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Hey everyone! As some of you may know, I'm currently in the IB (International Baccelaureate) program, which is kind of like a gifted program, and it is ranked above AP. The original purpose of IB was to provide the same type of schooling all around the world for the families of soldiers during the war. For example, I'm taking the same courses as a soldier's American daughter in Germany might be.
So, in IB, there is a required class called Inquiry Skills. The class's purpose is kind of difficult to explain, but mostly it just teaches you the right ways to study, research, prepare, organize, etc. The biggest project in Inquiry Skills, however, is a little broader than just learning how to research and study in school. At the end of the semester, we have to have completed an Action Research Project, which is where you go out into the community and do something to help solve a current issue. This can range from beach clean-ups to mentoring children. We have to first research the topic, and then go out and take action. In the end, we must turn in a 7-10 page report on our topic, including the actual research and a detailed account of the actions taken.
For my Action Research Project, I got together in a group with my two friends, and we brainstormed ideas. My top idea was to raise money for a leukemia foundation, because my grandma died of leukemia when I was only 8 years old. I wanted to learn more about leukemia, and I also wanted to raise money to help find a cure. Both of my friends were for it, so we started to research.
As of now, we have the research half of our papers done. We each have a 3 1/2-page rough draft explaining leukemia - what causes it, how it works, how it's classified, and treatments. Next was the hard part: to find out how to raise money for the cause.
We decided on a bake sale. One of my friend's dad is the manager at a Super Wal-Mart, so we contacted him and got a date secured to put up a table outside the store for a day. Now we had to decide the date. What better weekend is there to sit outside a huge, successful department store and sell baked goods for a good cause than the weekend of Black Friday? So, we decided to set up this Sunday.
My mom had alot of good ideas to help us be as successful as possible. She suggested that if we were supported by a professional society, we might attract more people since they have the secure knowledge of where the money is actually going (And yes, all of the money is going towards the cause. We are not making a profit from this.). So, after putting this into consideration, we contacted the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) yesterday. They were more than happy to support us. The woman that we talked to was so enthusiastic about it, she decided to send us what we would need to set up a respectable-looking stand. She Fed-Exed a box overnight, and I just got it a few hours ago. The box contained 3 plastic banners, a pack of business cards for customers to have, a donations box with their information on it, 3 red bracelets (much like the Livestrong bracelets, but they say 'Relentless' on them, and have a website on the inside. They're for me and my 2 friends to wear.), and a pack of those papers you can fill out after donating money to a cause that will say something like 'I helped __________!" with a place to sign under it, for us to put up on the table. I considered this extremely generous, and everything they've given us should help tremendously.
So, after thinking about this, I decided to make our project and the society known. This may be to inform some of you about the dangers of cancer, and how big of a problem leukemia is becoming, or, my original intention: to inspire you to help your community, because there's really no feeling that can compare with what great, complete feeling this project is giving me.
I'll keep you guys updated on what's going to happen. If you read through all of this, I really appreciate it. :csmile:
-Becca
So, in IB, there is a required class called Inquiry Skills. The class's purpose is kind of difficult to explain, but mostly it just teaches you the right ways to study, research, prepare, organize, etc. The biggest project in Inquiry Skills, however, is a little broader than just learning how to research and study in school. At the end of the semester, we have to have completed an Action Research Project, which is where you go out into the community and do something to help solve a current issue. This can range from beach clean-ups to mentoring children. We have to first research the topic, and then go out and take action. In the end, we must turn in a 7-10 page report on our topic, including the actual research and a detailed account of the actions taken.
For my Action Research Project, I got together in a group with my two friends, and we brainstormed ideas. My top idea was to raise money for a leukemia foundation, because my grandma died of leukemia when I was only 8 years old. I wanted to learn more about leukemia, and I also wanted to raise money to help find a cure. Both of my friends were for it, so we started to research.
As of now, we have the research half of our papers done. We each have a 3 1/2-page rough draft explaining leukemia - what causes it, how it works, how it's classified, and treatments. Next was the hard part: to find out how to raise money for the cause.
We decided on a bake sale. One of my friend's dad is the manager at a Super Wal-Mart, so we contacted him and got a date secured to put up a table outside the store for a day. Now we had to decide the date. What better weekend is there to sit outside a huge, successful department store and sell baked goods for a good cause than the weekend of Black Friday? So, we decided to set up this Sunday.
My mom had alot of good ideas to help us be as successful as possible. She suggested that if we were supported by a professional society, we might attract more people since they have the secure knowledge of where the money is actually going (And yes, all of the money is going towards the cause. We are not making a profit from this.). So, after putting this into consideration, we contacted the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) yesterday. They were more than happy to support us. The woman that we talked to was so enthusiastic about it, she decided to send us what we would need to set up a respectable-looking stand. She Fed-Exed a box overnight, and I just got it a few hours ago. The box contained 3 plastic banners, a pack of business cards for customers to have, a donations box with their information on it, 3 red bracelets (much like the Livestrong bracelets, but they say 'Relentless' on them, and have a website on the inside. They're for me and my 2 friends to wear.), and a pack of those papers you can fill out after donating money to a cause that will say something like 'I helped __________!" with a place to sign under it, for us to put up on the table. I considered this extremely generous, and everything they've given us should help tremendously.
So, after thinking about this, I decided to make our project and the society known. This may be to inform some of you about the dangers of cancer, and how big of a problem leukemia is becoming, or, my original intention: to inspire you to help your community, because there's really no feeling that can compare with what great, complete feeling this project is giving me.
I'll keep you guys updated on what's going to happen. If you read through all of this, I really appreciate it. :csmile:
-Becca
)
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