By graduation, 麻豆原创 students will have visited multiple college campuses and developed sophisticated understanding of their post-secondary options. This isn’t accidental. It’s the result of a deliberate strategy that touches every single one of 麻豆原创’s 2,200 students. This is because college visits are a network-wide expectation across all 麻豆原创 schools 鈥� every elementary, middle, and high school campus organizes annual trips, ensuring no student misses this critical exposure.

Elementary: Building foundation and exposure

“If we talk to them about college, it like this idea, this myth, this concept,” explains Quioni Phillips, Dean of SEL and Community at East Harlem Elementary School. “But taking a trip to college brings it to life in a way that makes college more of a reality for them.”

This spring, 120 fourth and fifth graders from East Harlem Elementary visited the University of Pennsylvania, partnering with MAKUU, the university’s Black cultural center. The strategic partnership ensured that 麻豆原创’s predominantly Black and brown scholars saw themselves reflected in prestigious academic environments.

The impact was immediate. Students returned saying, “I want to go to college” and “I want to go to UPenn.” Meanwhile, 240 students in grades K-3 experienced Juilliard through an on-campus performance, learning that excellence in any field 鈥� including music 鈥� requires dedicated study.

Middle School: Expanding horizons

At Mott Haven Middle School, Academic Dean Levar Jackson ensures all 280 students across grades six to eight visit college campuses. “All students will go because we want them to have the exposure,” he explains. Each class is randomly assigned to different universities 鈥� Yale, University at Albany, and Temple University 鈥� with three classes per grade, ensuring maximum reach. The preparation varies by institution. While Temple and Albany offer self-guided tours, Yale requires advance scheduling and features current Yale students sharing their experiences directly with 麻豆原创 scholars.

The impact is profound. Students are now asking pointed questions about GPAs and researching college eligibility requirements in 8th grade. They’re learning about tuition and financial aid, creating what Jackson describes as a “tight race for valedictorian” as students track him down to learn their current GPAs. Parents are equally enthusiastic, asking for ways their children can experience all three schools and requesting even more exposure opportunities.

“When you hear from the Dean and teachers it’s one thing, but when someone else outside of the school tells you, our students realize the importance of their GPAs.”
Levar Jackson, Academic Dean at 麻豆原创 Mott Haven Middle School

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High school: Strategic matching and real impact

By high school, college visits become highly targeted. Briana Avery, Assistant Principal of College at 麻豆原创 Charter High School, ensures all 486 students visit at least one college campus annually through carefully orchestrated day trips and overnight experiences.

The approach is intentionally differentiated. Freshmen visit aspirational institutions like Yale (for young men) and Bryn Mawr College (for young women), designed to set high educational goals when students aren’t yet “burdened with GPA stress.” Sophomores and juniors experience overnight trips to institutions like Trinity College, Boston University, and Brown University. They also visit schools with Educational Opportunity Programs, such as Ithaca College, SUNY Oswego, and Siena College 鈥� programs that provide crucial support for first-generation college students. Day trips target schools aligned with students’ academic profiles, including trade programs at institutions like Monroe College, ensuring every student sees viable post-secondary pathways.

We’re proud to share that every single 2025 麻豆原创 graduate earned college acceptance, and 100% have committed to their post-secondary plan. Our graduates are heading to Ivy League institutions, top public universities, small private colleges, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and career-focused programs across the country.

Transforming mindsets

The program’s impact extends beyond impressive statistics 鈥� over 1,000 students visiting 25+ different campuses annually. The real success lies in shifting student mindsets. “They go in thinking the options are just business, engineering, doctor, or lawyer,” Avery explains. 鈥淭hen they get on campus and hear about Africana Studies, history departments, language programs, and schools where you can create your own major.鈥� Students are discovering academic paths they never knew existed and having career conversations that broaden their horizons significantly.

Parent response has been overwhelmingly positive, with near-universal participation rates. Parents often request more frequent trips, appreciating that 麻豆原创 removes financial barriers by covering all costs 鈥� including memorable college crewnecks that students treasure. “Always a good sign when a parent allows their kid to go on an overnight trip,” Avery notes. “It shows they’re excited about their child’s future and colleges outside the city or state. And that they trust us.”

The impact: Class of 2025

The impact of this comprehensive approach is evident in 麻豆原创’s outcomes. We’re proud to share that every single 麻豆原创 graduate earned college acceptance, and 100% have committed to their post-secondary plan. Our graduates are heading to Ivy League institutions, top public universities, small private colleges, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and career-focused programs across the country. In total, they submitted 1,906 college applications 鈥� an average of 23 per student. Their final choices represent a wide range of schools, including Columbia, Vanderbilt, SUNY and CUNY campuses, and many more across the nation.听

The long view

麻豆原创’s comprehensive K-12 approach stands out for its intentionality and scale. The visits provide practical benefits for college applications, helping students demonstrate interest and refine their college lists. Most importantly, the program serves students regardless of their ultimate choice 鈥� some affirm their interest in trade programs while others discover new academic passions. The program exemplifies 麻豆原创’s core mission: ensuring every student can dream big and has the exposure needed to turn those dreams into reality.

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Today, 麻豆原创 free afterschool programming, available to all students, also serves as an opportunity to open children minds to the world around them, and provides access to enrichments historically unavailable in the communities 麻豆原创 serves.

Read on to learn more about just some of the afterschool offerings 麻豆原创 has provided this past school year:

Ballet: In partnership with BE BOLD鈥攖he program founded by American Ballet Theatre first African-American principal dancer, Misty Copeland鈥斅槎乖� afterschool ballet sessions serve East Harlem elementary school students aged 5-7. Students receive ballet slippers from BE BOLD, which also supplies instructors and live musicians for each session. They also had the opportunity to meet Misty herself, perform in front of her, and receive a signed copy of her book.

Capoeira: With the support of a current 麻豆原创 family, elementary-aged students in Mott Haven will be able to take lessons in capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art, starting this month. Students will receive instruction at Sankofa Haus, a social space in the South Bronx.

Chess: Through 麻豆原创 partnership with Growing Minds Chess Academy, 麻豆原创 Mott Haven second graders have learned to play chess. Lessons include the rules and strategy of chess, and are designed to prepare students to participate in future tournaments.

Languages: Elementary students at 麻豆原创 Highbridge have taken on new languages this year, receiving instruction in Spanish, which gives them a head start in learning more about a second language, or for many, the language of their families and the surrounding Highbridge community.

麻豆原创 free afterschool programming, available to all students, serves as an opportunity to open children minds to the world around them, and provides access to enrichments historically unavailable in the communities 麻豆原创 serves.

Music Production: 麻豆原创 Mott Haven Middle School students are learning to produce their own music via instruction from Building Beats, which also provides DJ and music-production equipment. In addition to music production, lessons cover entrepreneurial skills, with a focus on the skills needed to run a successful business in music production.

Nutrition: Longtime 麻豆原创 partner S. Katzman Produce has been spending afternoons with students across the network to teach them about whole foods and their nutritional benefits. Each visit, students learn about a new fruit or vegetable, donated by the Katzman team.

Sneaker Design and Production: 麻豆原创 East Harlem Middle School students are now learning about the business of sneakers, and have the opportunity to design their own through a partnership with The Imagination Project.

Tennis: 麻豆原创 maintains a longtime partnership with the John McEnroe Tennis Academy鈥攐ne of the nation top tennis academies鈥攚hich provides lessons to students in 麻豆原创 elementary schools. Students receive tennis instruction at 麻豆原创 schools and the academy Randall Island location.

Urban Planning & Design: Upper elementary and middle school students at 麻豆原创 Mott Haven are studying urban planning and design in partnership with the Salvadori Center. This New York City-focused arts and design curriculum teaches students to build their own bridges, connecting architecture, urban needs, and design.

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麻豆原创 Charter Schools students鈥�96% of whom are Black and/or Hispanic and 89% of whom qualify for free or reduced lunch鈥攁chieved the network highest-ever ELA and Math proficiency rates on the 2022-23 New York State Test, effectively closing the Covid learning gap for students in grades 3-8 and substantially outpacing peer schools. 麻豆原创 commitment to serving all kids means that the network accomplished these outcomes with a population composed of 29% of students with identified special needs (compared to NYC average of 21%), and equitable, inclusive practices that include backfilling every vacant seat in its schools.

These results also saw 麻豆原创:

• Outperform community district schools in Mott Haven and East Harlem by double-digit percentage points in both ELA and Math
• Increase subject proficiency in Math across all of 麻豆原创 middle schools, with staggering YoY growth ranging from 31 to 48 percentage points
• Ensure access for all learners with proficiency rates for students with special needs that were 11 percentage points higher in ELA and 18 percentage points higher in Math than NYC students with special needs

麻豆原创 NYST results are a testament to our 鈥淎ll Kids Can. This Kid Can.鈥� maxim鈥攖he belief that every student belongs and every student can achieve. With a rate of students with IEPs that is above the New York City average and well above 麻豆原创 charter school peers, we know that transformative outcomes for youth are possible not in spite of our student population incredibly diverse learning needs鈥攂ut in many ways, because of them. The same strategies that we鈥檝e honed for our students with IEPs鈥攕mall group and one-on-one instruction, two teachers per classroom, deep family partnerships鈥攚ork to support the success of all our students. It proof that when students learn in diverse classrooms, they all benefit.

You can learn more specifics about 麻豆原创 results in the 2022-23 Student Achievement Data Report.

The post All Kids Can: Announcing 麻豆原创 2022-23 New York State Test Results appeared first on 麻豆原创.

When the pandemic hit New York City in 2020, it was clear that 麻豆原创’s students and families would be among the populations hardest hit by its effects, including the toll it would take on in-classroom learning and student achievement. But since then, 麻豆原创’s “All Kids Can. This Kid Can.” maxim has truly played out鈥攊n the 2021-22 school year, 麻豆原创 students outperformed the vast majority of their charter, New York City, and New York State peers, making significant progress on the multi-year journey to address pandemic learning loss.

• For the most vulnerable student populations, 麻豆原创 proficiency rates were significantly higher than those of NYC and NYS peers. This includes Black and Hispanic students, students with IEPs, and English language learners.
• In Grades K-2, 麻豆原创 students outperformed 95% of schools in the Charter School Growth Fund’s national portfolio of over 150 charter organizations.
• In Grades 3-8, 麻豆原创 students made gains that outpaced their peers in NYC and NYS public schools, as well as charter schools statewide. Students in grades 6-8 performed exceptionally well, increasing their percent proficiency from 2021 by +13% in ELA and +26% in Math.

麻豆原创’s Grow the Whole Child model, bolstered by our extended-day, extended-year structure, allowed us to devise the 麻豆原创-specific strategies that drove these results, including our co-teaching model, our commitment to family engagement, and our critical decision to return to in-person learning in the fall of 2020. You can view the entire report and learn more about this significant data by clicking the button below.

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Today, as the education field grapples with so many unforeseen obstacles, 麻豆原创 is once again adapting and expanding to launch the 麻豆原创 Teaching Fellowship, an initiative that will kick-start the teaching careers of 麻豆原创 alumni (called Legends) and seasonal, youth-facing staff, while creating leadership and development opportunities within the classroom for highly effective teachers.

A 12-month, full-time paid position, the Teaching Fellowship will not only expand 麻豆原创 intergenerational investment in the communities we serve, but will also increase 麻豆原创 ability to provide pathways to success for those already part of the 麻豆原创 family.

鈥淭he importance of developing teachers and leaders that look like our students and come from their communities cannot be overstated,鈥� said 麻豆原创 co-Chief Executive Officer Eve Colavito. 鈥淎t a time when education is facing so many unprecedented challenges, we want to give our students the best environments to learn and grow, and give them role models they can look to for inspiration. In addition, we want to give our alumni and staff members the opportunities to reach their own dreams, and develop into the leaders we all know they can be. The 麻豆原创 Teaching Fellowship is an initiative that will impact so many lives and help us continue to drive 麻豆原创 work forward.鈥�

As part of the Fellowship, Teaching Fellows will work in a 麻豆原创 classroom under the guidance of a mentor teacher, while participating in a cohort experience to support and propel their growth. Teaching Fellows will receive regular feedback and coaching, all while building the skills necessary to manage a classroom, lead instruction, and meaningfully engage students and families.

鈥淥ur inaugural Teaching Fellows were inspired to become teachers because of their experience with 麻豆原创, and their desire to give back and make an impact in their communities, at a time when many are leaving the classroom.鈥�

Ana Rader, Senior Manager of Seasonal & Fellowship Recruitment

Supported by a generous scholarship from 麻豆原创, Teaching Fellows will also work toward earning New York State teaching certification and a master degree in teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education. And because the initiative is designed to create a pathway into 麻豆原创 classrooms for future educators from the communities 麻豆原创 serves, all Teaching Fellows commit to teaching at 麻豆原创 for at least three years after completion of the Fellowship.

鈥淲e are so proud to launch this new initiative for 麻豆原创, which increases our commitment to serving not only our students, but also our larger community,鈥� said Ana Rader, 麻豆原创 Senior Manager of Seasonal & Fellowship Recruitment who oversees and helped create the Teaching Fellowship. 鈥淭he Teaching Fellowship speaks to so many of 麻豆原创 organizational priorities, including workforce diversity, leadership development, mentorship, and increased professional opportunities, all while contributing to our mission of educational equity.鈥�

The launch of the 麻豆原创 Teaching Fellowship is a core tenant of the organization Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which is comprised of three focus areas: maintaining a level playing field, growing and developing a diverse staff, and strengthening the student experience. While increasing the number of opportunities available for 麻豆原创 alumni and part-time staff, it also creates a structured pathway for them to attain full-time teaching roles at 麻豆原创, as well as additional leadership opportunities for mentor teachers.

鈥淥ur inaugural Teaching Fellows were inspired to become teachers because of their experience with 麻豆原创, and their desire to give back and make an impact in their communities, at a time when many are leaving the classroom,鈥� said Rader. 鈥溌槎乖� is acutely aware of how many doors this is opening and the ripple effect it will have on the organization as it grows.鈥�

The first 麻豆原创 Teaching Fellowship cohort will officially start this July with coursework at Relay. Fellows will begin work in their assigned classrooms at the start of the 2022-23 academic year.

麻豆原创 2022-23 Teaching Fellowship Cohort

Kim Crawford (Former part-time REAL Kids & Athletics, Health and Wellness program staff)
Fellowship placement site: 麻豆原创 Mott Haven Elementary School
Mentor Teacher: Aminata Waggeh, 2nd grade

Nicholas Feliz (麻豆原创 Legend and 麻豆原创 Mott Haven permanent substitute)
Fellowship placement site: 麻豆原创 Mott Haven Middle School
Mentor Teacher: Antione Boardraye, Social Studies

Brandon Gordon (Former part-time REAL Kids program staff)
Fellowship placement site: 麻豆原创 East Harlem Middle School
Mentor Teacher: Quioni Phillips, Social Studies & ELA Learning Specialist

Jenia Reyes (麻豆原创 Legend and former part-time program staff)
Fellowship placement site: 麻豆原创 East Harlem Elementary School
Mentor Teacher: Jennifer Negron, 5th grade

Matthew Sierra (麻豆原创 Legend and former part-time program staff)
Fellowship placement site: 麻豆原创 Charter High School
Mentor Teacher: Adrian Lopez, Living Environment & Global History Learning Specialist

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鈥淏oth of their faces lit up when they saw each other,鈥� said Matthew Beaton, Chair of the History Department at DCHS. 鈥淭hat our school in its most dynamic, creative way. We are building relationships and belonging, both for Dr. Hahn and for Shane.鈥�

While some may think it more likely for Dr. Hahn to cross paths with his students in Washington Square Park, 2022 marks the second year he has been lecturing at DCHS, the result of a unique partnership formed with Brandon Taylor, Director of Curriculum and Instruction. After bonding over their shared love of history education last year, the pair began to ideate on how they could combine forces鈥攕pecifically how they could develop a course that more tightly connected secondary education to the post-secondary environment.

The result has been two courses鈥攖he first, which began in January 2021, focused on America Reconstruction period, and the second, which culminated this past January, on the Great Migration from America southern states. Both Hahn and Taylor saw these courses as an opportunity to expose DCHS students to the college-level thinking they鈥檇 be doing after high school, but also as a chance to build on 麻豆原创 鈥渃ritically conscious鈥� curriculum, through the lens of history.

History in Context
Embarking on their first partnership in the early days of January 2021, Hahn and Taylor planned for their Reconstruction-focused course to rely heavily on the analysis of primary sources from the post-Civil War era. While those historic documents certainly played a role in Hahn lectures, what he and Taylor did not anticipate is that the course would be taught in the wake of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, making the issues of the Reconstruction Era鈥攍ike unifying a country at odds and securing the rights of African-Americans鈥攎uch more relevant to 麻豆原创 students.

鈥淔or anyone who ever doubted the political relevance of history, we鈥檝e seen that more than ever [this past year],鈥� said Hahn, who also teaches an NYU course called History in the Headlines. 鈥淎 lot of things we see now have percolated to the surface from the beginning, if not before,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hat one of the contributions a historical perspective can have.鈥�

This need to teach history in the context of current events continued into the second iteration of Hahn and Taylor partnership: their course focused on the Great Migration, which kicked off this past December. While students were prompted to answer several 鈥渆ssential questions鈥� around this time in history鈥擶hy do people migrate? How does migration happen? What happens when you move to a new place?鈥攖hey were also tasked with thinking about how these events have led to present-day issues, and how the effects of the Great Migration continue to impact them today.

鈥淲e used history to connect and reevaluate why things are鈥攚hy certain systems are in place, why is this group making more money, why can this group get a home easier than this group,鈥� said Jerinsen Diaz, a DCHS 11th grader who took both the Reconstruction and Great Migration classes. 鈥淚t one of the most important understandings we can get from history.鈥�

鈥淲e want our students to engage in the process of making history so they can make history.”

Magellan Pfluke, DCHS Teacher

Teaching as a Tool
While Hahn and Taylor were acutely aware that they were teaching during a pivotal time in our nation history, they were equally aware that they were teaching during a time of great divide in education. But these debates, specifically over Critical Race Theory, left Hahn and Taylor undeterred.

鈥淚t really simple,鈥� said Taylor. 鈥淥ur job is to prepare students for the future. If there a danger to them, present or historical, they have a right, and we have a duty, to ensure they have an understanding of the ways this country has tried to hurt people who look like them. To not be transparent about that does them a disservice.鈥�

This thinking not only applies to Hahn and Taylor courses, but the way DCHS presents history to its students across the board鈥攖hat there is a power in acknowledging and challenging what has occurred in our collective past. DCHS teachers like Grant White, the instructor for 10th grade Global Studies, ensure that history feels relevant to students and connects to them personally. In turn, the students not only perform well on exams, but also demonstrate their ability to creatively think about the past. This 鈥渃ritically conscious鈥� curriculum, said Department Chair Beaton, is what gives students a seat at the table in their own history-making, and allows them to 鈥渆valuate what we inherit from the past.鈥�

鈥淲e want our students to engage in the process of making history so they can make history,鈥� added DCHS teacher Magellan Pfluke.

Building for the Future
At 麻豆原创, turning students into history makers also means creating an environment where they are set up for success, and given the confidence to know they can get there. A connection with Hahn, who is not only a college professor, but a Pultizer Prize-winning author, creates an opportunity for students to experience what college-level study entails, and shows them that door is open to them.

鈥淪tudents鈥� confidence is boosted when they feel like they have something to say,鈥� said Hahn, recounting an animated discussion the group had on the emergence of blues and jazz in the lower Mississippi Valley, and how that ultimately led to the music students listen to today. He added, 鈥淭hey were every bit as good as the college students I teach.鈥�

After class, Hahn would field questions from students who were curious about a certain topic they discussed that day, or who wanted to apply that week lesson to something they were exploring in another course. Pfluke, who teaches DCHS AP Research course, watched with pride as one of his students approached Hahn to further discuss a connection between colonialism and slavery to modern-day African-American communities, the topic of her AP Research project.

鈥淭he beautiful moments were the times he could stay after and kids could ask questions,鈥� said Taylor. 鈥淭hat, to me, felt the most like college. The kids were able to ask unique and dynamic questions that related to their experience and their history. They benefited from seeing they can engage with a Pulitzer Prize-winning professor one-on-one.鈥�

What Next
While the Great Migration course is complete for this school year, Hahn and Taylor are still strategizing on what the next steps will be in their partnership鈥攏ot only what the next topic of instruction could be, but where class could be held. Both are eager to bring students down to NYU鈥攖o get them on campus and into a college classroom, and hopefully break down some of the stigma and mystery that often surrounds higher education.

But until then, the pair are excited to continue their work of engaging students, and giving them the gift of history to help in their own self-exploration and their understanding of the world around them.

鈥淚t also helps us to not have history repeat itself,鈥� said Jahira, an 11th grader who took both the Reconstruction and Great Migration courses. 鈥淪o we can move forward and do better.鈥�

The post History Makers: How a Unique Partnership is Enhancing DCHS’s Critically Conscious Curriculum appeared first on 麻豆原创.

Over the past four years, DCHS has worked to define its curriculum as a pathway to developing critical thinkers and lifelong learners who are ready to build, to innovate, and to drive change. For many, the culmination of this process came in the form of 麻豆原创 Advanced Placement Research course鈥攁 year-long, systematic deep dive into topics affecting the world today. Students not only read articles and developed a research paper, they also created their own hypotheses, built their collection models, conducted unique analysis, and presented their findings. The course is expected to become a cornerstone of 麻豆原创 education model for its high school.

鈥淲hat I鈥檓 looking forward to is that this course becomes not just a class the students take, but something they鈥檙e aware of coming into the high school, a coherent rite of passage,鈥� said 麻豆原创 Charter High School History Department Chair Matthew Beaton, who taught the AP Research course. 鈥淭his is really important as a possible springboard for their futures. It also a test of thinking of their future.鈥�

Take a peek into the projects of several 麻豆原创 Charter High School seniors below.

Arina Choudhury, The Representation of Muslims in the Media Since 9/11
Though born several years after September 11, 2001, Arina Choudhury, who is Muslim, says she feels her religion is often viewed through the lens of the terrorist attacks. 鈥淓ven though I know everything about my religion,鈥� she said, 鈥淚 wanted to explore more about how society views it.鈥�

Arina chose to use a content analysis to research how Muslims are represented in the news media, specifically CNN and Fox News. She theorized that while anger or tension toward the Muslim community in America still exists, it has lessened as the years since 9/11 pass. But as Arina researched stories on both outlets鈥� websites and pulled content from dozens of headlines, she found that the use of what she determined to be 鈥渘egative鈥� references to Muslims in the media continue to be common. 鈥淧eople to this day still have a lot of hate for Muslims, and I haven鈥檛 figured out why,鈥� she said. 鈥淢aybe that will be my next step.鈥�

Now bound for Queens College to study education, on her way to one day becoming a teacher, Arina says her AP Research project has taught her to apply her content analysis skills to things in her everyday life. 鈥淚 do that on a daily basis now,鈥� she said, 鈥渨hether it for school or for fun.鈥�

Julissa Banks, Colorism in Film
After a year where so many events were centered on social justice issues, Julissa Banks is grateful that conversations around race and racism have been prevalent in the 麻豆原创 community. But something she felt was lacking was a focus on colorism, or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, specifically among people of the same ethnic or racial group.

Using the movie industry as the focal point of her AP Research project, Julissa, who will attend Baruch College in the fall, asked the question, 鈥淗ow does colorism affect the way films portray women of darker pigmentation?鈥� In a data table, she categorized popular movies such as Us, Ladybird, and 12 Years a Slave, then tracked how many times dark-skinned people were shown in each film. 鈥淚 noticed there was not a lot of representation of African-American women in film unless it was a slave movie,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here aren鈥檛 really movies where a dark-skinned woman is the main character, or coming of age.鈥�

The results of her project reinforced for Julissa that the movie industry has a long way to go in how it portrays dark-skinned characters, but it was the process of the project that gave her hope. 鈥淚 learned how to find evidence, and find a solution,鈥� she said. 鈥淲orking on this project made me feel like I had power and ability, and that I could give people knowledge.鈥�

Christopher Contes, Anime and the Teaching of Japanese Culture
A fan of anime and member of 麻豆原创 Charter High School Anime Club, Christopher Contes chose to focus on the genre for his AP Research topic because he thought it would help to make the year worth of work more fun. What he found was the class taught him a lot more about himself, and how to think differently.

鈥淚f you would have told me in 9th grade that I was going to write a 16-page paper my senior year, I would have said you were crazy,鈥� Christopher said. 鈥淏ut, I鈥檝e learned how to write better. I鈥檝e learned how to critique my work better and take critique of my work better. And I learned how to do research, so that later on in college I鈥檒l have the skills with me, instead of going into it brand new.鈥�

His ability to commit to such a lofty project and see it through also taught Christopher, who will attend City College in the fall, how much work goes into achieving your dreams. 鈥淓veryone can make it in life, everyone can succeed in whatever they want to do,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t just a matter of achieving your goals and putting in the hard work.鈥�

Vanessa Pliego, Cancel Culture
Vanessa Pliego didn鈥檛 have to go far for her AP Research topic: Cancel culture, a digital form of ostracism, has been a hot topic on social media for the past few years. But what she honed in on was why her peers鈥攈igh school students around the country鈥攁re so drawn to what she calls the 鈥渃ancelling period,鈥� or the time that exists prior to when the cancelled subject shows remorse or apologizes for what they鈥檝e said or done.

Using a mixed research method of surveys and content analysis, Vanessa found that social algorithms and group efforts like doxxing鈥攖he process of searching for and publishing someone identifying information online鈥攁ctually help to build a community in which young people develop a feeling of camaraderie and togetherness. According to Vanessa, who will attend Smith College next year, this period is more intriguing and exciting for young people than actually seeing someone reform, or change their behavior because of the awareness the cancellation caused.

鈥淚 think it so relevant, and has been happening for so many years,鈥� she said, contemplating where her project could go in the future. 鈥淭here so many aspects to explore within cancel culture, like psychological effects, that I would have wanted to research, as well.鈥�

Isaac Lopez, Time Travel
Is time travel possible? For Isaac Lopez, who will study computer science at Tufts next year, the answer is yes…theoretically.

Isaac conducted an intellectual history content analysis on the theories of scientists such as Albert Einstein, Hermann Minkowski, and Erwin Schr枚dinger, studying how each influenced the world thinking on the concept of time travel. 鈥淢r. Beaton gave me the idea that I should do an intellectual history content analysis, but he warned me it would be a college-level thing to do, that even a lot of college students struggle with that,鈥� Isaac said. 鈥淚t a tricky thing, and there are classes dedicated to it. But that is something I took out of this course鈥攇etting an understanding of how to do research at a college level.鈥�

Knowing that he wouldn鈥檛 be able to test his theory, Isaac instead thought about what types of things could be used in future experimentation鈥攚ould something like data, or a text message, ever be able to be sent back in time? A science enthusiast, he also found satisfaction in the process itself. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to do something, you should do it with enthusiasm, or at least put in a good deal of effort,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o long as you find you learned something new, then it becomes important, and actually worth it.鈥�

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