Task #52: Project Explore!!

52.  Project Explore Presentation/Sharing Our Advice

Our first real task in the 52 things was to take up the challenge of Project Explore, but we decided to leave it as our last post and the first one people would see while looking at the blog.

As the project developed, one piece of this task which is derived from an earlier task (What Piece of Advice Would You Give to a Large Group of People?) was to share our own pieces of advice from taking on such a big project.

Our presentation will consist of sharing this blog, a 20 minute video, and a short Prezi to explain how we came up with the project, what challenges we faced, and what our biggest piece of advice is after completing 52 new things.

Task #51: Make a Difference (Rachael)

51. Make a difference

I have been Volunteering with the organization Circle of Friends for about 6 years now. Circle of Friends is essentially a program that is meant to foster friendships and develop life skills for teens with special needs. What made this year particularly different for me was the fact that I started to visit my friend Lauren at home. Once a month I would drive to Trumbull and just hang out with Lauren. We paint nails, play bored games, bake brownies and talk! This experience in particular has effected the way I see the world and other people in the sense that I've learned not everyone is what you first see on the outside. Overall I wouldn't change this experience for anything because as much as I know I had an impact on Lauren she had the bigger impact on me.

Task #50: Trip to the Met (Kim and Rachael)

50.  Trip to the Met 

We have never been exposed to the beautiful artwork at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and after spending an entire year studying European History, Mr. O' Shaughnessy invited us to go on a field trip to see some of the art we studied in person.

Each of us had a particular painting to research and present to the class beforehand.  Mine was Hans Holbein's the Younger's Erasmus of Rotterdam.  The painting was much smaller in person than I expected.

NYC Skyline, taken from Met roof exhibit

Erasmus of Rotterdam painting

 

 

 

Task #49: Internship at The Hour (Kim)

49.  Internship at The Hour

I have been interested in writing since elementary school.  I wrote for the school newspaper in middle school, but I never pursued writing in the Paw Print at Norwalk High School.  When the opportunity to be part of an internship program rather than attend school for the last quarter of senior year arose, I was more than happy to contact the local Norwalk newspaper and ask to be a high school intern.

I began this internship on Monday, May 18.  I started with tasks like condensing press releases for the Community, Briefs, and To Do section of the paper.  I also began my first story - on a Celtic ceremony at a Norwalk Church.  When I woke up Tuesday morning and saw that what I had worked on was in the newspaper, I was ecstatic. Tuesday I was given my first big opportunity - to write a story on the lack of affordable housing in Connecticut and specifically the Stamford-Norwalk area. I had to call a representative for Governor Malloy, several president's of local business organizations, and dig through a report full of statistics about affordable housing.  It was my first day staying relatively late at the internship, but I was more than happy to do it because I knew there was a good chance the story would run the following day.

On Wednesday, both of my stories were on page 3 of the Hour and featured on the paper's website!

http://www.thehour.com/news/norwalk/norwalk-church-to-kick-off-celtic-celebration-thursday/article_2bb0a549-7a97-5f41-a118-673fc89b7941.html

http://www.thehour.com/news/norwalk/connecticut-ranks-eighth-in-nation-for-most-expensive-housing-stamford/article_2076eed8-70da-58b7-b5ae-13627d4986a5.html

On Wednesday, I headed out to an elevator opening at Lockwood-Mathews Mansion in Norwalk.  The elevator was a 15 years in the making project, so the mayor was leading a ribbon cutting ceremony.  I also drove my fellow intern to an event on the Norwalk Green with the Norwalk Gardening Club.  Then, I spent my day finishing this story, which was published on the website today.

http://www.thehour.com/news/norwalk/lockwood-mathews-mansion-museum-reaching-new-heights-with-elevator-installation/article_00223fb8-ffcd-11e4-9156-afa445dabea8.html?mode=image&photo=0

I did not expect to see my stories featured so soon in The Hour.  I expected to be mostly working on the Community section and Briefs section.  Even though it was slightly nerve wracking at first to call so many people, it is an absolutely incredible learning experience so far.  I'm so happy I decided to be part of the internship program, and Project Explore was one of many motivating forces in being part of it.

Task #48: Visit Lockwood-Mathews Mansion (Kim)

48.  Visit Lockwood-Mathews Mansion

Lockwood-Mathews Mansion is a historical site in Norwalk, but I have never taken a tour or spent much time there.  On May 20, I spent the afternoon at Lockwood-Mathews Mansion as part of my internship.  But after the interning side was done, I got to see parts of the mansion and learn about the history.

The mansion was built in the late 1860's as a summer residence for the Lockwoods.  It stands as the epitome of Victorian era architecture.

The new construction will allow the public to view the servants' quarters, which tie together the owners' story with the servants'.  The quarters are very unique because unlike most "below the stairs" quarters of the time period, these are literally above the stairs and above the standards.

The mansion was purchased from the Mathews family in 1941 to be used as a park, and it has been that way ever since.  It has had to undergo serious construction and restoration to meet building code standards, but it has been preserved because of its status as a national landmark.

Lockwood-Mathews Mansion is a "gem of Norwalk", as described by the mayor at the ribbon cutting ceremony, and I can certainly see why this is true.  It has a fascinating historical background and is an interesting part of Norwalk's history as a whole.

Task #47: See Wicked on Broadway (Rachael and Kim)

47.  See Wicked on Broadway

I have been hearing great things about the show Wicked since my one of the songs was sung at my eighth grade graduation dinner.  When I heard that the Norwalk High Music Department was taking a trip, I knew I had to be part of it.

We saw the show May 20 at the Gershwin Theatre, and it was incredible.  A Norwalk High alumnus, Robin DeJesus, was in the show.  We also got to meet him outside after the show and talk to him, which was a surreal experience for our choir teacher.

I highly recommend everyone go see this show.  It was funny, clever, and had great music that I can't get out of my head.  All of the connections with The Wizard of Oz were so intricately woven.

This was definitely one of my favorite field trips.  We got to the city early and had some time to walk around the block with our friends; then, we saw an amazing show.

Task #46: Bouldering (Kim)

46.  Try Bouldering - Indoor Rock Climbing Without a Harness

I headed to Caribiner's, an indoor rock climbing facility in Fairfield, this past week to try bouldering.  Well, I didn't last very long on the bouldering part, but I attempted it a few times and took pictures of my friends' attempts.  The facility was an interesting place.  We stayed mostly on the lower levels - V0 and V1 - because those were tough enough for us as inexperienced rock wall-ers.  Anything that involved a jump from one part to another was risky because you don't wear a harness, so if you fall, you fall to the ground.  

Pieces of tape designated each path on the wall.  We purchased one chalk bag and had our first experience wearing rock climbing shoes.

Since the facility was practically empty when we went, the instructors helped us figure out how to maneuver different paths.  

My friends are considering returning again because it wasn't a very expensive adventure.  I would come again but mostly to witness their progress - it is fun to watch but I would rather just watch.  

Task #45: Attend a Viola Recital, Manhattan School of Music (Kim)

45.  Attend a Viola Recital (Manhattan School of Music)

At Manhattan School of Music in New York City, students are required to perform a senior recital before graduating from the precollege division.  Quinn Robinson has taken music classes at Manhattan School of Music for the past two years, and he plays viola.  I attended his senior recital and spent the morning in New York City this past Saturday with three other Norwalk High School seniors: Kasey, Derek, and Mahika.

Prior to the start of the recital, Greenfield Hall.

The bakery where Mahika tried her first bubble tea.

In addition to watching the recital, we walked around New York.  This is a photo of Mahika after trying her first "bubble tea" - we didn't like bubble tea too much!

Task #44: Go Ziplining and Climbing (Kim)

43.  Go Ziplining and Climbing

When I first heard about the Adventure Park in Bridgeport, I knew I had to go.  The Adventure Park is an obstacle course in the trees that features zip lining and climbing.  It has different levels organized by color - the hardest being Double Black Diamond.  Each level is higher than the previous one.

When we first arrived, we were given gloves and helped into harnesses.  Then, we were taught how to use the "clips" on our harness.  We had to practice and start on one of the lower level obstacle courses before venturing higher.  The courses did get to be difficult as we got higher, but a lot of it was all about mindset.  I knew if I fell I was attached to a harness and wouldn't get hurt, but every time I stepped on something that shook or moved a certain way, I would flinch dramatically.  It was hard not to feel like I was about to fall, even though I rationally knew I would be fine.

I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked because it is too high up for someone on the ground to take pictures as we progressed to higher levels, but I have included some pictures from online that show more of what the Adventure Park at Discovery Museum is like:

Photos From Online:

Task #43: Be in a School Production (Rachael)

43. Be in a School Production

Ever since I was in elementary school I had always looked up to the magnificent performances the Norwalk High School Music Department put on. This year I made it my goal to try out and participate in the show! Come see Norwalk High's Production of Annie this weekend!

Task #42: Accumulate Over 1000 Page Views!

42.  Accumulate 1000 Page Views

When we first started the blog, we had no understanding of Blogger.  We slowly began to use "labels", which are tags that allow your blog to come up in a search engine, and we advertised our blog to friends and family.  Because of this, we started getting a few page views.  It was nice to have even one a day.  Of course, we always get the highest number of views on days that we post and use labels.  We were shocked when we got even 100 views, but over time, we realized more people would look at our blog than we originally thought.  Hitting 1000 views is a big milestone for us; we can see that even if people have stumbled on our website by accident, we may have impacted them or sparked their curiosity in some way.  This means that we are doing what we intended to do with this project: impact other people and inspire them to try new things rather than become warped in a mundane routine.

So, thank you to all our friends and family who regularly read this blog and to anyone else who may be reading.

Task #41: Run a 5k - Whittingham Cancer Center Walk/Run (Kim)

41.  Run a 5k

My family has participated in Norwalk Hospital's Whittingham Cancer Center Walk/Run for years in honor of my Uncle Tex, who passed away from lung cancer when I was very young.

I usually am with the walkers who walk about a mile.  This year, I signed up as runner and ran a 5k at Calf Pasture Beach this morning.  To provide some back story, I am not a completely new runner.  I run Outdoor Track, which is only one season, each year.  I focus only on mid-distance events, specifically the half mile, so doing a 5k as a race and not a practice was new to me and slightly intimidating.

My brother Rob ended up winning the entire race for all age divisions, my mom won her age category, and I won the female 14-18 age group!

I actually really enjoyed the race (as much as you can enjoy running a 5k).  My entire family was there and had worked so hard to raise nearly $3,000 for this event.  So, despite the cold weather this morning, we all got up and ended up having a great time together.

Our team was called Tex's Rangers in honor of my uncle Timothy, nicknamed Tex.  It was made up of not only our family but many friends of the family who participated, came to support, and fundraised with us.

We love and miss you, Tex.