Teachers with Flair & Understanding
Teachers with Flair & Understanding
Teachers with Flair & Understanding

Passion Projects: Authentic research and presentation skills come to life at CRIA

The Passion Projects (PP) unit of study is an opportunity for freshman English students to research and design media presentations in their own special area of interest.  PP encourages students to explore and pursue their passions with guided modules to teach students how to effectively use various media presentation techniques within the English 9 course syllabus. 

Congratulations to the 2023-24 freshman class on their presentations! You can find examples of the students' Passion Project presentations here: 

https://sites.google.com/view/carpenter-passion-projects/home

Sienna Balecki - Mini Library
Sienna Balecki - Mini Library
Jude Beale - CoMath
Jude Beale - CoMath
Sophia Caserta - inVENT
Sophia Caserta - inVENT
Antonio Del Solar - Nourish Together Food Pantry
Antonio Del Solar - Nourish Together Food Pantry
Eliza Dupps - The Palette Project
Eliza Dupps - The Palette Project
Elijah Hutzal - Swim More Healthy
Elijah Hutzal - Swim More Healthy
Jordan Morris - Breaking The Silence
Jordan Morris - Breaking The Silence
Alexa Sanchez - C.R.I.A Uniform Exchange Program
Alexa Sanchez - C.R.I.A Uniform Exchange Program
Chase Wiley - Cleaning Rivers
Chase Wiley - Cleaning Rivers

CRIA follows the Virginia Standards of Learning for our English curriculum.The following skills are developed in the Passion Projects unit:

DEVELOPED SKILLS:

  • develop more creativity and independence for learning
  • create passion for learning
  • develop critical thinking to be able to contribute ideas for problem solving to society
  • practice responsibility in creating ownership with calendars, contacts, and interviews
  • grow confidence in articulating ideas
  • develop cooperative learning skills

 

LEARNING STANDARDS:

9.1   The student will make planned oral presentations independently and in small groups.

  1. a)  Include definitions to increase clarity.
  2. b)  Use relevant details to support main ideas.
  3. c)  Illustrate main ideas through anecdotes and examples.
  4. d)  Use grammatically correct language, including vocabulary appropriate to the topic, audience, and purpose. 
  5. e)  Use verbal and nonverbal techniques for presentation.   
  6. f)   Evaluate impact and purpose of presentation.      
  7. g)   Credit information sources.
  8. h)  Give impromptu responses to questions about presentation.
  9. i)    Give and follow spoken directions to perform specific tasks, answer questions, or solve problems.
  10. j)   Use a variety of strategies to listen actively.
  11. k)  Summarize and evaluate information presented orally by others.
  12. l)    Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work.

9.2  The student will produce, analyze, and evaluate auditory, visual, and written media messages.

  1. a)   Analyze and interpret special effects used in media messages including television, film, and Internet.
  2. b)  Determine the purpose of the media message and its effect on the audience.
  3. c)   Describe possible cause and effect relationships between mass media coverage and public opinion trends.
  4. d)  Evaluate sources including advertisements, editorial, and feature stories for relationships between intent and factual content.
  5. e)   Monitor, analyze, and use multiple streams of simultaneous information.

All Passion projects 2023-24

Zohar Avital - Sea Soother

My project is combating a problem that every surfer or beachgoer goes through in Costa Rica, Sea Lice bites.

Isabella Ayre - Project Welcome Book

The point of this project is to spread awareness to tourists about the negative impacts they have on Costa Rica. My thought process was that I can end take a welcome book and put on-page tips and alternative ways to lessen their impact on the environment in Costa Rica as a tourist.

Sienna Balecki - Mini Library

A mini library with a variety of books for grades 6-12 to access during lunch break until the end of the school day where they can borrow a book and return it anytime within a two week time period.

Isabella Barquero - Playing Deal

Teachers and coaches are not allowing us to use volleyballs during our breaks in school. They have their reasons, students have lost half of the school volleyball the last semester and now we don´t get to play with them anymore because the rest of them could get lost. My solution is to create a sign-up sheet and be able to keep track who took which volleyball and when.

Jude Beale - CoMath

CoMath is an app where students and people from around the world can ask questions when they are confused. By doing this, they will receive multiple perspectives and in turn, have a higher chance of understanding the problem or idea they are confused about.

Frida Binaghi - CRIA Glamour

Creating a memorable PROM.

Van Boehme - Upcycle Tees

My passion project is about making plastic-implemented shirts that will have an AI design on them. This will advertise the beauty of Costa Rica while also having a deeper goal and meaning behind it. The profits will go towards supporting a charity that is just starting up as well. They are focused on reducing the levels of plastic for Costa Rica.

Orlando Castillo - Healthy Life

The mission of healthy living is to make it easier for people to have an application to improve their diets. Our goal is to teach and shape how people view health and enable them to see the impact of what we eat on the world. Healthy living provides nutritious learning opportunities. Healthy Life is a project that promotes a sustainable future and a healthy lifestyle.

Sophia Caserta - inVENT

Peer to Peer mental health support, a place to get advice and vent.

Alexander Congdon - CRIA Running Club

My passion project is to create a running club for the students here at CRIA. Originally, it started as an idea for a charitable 5k but it quickly transitioned into becoming an ASA. Now, every Wednesday from 3:15-4 the running club is in full swing. I currently have 7 runners and I am hoping to have at least 10-12 by this time next year.

Sky Cultraro - Dogs in Need

My goal is to get the dogs from Halfway Home adopted, fostered, and improve their quality of life!

Antonio Del Solar - Nourish Together Food Pantry

I want to create a food pantry/drive where those in need can access the sustenance they require. This will be more of a “pop-up” thing and be held hopefully around once per month. I plan to distribute mainly canned and non-perishable food items.

Eliza Dupps - The Palette Project

Donating art supplies to a local school

Chloe Fogden - Wild Birds

My project is about spreading awareness of some struggles wild birds have and give some information about birds.

Maxim Gartner - The School Box

The School Box: a specially designed organization box with different components and compartments for all your student need. So, you never lose another pencil again.

Nicolas Golobios - Improved Soccer Fields

My Passion Project promotes the idea of making improved soccer fields in my school and around the area. This is to benefit the players and help reduce injuries since the fields in Guanacaste aren’t taken care of.

Emmett Harker - 3d Printing Capabilities

It is a look into the capabilities of something that is evolving all the time in our world; the 3d printer. From printing replacement pieces to things within your house or even printing a house made of concrete.

Lucas Harwell - Super Strap

A strap for fishing with smaller reels.

Elijah Hutzal - Swim More Healthy

Faruk-Efe Kinali - One Shot

Evan Krimm - Petals & Pages

Everyone who purchases a used book from me will also be given a free potted flower or seeds. I started this to reduce carbon emissions, and to promote the hobbies of gardening and reading.

Jordan Morris - Breaking The Silence

Informing as many people as I can on the severity and reality of Sexual Harassment. Sharing real peoples stories and direct quotes as well as many statistics. Changing the mindset from “What was she wearing?” to “How can I help?” and “Is she ok?”

Cristina Muñoz - The Dance Project

The Dance Project is a club for primary school students. This club consists of a safe and comfortable environment for students to express themselves through different movement and styles of dance. It includes learning new ways to discover and find comfort in who you are. As well as, getting to know other students and making new friends throughout the learning process.

Luisa Muñoz - Cheesecake Wonder Jars

The idea of Wonder Jars is to make unbaked cheesecake a transportable dessert, so it can be a refreshing dessert with easy access. When you purchase one you give back the jar after you eat the cheesecake to make it friendly for the environment.

Ren Owens - Relight

Reimagining streetlights for accessibility

Jaden Pailet - Hooked Fishing Lures

I created biodegradable fishing lures to help with plastic waste.

Lelio Papini - Morning Water

In this project I talk about the advantages of drinking water in the morning and giving reasons or advices as to why to do it, by doing this I also talked about my background as to why working on this project.

Hudson Rich - Faces of Autism

Autism effects 1/36 children in the United States. Autism is a lifelong, non-progressive neurological disorder typically appearing before the age of three years. The word “autism” means a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction.

Autism can’t really be defined in a simple definition, it is more complex than just a diagnoses.

Alexa Sanchez - C.R.I.A Uniform Exchange Program

A program created to make school uniforms more cost-effective, and environment friendly.
 

Jacob Seguin - Soccer Medicine Ball

I had the idea to stop wasting popped soccer balls and came up with an idea why not just turn them into médecin balls to work out with which is what I did.
 

Leo Seguin - Angler Outfits

My passion project is a new way of seeing Costa Rica. It lets people see how there are options in choosing from expensive clothing and cheap clothing. I focus mainly on creating good looking and not too pricy fishing clothing. Fishing is so important in this area and that is why I’m focusing on that.
 

Ivan Semeniak - Polluted Soil and Compost

Why compost is the future and what problems might arise with soil.
 

Santiago Tricon - 3-D Modeling

A type of gallery for 3D modeling projects along with an advice section.
 

Audrey van Asperen - Food for Thought

I aim to help people slowly get over their fear foods.
 

Chase Wiley - Cleaning Rivers

Cleaning rivers with a plastic filter