Seniors explore passions in English project

Senior projects are the dream assignment: Students have free reign to pursue their interests instead of writing 12 pages about cultural relativism. As the year ends, seniors are wrapping up their projects and showing the school exactly what their dreams are made of.

Restaurant Intern

Senior Haley Bridges decided to intern at Chez TJ, a high-end French restaurant in Mountain View for her senior project. Through her experiences, Haley hopes to learn more about pastry- making and “whether … pastry- making is an art or a science.”

Chez TJ is one of few fine dining restaurants statewide with a Michelin star, a highly prestigious culinary honor. The restaurant charges $195 per person (with wine pairings) and assures the finest standards of dining imaginable, whether in a trio of fromage or a velouté of turnip and hosoi pear.

Haley was able to receive an internship after simply “walking in” one day with her mother. For the first time on Saturday, February 6, Haley “helped prepare with the pastry chef” and “saw the whole production.” For the next month,

Haley plans to help out at Chez TJ on Saturdays and perhaps one other day per week. Haley brings to her internship a strong interest in the culinary arts and has enjoyed working with her colleagues in such a professional atmosphere.

“Interning at Chez TJ has helped me a ton so far in learning about not only making pastries but what it would be like to work in a fast-paced, high-end restaurant,” Haley said.

ADD/ ADHD Research

For his senior project, senior Darren Choi will create a video documentary that he hopes will provide an unique student perspective of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

He will shadow his friend who “can be completely unfocused if he doesn’t take his Ritalin” and interview the student’s family, his principal and other students as part of his work to shed a new light on the disorder.

“I’m going to follow [him] around and maybe a few other people and document how their day goes,” Darren said.

In addition to a documentary, Darren will write a paper “looking at ADD and ADHD from a medical view,” applying it “to school, social life and workplace environment.” Darren hopes to convey through his project that ADD should be better understood in a high school context.

“It’s a problem that goes unnoticed most of the time,” Darren said. “Whenever kids see an ADD kid, they shrug it off, like ‘He’s just annoying in class.’ But it’s usually something they can’t control, and it’s a serious problem.”

Fashion Design

When senior Kelsey Emrick got a sewing machine for her birthday, she realized a perfect way to put it to good use. As someone who has always looked to “go into fashion design and merchandising,” she chose to explore how “fashion affects the world” and how it “defines us as people” for her senior project.

To learn more about the profession, Kelsey is taking fashion sketching and design classes at the Community School for Music and Arts in Mountain View, where she not only learns about clothing but is able to create models and sew the clothes she envisions.

“I’m trying to make a long dress that’s kind of summer-y,” Kelsey said. Kelsey mentioned magazines, city life and architecture as sources of inspiration for new designs.

“I’ve been trying to learn on my own but never took any classes,” Kelsey said. “This is a perfect time for me to do something and make it worthwhile.”

Propaganda Art

Senior Natalie Hon attends Freestyle Academy, a school that places major emphasis on the arts. Freestyle had research for the senior project due before the first semester was over, so she is now completing a documentary about influential forms of art.

“My documentary is about propaganda art and using art to convey a message to a large group of people and manipulating and influencing thought using art,” Natalie said.

In addition to other research, Natalie has interviewed a woman who works as a graphic designer for a company that works for social justice causes in Oakland.

“I’ve done a lot of case-study type of stuff, looking at past propaganda art, both positive and negative, and modern-day examples like the Obama campaign,” Natalie said.

Natalie was able to connect to the theme of using art to effect change since she is a member of the Students for Justice Club.

“We’re putting out a magazine right now that has a couple articles in it, and I’m doing all the art and the layout for that,” Natalie said.

Natalie hopes to pursue photojournalism and the fine arts after high school to continue to be involved in social art.

“It’s cool to see the effect that art can have on people besides, ‘That’s really pretty,’” Natalie said.