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 #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 #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 #37: Learn How to Take Blood Pressure (Kim)

37.  Learn How to Take Blood Pressure

My mom has worked as a nurse for years, and she is currently teaching students at NCC in the medical assistant program.  Other than taking lifeguarding CPR and AED training classes and volunteering recreationally at a convalescent home, I have little medical experience.  Because my mom has so much experience in the medical field and I know very little, I wanted to learn a skill she teaches her students as part of my Project Explore.

Learning how to take blood pressure properly takes a lot of practice.  I practiced a few times prior to this video, but mastering the skill would take much longer than it seems on this video.  Prior to me practicing on the video, my mom filmed a short tutorial.  We were able to practice in her lab classroom at NCC on what is called a "sim-man".  Being in this type of classroom was a new experience too because it is clearly not a typical academic classroom.

Here is the short tutorial on taking blood pressure and me practicing on the simulator:

Task #33: Go Paddle Boarding (Rachael)

Task 32: Go Paddle Boarding

We started our Project Explore in the summer, but we did not establish our blog until the fall. Needless to say, I am a little late posting this task. This past summer, paddle boarding was on my "bucket list". My friends Hannah and Haley have a house on a lake as well as a paddle board, so it was a perfect match. Results shown below (P.S. we didn't fall off!).

Task #32: Attend a Hypnotist Show (Kim and Rachael)

32.  Attend a Hypnotist Show

Hypnotist and mentalist Ronny Romm visited Norwalk High School, and Rachael and I decided it would be interesting to attend the event to learn about hypnosis and be entertained.  Hypnosis is all about the power of suggestion.  We wanted to decide for ourselves what to believe.  Ronny Romm asked for volunteers, and these are the brave people who volunteered from Norwalk High School.

First, Ronny Romm demonstrated his powers of ESP.  He asked several volunteers specific details about their dream vacation, including the location, price, flight number, and airline.  He showed that prior to the show, he had written down exactly what they said.  This didn't exactly have me convinced because I figured he could have written it down some other way.

I thought the show became most interesting when he began the first phase of hypnosis - induction.  After speaking to the volunteers, periodically snapping his fingers, and asking the volunteers to focus on his voice, Ronny Romm asked them to stick their hands together.  After a lengthy description of the feeling of their hands being stuck, he told them that they would not be able to get their hands unstuck.  Sure enough, some of the volunteers could not get their hands unstuck.

From the stage, the show looked believable.  For the most part, those under hypnosis followed Ronny Romm's instructions.  However, I asked a few participants how they felt about it afterwards, and a few claimed they did not feel anything.  Whether or not the hypnosis was effective, it was an interesting show and entertaining to watch.  

Here is Ronny Romm putting the volunteers under hypnosis and a few of their actions during the experience:

Task #29: Contact Brandon Stanton - Say Thank You (Kim)

29. Send a thank you note to Brandon Stanton.

As stated so many times in this blog, Humans of New York was one of the biggest inspirations behind this project.  I wanted to reach out and thank Brandon Stanton.  Brandon's fame has increased exponentially in the past few weeks since he has raised over a million dollars for Mott Hall Academy in New York.  This fundraiser was all due to a particular portrait he took for the Humans of New York blog.  Because Brandon's fame has increased so exponentially in recent weeks, I would love a response to my e-mail but expect nothing.  Someone who not only receive thousands of comments and e-mails every day but also spends his days running around the entire city of New York to take fascinating portraits most likely does not have the time to answer most of his e-mails.

Brandon's book which I asked for as a Christmas present and absolutely love.

Task #20 Completed: Stand For An Entire School Day (Rachael)

Kim and I came up with this task in a collaborative sense. This idea was born from the fact that I hate sitting down during our Euro class; Mr. O often asks me if I'm okay because I'm still standing long after the bell rings. Basically the way this task developed was due to the fact that since I complained so much about sitting down, Kim challenged me to stand for an entire day.  This task also raised some awareness for our project: when people asked why I was standing I explained what our project was and encouraged them to attend our presentation in May.

I will say two additional things about this experience: I now appreciate my desk in Mr. O's class more than I ever thought I would. The second comment I have is a piece of advice to all that attempt to stand for seven hours straight, do not make the same mistake I did: please wear shoes with support. 

Task #19 Completed: Learn How to Make Sushi (Rachael)

19. Learn how to make Sushi

Saying I'm a sushi enthusiast would not be an understatement on any account, because in fact I have loved Sushi for as long as I can remember. But somehow, I have passed over the opportunity to craft the delicacy on many occasions so I decided to take the task into my own hands.

I have recently been following a health blog which posted a recipe for quinoa, avocado, spinach, salmon sushi. So my friend Margo and I attempted on a Friday afternoon with nothing else to do. It took a few rolls to get the hang of it but it was very yummy in the end! I hope you enjoy our progress pictures!

Task #16 Completed: Surprise A Teacher with a Thank You! (Kim and Rachael)

16.  Surprise A Teacher with a Thank You!

Ms. Morris is our Project Explore mentor, and she recently underwent surgery for her wrist.  In addition, it is almost Christmas.  So, we figured it was the perfect time to surprise a teacher with not only a thank you present but a Merry Christmas/Get Well Soon present.  Rachael and I had one of our friends ask to take a picture of her for the yearbook.  As our friend took the "picture" (which was actually the video you see here), we came in with a poinsettia, flowers, and a present.  Inside the present was chocolates, a card, and a Snoopy mug and stuffed animal (Snoopy is her favorite).

Task #14 Completed: Make a "Healthy" Dessert (Rachael)

14. "Make a Healthy Dessert"

Recently my friend Margo and I have been trying to create healthier eating habits so when I came across "healthy banana bread" I figured it was worth a shot. I am currently typing this while the bread is in the oven so there is no end product for me to comment on right now. However, I can tell you the recipe does not include white flour, butter or granulated sugar of any sort. Instead theses ingredients were replaced with applesauce, honey and almond milk for a dessert which is definitely healthy and hopefully delicious as well!

Task #7 Completed: Conduct Interviews and Compare Responses of Different Age Groups (Kim)

7.  Conduct interviews on a topic currently impacting society, and compare the responses of different age groups.

One of our inspirations for Project 52 was Humans of New York.  Photographer Brandon Stanton became famous from photographing portraits on the streets of New York City.  He interviews his subjects and posts a snippet from the interview as the picture's caption.


You can check out Humans of New York here: https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork


Since one of our original ideas was to conduct interviews similar to Humans of New York, we decided it should still be part of Project 52.  So, we made it one of the 52 tasks.

The place to find people of different age groups for me is Thanksgiving.  My grandma hosts Thanksgiving, and you can find friends and family of all ages in her house - from babies to my awesome 94-year-old grandma.  I brought my camera along and conducted interviews.  I edited the footage, splitting the clips by questions, and I came up with this.

As for the comparison of different age groups, older people tended to view the act of taking a selfie as selfish.  The very young children saw selfies only as an act of fun and a way to remember special moments.  I asked several teenagers, and most of us had taken selfies but still were willing to admit that it was a selfish act.  

Thank you to all who participated in the video!