Reflection to be written closer to the end of service.

IB Learning Outcomes applicable: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

I have been tutoring my classmates in IB Chemistry after school. I find tutoring enjoyable because not only does the tutee learn from me, but I also reinforce my knowledge, especially considering that I took the course last year (L.O. 1, L.O. 5). Finding time that works in both of our schedules can be challeneging, but the result of tutoring is rewarding for the both of us, as the tutee learns and I get genuine enjoyment from seeing people learn and improve because of my work (L.O. 2, L.O. 3, L.O. 5).

Reflection to be written closer to the end of service.

IB Learning Outcomes applicable: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Since freshman year, I have been a library aide, working to maintain Barnewll Library and support student, staff, and alumni visitors during my advisory, lunch free period, and occasionally before and after school. In my work this year, I continued to support backend operations, as well as service patrons. Most of my work was done at the front desk, which often included assisting patrons in searching for titles, general research, technical support with library equipment, checking titles in and out, and helping with general clerical tasks.

Of these, my most notable experience was helping a student with their senior thesis. The student showed up regularly for about a week while I was working, and I was able to suggest titles related to his paper topic, as well as helping him access academic resources through ProQuest and JStor, among other databases that Central subscribes to.

In addition to working the front desk, I occasionally helped in upkeeping the library, including reshelving books and restocking printer paper and toner.

I also worked with the Central High School archives, located inside of the library, and the Alumni Association Office of the Historian to help preserve Central's storied history and our records.

Notably, I was tasked with organizing, sorting, and digitizing records of Central High School students and alumni who were deployed for World War II so that the records are easily accessible to their families and to outside researchers. Additionally, I helped organize graduating class boxes, which have yearbooks, class memorabilia, and some class-specific alumni records. 

IB Learning Outcomes applicable: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

On December 18th, I judged at the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League's high school debate tournament. I judged for the sole novice round. I judged the sole novice/JV round, and frequently judge for PSDL high school tournaments (L.O. 4). Debate allows middle and high school students to directly engage with issues of global significance by allowing them to research and prepare arguments for both sides of key global issues (L.O. 6). The topic for the month of December is "The United States should substantially reduce its military support of Taiwan".

This round was interesting. As someone who prepared cases for and debated the Taiwan topic, it was interesting to hear their cases and think about how I can apply their arguments to my case (L.O. 1), as debate is a ultimately a community built on sharing evidence and working together to learn (L.O. 5). 

On November 13 after school, I volunteered as a judge at the Philly After School Activities Partnership's December middle school debate tournament. I have been judging ASAP tournaments for years (L.O. 4) and also helped organize event operations before rounds started, including pairings, judge assignments, and other conflicts that arose working with Philly ASAP staff and other judges (L.O. 3, L.O. 5). Debate allows middle and high school students to directly engage with issues of global significance by allowing them to research and prepare arguments for both sides of key global issues (L.O. 6).

These rounds were honestly kind of uneventful, but I found the strategy that the winning team in the third round used to be very interesting and effective, and I would like to apply it to my debate rounds (L.O. 1). 

On December 5th, I judged at the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League's high school debate tournament. I judged for the sole novice round. Additionally, I also helped the PSDL team set up outside of Spain Conference Center and figure out which rooms to use (L.O. 3). I am a frequent volunteer judge for PSDL events (L.O. 4). Debate allows middle and high school students to directly engage with issues of global significance by allowing them to research and prepare arguments for both sides of key global issues (L.O. 6). The topic was "The United States should substantially reduce its military support of Taiwan".

This round was interesting. It was two teams from the same school competing against each other. It was kind of hard to adjudicate because they had similar cases and skill levels, but consulting with another judge I figured out how to write up my decision fairly (L.O. 2, L.O. 5). Additionally, I learn a lot from judging debate, even for lower levels of debate like JV, and it helps me in national circuit debate (L.O. 1).

On November 13 after school, I volunteered as a judge at the Philly After School Activities Partnership's November middle school debate tournament. ASAP works with the school district to organize district-level interscholastic academic competitions, including debate. I am a frequent judge and general volunteer for ASAP events (L.O. 4). Debate allows middle and high school students to directly engage with issues of global significance by allowing them to research and prepare arguments for both sides of key global issues (L.O. 6).

As a national level high school debater, I find judging debate to be both fun and interesting, as I often learn a lot about debate, even from middle school debate (L.O. 1). Additionally, I helped the organizers manage pairings, assign rooms, and deal with any issues that came up during rounds (L.O. 3). The winning team in the second round consisted of two really promising middle school students, who genuinely amazed me with their abilities, so I also attempted to recruit  them, telling them to consider Central when submitting high school applications and joining Central's debate team.