Multi-Year Reflection

The main focus I’ve chosen to write about is the improvement of my overall grades. Coming from my old high school in Montreal, I’ve notice that, here at Collingwood, my grades have improved a tremendous amount. I’ve been challenged this year with my history and English classes, but I have proven to myself that I can overcome these difficulties and reach my goal of earning higher marks in the two courses. The past two years before Collingwood, I would be somewhat worried to receive my end of term report cards, when here, I’m always excited to see how my grades have improved. That said, I have improved my grades since grade 10, and I have also tremendously improved my grade from September 2008 to this date.

The time I’ve spent at Collingwood has allowed me to be faced with many experiences all enjoyable and worth my development as a well-rounded individual. The work I’ve completed, the thoughts I’ve learnt, the people I’ve met, have all influenced the individual I’ve become today. Collingwood is a school with a great atmosphere and a lot of support to allow me to become the person I want to be. This grade 12 year has also been the last year before university, making it very important to figure who I am. In the end, I believe that my year at Collingwood and only been a good thing for me and my personality.

To this date, April 20th, I believe the achievement I am most proud of is the result of a recent history test I wrote at the beginning of March. History has proven to be a big challenge for me this year. My grades have improved since September because I’ve been constantly focusing on doing well and studying hard to keep achieving better marks. I received an 84% on that history test which is the best I’ve done all year. When my teacher gave me my test back and I saw the mark written on the top corner of the page, I couldn’t be happier. It was a great feeling and has proven to me that I am capable of succeeding in a difficult course.

Although I love Montreal, the city, the people, my friend and family, if there was one thing I could change about high school, it would have been to attend Collingwood for my whole high school education. I strongly believe that there is nothing wrong with this school and that it has a great reputation of believing in success.

Coming from a relatively small, all-girl school, Collingwood has been a big change. Collingwood has prepared me for the future by improving my grades, and by preparing me for the lifestyle you live in university. It has allowed me to adapt to larger classes, more diverse, and that have both girls and boys. I believe coming to Collingwood was a great decision for me and it has exceeded my expectations by a mile. I am glad to have had the opportunity to attend this school for it has had a great impact on my life and has shaped the person I am today.

Choice Highlight #1

Table of Contents, completed in Yearbook 12

Choice Highlight #2

Album cover project completed in Photography 12

Choice Highlight #3

Cubism project completed in Photography 12

Arts Highlight

As my arts highlight, I chose to write about a piece I completed in my graphic design class. I received 97% on this piece. This assignment was by far the most fun of all the ones we had done to date. The unit we were studying was typography. In other words, the art of lettering.

This work of art had quite a long design process. First, I had to research different fonts, choosing which one I would like to work with. After choosing the font, I had to decide which three letters of the alphabet I was to use. The three letters I chose were A, B, and C. Once these were chosen, in my ideas book, I made 5 sketches of my design, deciding which would work best. Then, deciding on one design, I created the design on the computer using Photoshop. Once it’s printed, the design had to be re-sketched onto white board using transfer paper, rulers, and French curves. I had never used French curves before and found it quite difficult to start. After a while, I finally got the hang of it and was able to re-create the design perfectly. Once the outline was complete, I then painted in the colors, and the work was complete.

I prefer working with the computer on programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator. I’ve been trained to work with these two programs since the eighth grade. By now, in grade 12, I find that I have become quite professional with these programs. I love to work with paint but I do not have enough experience to really show my creativity like I do with the computer.

Creativity has always played a big role in my life. Ever since I was three years old I started practicing ballet. Ever since then, I’ve always been directed to the arts and working creatively. Creativity adds so much to my life because everything I enjoy doing involves creativity.

Creativity had a major role in this artistic process because there are plenty of fonts, letters, sizes, and colors to choose from. My creativity chose what I thought would look best together, as anyone’s creativity would.

As I said, creativity plays a huge role in my life, so this highlight shows exactly what’s most important to me in life. I have such a great passion for art and love all of it. I hope to pursue my art after this final high school year is complete.

Service Highlight

The service highlight I chose to write about is a trip I went on with my family and another family to California in February. The family we went with, on this trip, was a co-worker’s of my father. They had two sons aged eleven and thirteen, and the eleven year old was autistic. My job during the trip was to take care and look after the two boys while our families were out enjoying theme parks and this new city our family friends had never been to. I chose this as my reflection piece because it was the only service I did during the year completing all of my service hours for the year. This trip included extensive hours for the whole week.

This project enhanced someone else’s life because I was able to s how these people around a place they’ve never been and around a country they have only visited a few times. Coming from Denmark, this family was not used to the American lifestyle. They experienced something that they never have before and I feel like I had a great impact on this experience.

This highlight has slightly changed my outlook on life because I was able to connect with an autistic boy and understand a little more of how his mind processes and thinks. It was difficult handling someone with a disability but I managed and learned from the boy. He made me realize that everyone is different and some people take more time than others. The trip made me realize that I must slow down and enjoy what is around me, to not take certain things for granted.

This highlight has prepared me for the future because next year, there is a great possibility that I attend Concordia University, majoring in Human Relations, which is an extensive program focusing on human sciences and the mind. This trip has almost given me a head start in my future volunteering and has given me the chance to already focus on a boy with a learning disability and understand his point of view.

I very much enjoyed my trip and learning from a family I had never met before. I hope to meet with them again some day and get the chance to experience something new again.

Athletic Highlight

In Montreal, I was very serious about classical ballet dancing, but once I moved to Vancouver, I decided it was time to move on from my dancing career because I was at the time in my life where I could become professional or simply take weekly classes. I had to find something to keep me in shape and stay healthy. I decided to start going to the West Van Gym.

This activity has benefit me body in the short run, and in the long run. For now, I have started to build a variety of muscles and strength. I have also improved my heart and able to run for a certain amount of time that has drastically improved since I started in September. In the long run, living a healthy lifestyle can entirely elongate my life. It will reduce the possibilities of becoming ill, and becoming overweight.

I always set weekly goals for myself, which has enabled me to be successful at living a healthier lifestyle. I also set individual goals for every time I am at the center exercising.
I see myself continuously doing this activity throughout my future. As I said before, it will always benefit my body and health. There are always senior citizens at the gym and I hope to one day being in good shape like them. For the following four years, during university, I will be moving into an apartment building that has a gym in the basement therefore it will be easy for my to continue this activity.

This activity allowed me to manage stress and emotional health. Whenever I have too many things to do, or too many things on my mind that are causing me stress or any kind of unhappiness, I find it easiest for me to go to the gym and work my sorrows away. By exercising, I find that I get a sort of release from any problem I may be having and it gives me time to really think things through.

In conclusion, exercising has changed my lifestyle and my health. It has entirely improved my way of living and I think that it was an excellent life decision of mine.