WB 2-2☀️: Family night yay

Summary 

This week was fun and one of the best weeks I've had. I was pretty nervous about working on the NHD (National History Day) project because of having to do so much research, reading, and conversations about what's best for me and my group's topic-- but it didn't go as bad as I thought it would. We finished the 'reaction' portion way faster than the revolution aspect, so that boosted my confidence and made me gain some sanity I had left after the 'revolution' part. Science and ELA is easy too, though my last group in science were a bit slow and kept copying off my answers again (seriously, how hard is it to use your brain to just think?). In math, we're learning about adding and subtracting integers, which is very, very easy, but somehow there's one student who I unfortunately sit by that keeps asking 'how do I solve this' or 'what's the answer to blah blah blah?' which annoys me. Luckily, art and leadership improves my mood. I love art since the only talent I basically have is doing art, and I enjoy hanging out with all my leadership members. So far, I didn't have to scold my GT too much (although at times she got on my nerves) and everyone else is doing just fine. My group worked ID's this week, and the GT's got to have a try on writing people's names on the cash envelope and did very well. They also got to design their Magic Notes cover, notebook cover, and cubby cover. One day, we took them outside to take pictures that looked good, and tested them if they knew how to take good photos and upload them to the computer. My GT took good pictures, but we were kind of slow on uploading them because the first two cameras we tried to upload from didn't work, but on the third one we finally uploaded them (thanks Aria for letting us use your camera.) In art, we are working on color theory but with oil pastels. We have to make a background with color pastels, smear the oil pastels, then draw a skull on top of it. It wasn't my type of this because my hands hurt and my fingers got messy, but it is what it is when it comes to art. As long as the ending product is pretty to me, then its worth it. On Thursday, we had a family night which was fun. Unfortunately, Mr. Kino, Ms. Amelia, and Mr. Cole didn't get me an acai bowl when I begged them to, , , but Mr. Kino did give me candy so that's good I guess. I worked with Valeria at a station called 'Character in a Bag', which was only fun because of me and Valerie goofing around, lol. Basically, the task was to grab a random item from inside a bag without looking inside of it, and you had to write about that objects according to the topic on the small papers we had, and it was also fun reading what people wrote. Another fun thing was the field trip we went to, which was about world war two. We had some papers we had to do while there, like finding specific things in the museums, and me along with the three other 7-3 leadership students went with Mrs. Arakawa's class so yay.

Highlights + Lowlights 

Highlights 

NHD Project Confidence Boost - Me and my group completed the "reaction" portion of our National History Day (NHD) project way faster than expected, which I said "boosted my confidence and made me gain some sanity." Successfully tackling a challenging research project is a huge win.

Leadership Group Success and Engagement - I had a fantastic week with my leadership group, enjoying the company of my members and having productive sessions with the GTs. Activities like designing covers, taking and uploading photos (despite the technical hiccups!), and seeing the GTs do well on the cash envelopes made for a rewarding and fun experience.

The Joy of Art and Leadership - My classes in art and leadership were a great source of enjoyment and mood improvement. Art allows me to use my talent, and leadership provides a positive social outlet, which helped balance out the stress of other classes.

Lowlights

Frustrating Group Work in Science and Math - I experienced irritation in two different classes due to peers. In Science, a group was "slow" and "kept copying off" my answers. In Math, a student next to me kept asking how to solve very easy addition and subtraction integer problems, which was annoying.

Messy and Painful Art Project - While I love art, the current project—smearing oil pastels for a color theory background and drawing a skull—left my hands and fingers hurting and messy. While I value the final beautiful product, the process itself was uncomfortable.

Acai Bowl Denial - A small but notable disappointment was not getting the acai bowl I begged for at the family night, despite getting some candy as a consolation prize.

Lessons Learned

NHD Project Success

Lesson Learned: I learned that even when a huge project like NHD feels overwhelming and makes me nervous, I can break it down. Focusing on one part at a time, like the 'reaction' portion, can lead to a quick win that boosts my confidence and makes the rest of the work feel much more manageable. I should try to apply this strategy to other big assignments.

Class Frustrations (Science and Math)

Lesson Learned: My patience was tested this week by peers in both Science and Math. I learned that while I can't control if others try to copy my answers or constantly ask simple questions, I can control my reaction. The key is to mentally block out the distraction, stay focused on my own work, and maybe use those moments as a reminder of how quickly I'm grasping the material. I need to keep finding constructive ways to deal with those who rely on me too much.

Leadership and GT Mentoring

Lesson Learned: I learned that hands-on, creative activities are the best way to keep my leadership group engaged and help the GTs learn. Despite the technical snags with the cameras, the process of teaching them how to take photos, upload files, and design their covers was rewarding. It was a great reminder that my role isn't just about managing, but about creating fun, real-world learning opportunities—and that the extra effort to make things work (like finding the third camera) is always worth it.

Art Project Experience

Lesson Learned: The messy, painful part of the oil pastel art project taught me that sometimes, the process in creative work isn't always enjoyable, and that's okay. My hands hurt, and my fingers got messy, but the lesson is to push through the temporary discomfort because my ultimate goal is the beautiful end product. As long as I'm proud of the result, the struggle during the work is a small price to pay.

Family Night and 'Character in a Bag'

Lesson Learned: I learned that the simple act of goofing around with a friend, like Valerie at the 'Character in a Bag' station, can turn a simple task into a genuinely fun memory. The acai bowl denial was a minor disappointment, but the candy and the laughter with my friend showed me that the true fun of any event is the people I share it with, not just the treats I get.

Pictures