Capstone Final Reflection

Laura McAvoy

When planning this project in the beginning of the year I was intimidated by the amount
of work I knew was going to need to be applied, and the responsibility that came with it. I began
having a solid plan to write a research paper regarding stress in Grade 12 students, as I thought
it would be relevant for what we all were facing this year. Having my passion and intended
career path be psychology, I knew I could complete the project efficiently and I would enjoy
doing it due to my interest in the subject. However, it was difficult to begin the project on my own
terms as I had a heavy workload on my shoulders with my other courses. It wasn’t until
deadlines for the project were approaching that I began motivating myself to begin the paper.
Around February, I started realizing there could be other projects I would be able to complete
more efficiently that could better show my skills and abilities. After talking with my friend Melika,
we decided to put our creative minds and individual artistic skills together to create a children’s
book. During and after completing the book, I felt much more motivated to work on the project
as it was using more creativity than I would have been using in the research paper. I learned
many new skills I can use in creative writing, including different literary devices, that I knew I
could apply to many other courses. I saw my skill set shine through with the project as the story
demonstrated a clear and concise storyline that used a mixture of imagination and unique
writing that draws the readers in. In the whole process from the beginning of the year to the
completion of the project I learned that when I can use my creative mind freely to create my own
stories and showcase my passions, I am able to self-motivate much easier. And although
psychology is my intended career path, I will use this experience to remember I do not always
have to resort to my academic skill set, but I can use more of my creative skill set.
This project has given me the opportunity to express my passions for climate change,
and has allowed me to use the knowledge I have obtained through my IB geography course to
create a story centered around climate change. Because of my participation in improv, I have
also developed multiple different skills that allow me to create new stories in a unique and
creative way. My academic and creative mind has aided me in creating a story I am proud to
present as a tool that can be used to spread awareness in our school and community. The story
shows how small acts of kindness towards our environment can influence everyone to begin
taking part in working towards a healthier world. I believe the younger minds in our community
can read this book and be inspired by the storyline and begin developing their own ideas of
strategies to improve our environment. The story presents education on the relevant topics of
climate change during this time in an entertaining way that draws the audience in to develop
connections to the storyline.
Sharing the project with Melika meant putting in our own work and effort. We both had
personal responsibilities involved in completing the book that involved maintaining personal
awareness. In creating the storyline I had to maintain consistent self-motivation to ensure
efficient completion. There were times I feared I wasn’t completing my goals on time, in which I
sought out advice from Mrs. Haber on what I can do to improve my productivity. By creating a
timeline I was able to manage my own time better, and I set goals on what I needed to have
completed and when they needed to be completed by. I was able to make sure not to overload
myself with work to maintain a healthy well-being in completing the project. I wanted the process
to be a fun way for me to express my interests, not something I was gaining stress from.
When creating this book I took into account the role I was taking and the importance of
the message I was sending. I carried social responsibility in making sure the story is beneficial
to the readers and provides helpful information. Creating this story, informing readers on the
problems our environments are facing, I was able to do my part in contributing to our
community’s environment. My goal was to have my writing inspire the community in taking
action to improve our environment, and what strategies can be used to fix these problems.
Although the strategies in the book are fictional, the end message shows the impact one person
can have by taking action. Throughout writing the book, I communicated with my peers and
teachers about my project, the message I am sending, and improvements I can be making. In
doing this, I developed new strengths in relationships around me as I continued to communicate
throughout the process.
Revisions and questions were essential aspects of critical thinking I exercised when
creating my project. I was constantly revising my writing to see areas where I could improve the
connections and writing that was displayed. I knew my strongest work needed to be showcased,
and by seeking advice and revising my own work I found new ways to present my information in
a unique way that demonstrated my creativity and knowledge. I asked others to revise my work
so as to draw relevant conclusions into how to produce a strong final product. I took into
account that my targeted audience was children, and the themes I was presenting were mature.
After researching the importance of illustrations, tips in writing for children, and the most
relevant climate change issues; I found reading about advice in writing a children’s book the
most helpful because it included multiple ways I can create intriguing plot points through
different literary devices including rhyme and onomatopoeia. Using these methods I was able to
create a story that is fun and easy to understand, while still conveying a strong message in an
inspiring, unique way.
My goal was to create a book with a story that has a unique idea and message. I want
the readers to think and reflect on the themes of the book, and what the message of climate
change means to them. New ideas needed to be generated between Melika and I as we stayed
productive in developing our creativity with this project. After bouncing ideas off of one another,
refining and redeveloping plot outlines, we created the idea for the plot; a young boy who does
his part in helping different animals and environments around the world in his own unique ways.
We felt it was important to make sure these solutions were fun and creative that could be easily
depicted in a child’s mind. Creating this perspective, and these solutions, helped to demonstrate
that no matter what age you are, you can do your part in helping. The overall message was
linked into each page of our book, making sure that in the end our readers can think about how
they can take part in a movement towards a healthier environment.
I wanted to make sure when creating the story that it represented my own concerns and
the community’s concerns about the environment. In order to carry out our message properly,
we reached out seeking advice from someone who we knew would have advice on making a
mark through storytelling. We decided to email Robert Munsch, explaining our goal to him and
asking for the possibility in mentorship. Due to unfortunate circumstances he was unable to
mentor us, but the effort we put in to reach out to him was an experience I will always remember
and ultimately I feel it strengthened my abilities in communicating with new people, even at the
risk of rejection. While communicating with others around us, and collaborating with one
another, we created a plan that would ensure the project would be completed in an effective
way that can be meaningful to our audience. After doing my own research, and talking to others
who have knowledge on younger minds, I found new ways I can communicate the important
message through entertaining and creative writing. The creative interpretation also allowed for
multiple audiences of different ages to find areas in the story that they can connect to and
remember. We had discussed doing a circle read at Langley Meadows once our book was
complete, as my younger brother attends school there and we had communicated the idea to
the teacher as well. Because of the recent events we have been faced with, that part of the
project was unable to be done. But we felt by reading the story in front of students, we would be
able to personally communicate our message to the audience, making the presentation
something that they would remember.
This project is a reflection of myself and who I am as a person; what my goals and
passions are, and it demonstrates my strengths and abilities. I feel my writing has covered the
concepts of culture around us, and what can be done during this time to come together and
work towards change. I have used my strengths in creativity and knowledge on the topic to
showcase my passions and how they can contribute to the community. The work I have
presented reflects the importance of our environment to me and everything I value about it, and
I hope it has sparked interest in those who read it.
My Capstone project impacted me by showing me I should never be afraid to embrace
my creative side. I know creativity is one of my strengths, and yet in a lot of assignments I tend
to take a more academic approach to completing it, instead of using my creativity to highlight my
academic skills. Knowing that my work could be impacting someone else also impacted me
because I don’t know if everyone is able to experience that in their lives, and it’s really special. I
hope that my book has impacted its readers, and our community, and hope that the message
was clearly delivered and can be a stepping stone towards creating change in our environment.
When the Covid-19 outbreak happened, we were unsure how we would be able to
develop a physical copy of our book. The original plan was to be able to have the book
professionally printed and binded, and after receiving the copy taking it to Langley Meadows to
read it. But, due to the circumstances we were faced with we needed to find an alternate
solution. We decided to make the book online, putting it into a PowerPoint presentation to pose
as an eBook. By doing this we were able to form a presentation of our work that still showcases
it well and is easy to read. This is something I wish I could change about my project. I would
love to have a physical copy of the work Melika and I did because it is something we have
always talked about doing together. I hope to one day have it properly printed to keep, and
maybe even do a circle-read of it as well.
Looking at the book as a final product I think I am most proud of how Melika and I
combined our different artistic talents to create something really beautiful. I’m really proud of the
writing and storytelling I displayed in this project; I’ve never written something with the intentions
of my audience being younger and I’m really proud of my ability to tell an impactful story while
still keeping it simple, entertaining, and easy to follow. I’m also proud of the way Melika was
able to take the most important parts of the writing and create beautiful pictures that can aid the
readers in following the story. Overall I am most proud of how well the book was pieced
together.
I wish in the beginning of the year I would have approached the project more open
mindedly. I think because all of us were a bit closed off to the idea, it had an impact on our
projects in the end. I know I wasn’t doing a project that would necessarily showcase me as a
person and my strengths, and that's why it was so difficult starting out. But once I started the
book, I found it much easier to stay motivated because I knew I was creating something unique
and different that showcased some of my talents.
I would advise future students completing their Capstone Projects to make sure they are
doing something they are passionate about, and that is creative. I found the project was a lot
easier to complete, and I felt much more open-minded about the whole concept when I began
working on the book compared to when I was working on the research paper. Create timelines,
set goals, be creative and show your talents and I know Capstone will be easier. April sneaks
up on you faster than you think, so do something you love that you can manage well.