and the stuff to look out for when using the internet. Especially with today society
everyone is always on the internet. More people are getting hack and cyberbully so we have to be
more aware with the risk that happens in the internet.

In my sophomore year, I was starting to get used to the school schedule. I was really
unhappy when I found out there no shorten Tuesdays in the first month of school. All my tenth
grade teachers knew my last name in first day of school because I have an older brother. But this
year really help me improve on college readiness and be a global citizen. This year has also
helped me improve more technology in my projects.

In my first project was The Endangered Jaguars that I did in my environmental class. The
purpose of this project was to help raise awareness about endanger Jaguars. I created a video
using images and the music from cited sources. My partner and I annotated and paraphrased
information to make our video. This project helps me with college readiness; I learned how to
manipulate technology to make my projects more eye catching and informative. I learn how to
cite information from the internet and annotate sources. I also used a new program that I will use
in the future that is called Movie Maker Window 7. I felt less stressed in this project thanks to

this program. It was also easy to convert my videos that were a Wlmp. to Mp4 format with touch
of a button. Without this program Window 7 movie maker, I wouldve taken longer time to
make the video. Window 7 movie maker will be a big help for my future career. My future career
is to become a Computer Engineer. This program will help me present my future digital projects
I would show to my workers.

My second project is competition in Advance symphony; every year Advance symphony

and band would go to another city to play in a college or a huge high school to compete against
other with schools. We dont actually compete; our class gets evaluated by music professors.
Determine how good the music professors score us we would win bronze, silver or gold. This
year I went in April to competition and my symphony class won a gold medal so I was really
happy that all my determination paid off. This experience helped me grow as a global citizen
because I would meet other musician students from other schools. Some students came from all
the way from Big Bear or Las Vegas to compete so it was nice to talk to them and watch their
performance.
My junior was the most slow but a relax year, we had two different chemistry teachers
and two different history teachers. There was little chaos in catching up classwork or getting
used to the realization of having a different teacher. But this year really help me know what my
educational strengths and weakness as we took so many tests and projects. But this year also
help me improve on investigating the world and raise awareness.

My first project is the history of meatpacking and the risks of eating in fast food
restaurant. In history class I learn about The Meat Inspection Act of 1906. According to The
Jungle by Adam Cohen there were rats all over the factory and their droppings were on the
meat. The meat was also exposed to whole rat poisoning. The worker in the meat factories did
not care about the human health since there were no regulations of laws saying they had to. But
after the government found out the horrific activities happening in the factories they made more
than 50 regulations. In English class we investigated the worlds by learning Fast food places
and see if society has gotten any better after the regulations. As my group and I went to Burger
King we closely evaluated the restaurant and saw the fast food place was clean and the workers
seem to be wearing hair nets. Comparing Burger King to the 1906 factories, there has been a big
improvement.

My second project is Help Holden and Charlie Project. This project was about going
more in depth about a problem called Depression. The two main characters that were going
through depression was Holden from Catcher in Rye by J. D. Salinger and Charlie from The
Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky both characters in the book were going through
depression so our group decided to research teen depression. Our goal was to inform about teens
going through depression and the solutions to help them in the school. We interview the school
schools psychologist about depression and ways students can support them. This project also
helps me improve as a global student by raising awareness to the audience informing them what
Depression is. How in society there is depression in school and a lot of students aren't aware of
it.
Finally my senior year, my realization of Oh my God, this is my last year here at VISA
hit me until last week when teachers keep talking about that us seniors only a month left of high

school. This year is stressful, challenging and great. The reason why I said stressful because
there nonstop work in every class. As a senior student your sleep hours decreases a lot. It can be
challenging as a senior because there are going to be independent decision you have to make like
when to go do the SAT and ACTs. Picking what college you want to attend and make sure to do
all their requirements to get in. The reason why I say its a great year because I made a lot of
memory with friends. This year has helped me improve on investigating the world and college
readiness.
My first semester project is the Job Shadow project. I went to job shadow a man named
Bryn Hanson because he had the same career profession I want to be in. I learned about the
different programs he uses in his job when he creates digital websites and flyers for real estate
agents. This project has helped me investigate the world because I learn that you can be a
computer engineer or designer in any work field. I can always start out being a computer
engineer for a small company and slowly become more skilled to work in a bigger company.

My last project is the research paper; I was really scared of this project so many senior
graduates the year before me said to not mess up your thesis paper because it will affect your
entire English grade. I was also told that Ms. Burnett was really strict on the thesis paper. The
senior graduates werent lying I would spend hours looking for valid information. I felt all the
skills I have achieve over the years since freshman year had come in handy. This project taught
me how to write a twelve page research paper. I had to make several outlines and rough drafts
before starting the final draft. I have grown in my ability to be college readiness because, my of

experience creating this research paper using online tools that help Cite MLA and how to make
transitional sentences throughout my argument can follow easier.
The advice for the underclassman is that you shouldnt change classes because you dont
have any friends in that class. I know how the lonely it is to have none of your friends in a class.
To be surrounded by people you barely talk to or dont even know there name. Every year I
always had the luck of being separated from friends it kind of freak me out at first but then I look
at it as a challenge. A challenge to make more friends and like the people that Im stuck with.
Because in the future when you have first job your friends are not going to be there holding your
hand. When you go to a different college than your best friend you have to learn how to make
friends and be more social.
My second advice to you is to make seasonal goals, in my senior year all I could think
about is life after high school when I graduate and I thought how will make money and go to
college. I found myself mostly stressing about my future and not my current goals that was right
in front me. I forgot to do my homework because I was too busy looking for jobs and
scholarship. When I see my grade going lower in the class it made me realize that passing high
school is my first step and my second step is college and work.
Advice for the VISA faulty is to be more organizing; Im not saying the VISA faulty is
messy at organizing events and stuff. Its just us high school students don't need the surprises that
school schedule change or be notified that meeting are cancel the last minute. For example I hear
an announcement saying today is going to be a short day because of some unknown reason that
the teachers dont even know of. There were not school phone calls about this happening. This
affects the students studying time and when you tell your busy parents that you need to go home

earlier or a meeting cancel that affects their schedule too. Another thing that I believe the Faulty
should do is change their clocks to normal time because its unbelievable that VISA has to have
their own special time while all California goes by Pacific Time. For example Im not late to
school because my clock says 7:42 Pacific Time, but the school says Im tardy because their
clock says 7:46. The tardiness start to add up and you get in detention and if your senior
privileges start being taking away I find that unfair. I believe that the school should ask students
why theyre late and let them go if the excuse is necessary. Excuses like sometimes I try to get
school big crash happens blocks the streets and now traffic is pact, and its not your fault you
came school late. Not your fault at all, in raining days people drive slower and you get to school
late or your family breaks down that one day. In a job your boss would want a reason why youre
tardy to work and you have a valid reason your boss would understand let you go.
I just told you bits of all my four years in high school. I wish I can tell more wonderful
experiences that have transformed me into the person I am now, but that would take forever. So I
hope these projects I talk about will help you give an insight on how my four years of high
school was like. Please remember to enjoy your high school life because this is just beginning.
After high school is when life really transforms you. Right now you're that baby bird thats
getting ready to fly out its nest. Thank you again for taking the time to listen to my long senior
retrospective.