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Benchmark 1
Exhibit: Photograph Slideshow
Skills: Photography

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Photography to me is more than just snapping photos. It is a form of art that I am good at. It is a way for me to be creative. It is something I will continue to do for the rest of my life. Since the day I got my first camera in third grade, I have been interested in cameras and taking pictures. Each year I enter photos in the Jackson County Fair. I have won several classes and even sweepstakes. It is a talent that has always come naturally to me. I have had several friends notice my fine photographic work. Many of them even asked me to take their Senior Portraits. From there, I was able to turn photography into a summer job. I have taken Senior Portraits for nine different people.

 

One of these photos was taken in on a sunny day in Skagway, Alaska. I had never really thought mountains could really be purple until I visited Alaska. Everything for this photo went right. I entered it into the fair and I won sweepstakes with it. It exhibits my greatest work.

 

In my personal life, I will always be able to take photos. Whether it is family events or with friends, taking good photos will help me preserve precious memories. It will also save me money. Family events that require professional photography can be done by me saving me lots of money.

 

When I enter a career as an engineer someday, I will need to understand the technical aspects of many machines. Cameras are machines with lots of working parts and settings that I have had to learn. It will be easier for me to understand all of the technical aspects because of my time with photography. Also, I might need to take photos of certain parts or projects as an engineer. Although I do not have to be super skilled, having some camera background will help a lot.

Exhibit: Short Story
Skills: Creativity

​​I love writing, poetry, photography, cinematography, and just being creative. It’s always fun to come up with original ideas and express them through a medium. I always like to take photos, make movies, and to write short stories. It keeps my mind active and is quite enjoyable.

 

One day during the school year I came up with an interesting science fiction concept. It involved a spy organization that was not connected to any country that sold information. It was a cool idea. I wrote an eighteen page story about it and I showed it to my friends. They all enjoyed it. I also showed it to my teacher Mr. Baumgartner who loved also.

 

In my personal life, expressing me creatively will be something I do the rest of my life. I will always write stories and try to find ways to entertain my friends and family. It will keep my mind fresh and new ideas always flowing. It is a very useful skill to possess.

 

Someday I plan on getting a job as a Mechanical Engineer. I will come across many problems that will require me to come up with creative ways to solve problems. My creativity will bring me far here. I may need to come up with an original design for a part or machine where creativity is vital. Whatever the situation is, creativity will always be an essential component to innovation and design.

Exhibit: Alexis Short Film
Skills: Cinematograpy

 

​​I love making short films. I have made several throughout my high school career. It is always an adventure trying to line up creative shots, create a good script, and fixing the film up with the music. It is a very similar art to photography but with moving pictures. It becomes more than just lining up the shot as you need to create story, rhythm, and flow.

 

In the spring of 2013, my friend Alexis asked me to help her make a film. She wrote a poem and wished it to be expressed through a short film for a film contest. The topic was “Natural High.” I shot the film, recorded her voice, and wrote music for it. We put it together and the final product came out superb. Everyone I have showed it to is impressed by its professional quality.

 

In my personal life, I will always make films. I will make films with friends and family to entertain them. It is a way that I will continue to express myself for the rest of my life. I will continually use my talents to entertain others and to give a positive message.

 

When I enter a career as an engineer someday, I may need to present projects in a creative way. My knowledge of cinematography will help me create interesting presentations that will captivate my audience. I could be selling something or trying to explain difficult concepts and being able to display such things on moving pictures makes it that much easier.

Individuality.

Autobiography

Exhibit: Cross Country Team Pictures
Skills: Running

​​I run two sports that require excessive running. Those two sports are track and cross country. Each of them requires a lot of dedication and hard work in the off season. I run all year round with only one week breaks after the season ends. I run in all-weather whether it’s hot, cold, raining, snowing, freezing, dry, or humid. I have been running since the sixth grade.

 

It was freshman year and my first official cross country race. Cross Country Camp was only a few days earlier and my legs were still sore. I was competing with not only the other teams at the race, but my other teammates as well. The race went off and I watched as all of the older runners sped ahead of me. It was about halfway through the race when I found myself passing seniors on the team. I finished the race sixth runner on our team securing a varsity position for me. I also broke a tie for our score securing our team’s place. I have been on varsity every year since.

 

In my personal life, running will help me keep stay in shape and keep a clear head. It will keep me from becoming overweight and I will live longer because of it. Regular exercise is a good habit to develop. Exercise is good for you and can help eliminate any stress in your life also.

 

When I enter my career as an engineer, I will have to have a good work ethic. Working is a lot of hard work and running has given me that hard work ethic that will help me in the future. I will be willing to put in the extra effort all year round no matter what the conditions are. It will help me advance far in my career.

Exhibit: Visual Basic Computer Code
Skills: Computers

​​I do a lot of video editing with computers so I have had to learn how to work with computers very well. I always run into a million different problems that I must diagnose and fix. I have become my own tech support in a way. Today, I am constantly asked by teachers and my peers alike for help with technology.

 

My freshman year, I wanted to take my computer skills to the next level. I wanted to design and build my own computer program. I used Visual Basic for Microsoft to make my program. I wanted to make a game much like pong. I called it “The Ball Game.” I spent two full days doing nothing else but learning how to write code. I spent another two days actually applying my skills. The game turned out very well and all of my peers enjoyed playing it.

 

In my personal life, I will continue to use computers on a daily basis. The world is advancing and everything is done on a computer. This paper is being typed on a computer. The importance of knowing how to use them will only continue to grow as time goes on.

 

When I get a career as an engineer someday, computers will be a vital part of the design process. I may need to learn to use programs such as CAD and knowing how computers work will be essential to my career. As new computers programs come out and the industry continues to grow, using computers will become even more important.

Exhibit: Star Wars Sheet Music
Skills: Music

I have been in band since the fifth grade.  It was then when I picked the first of the three instruments that I would eventually play. Since then, I have played trumpet, valve trombone, and baritone.  Each of these I play well.  I play the trumpet in marching band, the valve trombone in Jazz Band, and the baritone in concert band.  Many people can play one of those instruments, but very few can play all of them and well.  Frequently my band director will switch me to different instruments because of my versatility. 

 

During the second half of my sophomore year, we played the end title and credits music from the movie Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.  It was a very long and difficult piece.  I had to learn many new musical techniques like double tonguing and off beat rhythms.  It took a lot of hard work and practice.

 

In my personal life, music will live with me for the rest of my life.  I will always be trying to learn new instruments and I will always play music with others.  Whenever I need to relax or solve a problem, all I need is to play some music to clear my head.  Also, if I ever wish to entertain my friends or family with live music, I may.

 

When I enter a career someday as an engineer, I may be faced with tasks that require practice and technique.  In music, I have had to learned lots of different musical techniques and learning techniques in my career should be no different.  It could be a computer technique or design software technique, but it is all the same concept.

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