Annabella's Portfolio

Tic Tac Toe Waffle:

Media Used: Clay, underglaze, clear glaze

This is a handmade ceramic tic-tac-toe game with a round board, portraying a waffle. It has yellow square pieces to represent butter and blue round pieces to represent blueberries.

Blue Jay:

Media Used: Canvas, acrylic, newspaper scraps, watercolor

This artwork consists of two round paintings with a winter theme. The larger piece features a blue jay perched on a tree branch with red berries. The smaller piece shows more branches and berries, continuing the scene with part of the birds’ feathers in it.

Digital Self Portrait:

Media Used: Procreate application

The video shows me holding a hamster. Behind is a bright blue background with playful, cloud like animal shapes that form throughout the animation, including a rabbit and fish.

Stardome:

Media Used: Fake grass and moss, black bulletin boards, black cloth, fake flowers, picnic mat, picnic basket, diffuser, projector, air bean bag, chocolates, pillows, speaker

This installation art was used to imitate the feel of a picnic and stargazing in nature. We used the materials above to simulate the feel by incorporating aspects of all five senses.

HS Wellness Compass Vision Board

June 5, 2025 / Annabella

Organization

I organize my time and plan ahead to make sure that I allow enough time to get everything done.

Stress Resilience

I am satisfied with the way I handle stress, handling it in healthy ways rather than engaging in self-destructive habits to cope.

Healthy Relationships

I am happy with my friendships and other social connections.

Rest and Play

I actively take advantage of opportunities to try new activities and ways to have fun.

Handling Emotions

I have a solid and healthy sense of confidence in myself.

Spirituality

I am pleased with what I give back to the world.

School and Work

I feel good about the way my school/volunteer/sports/job performance is helping me to build my future.

Care for the Body

I am satisfied with the amount of exercise I get on a regular basis

For my second WOOP goal, I focused on the Wellness Compass dimension of “Healthy Relationships”, with the statement: “I am happy with my friendships and other social connections.” My wish was to text or talk to friends more outside of school, even with quick check ins, to foster stronger connections. I chose this goal because while I valued my friendships, I often hesitated to initiate conversations or plan activities. I wanted to break out of my comfort zone and create more meaningful interactions.

Steps Taken and Evidence of Progress

To achieve this, I implemented small but consistent actions:

Planned casual hangouts like shopping trips, photo booth sessions, and random activities (running through sprinklers and lying on grass). These fun, low pressure outings helped strengthen bonds naturally.

Expanded my social circle by saying “yes” to group events, where I met new people. For example, during an MUN conference, I pushed myself to talk to people from other schools, many were friendly, and we exchanged socials, leading to new friendships.

Used humor and shared interests (like funny videos) to keep conversations flowing when I worried about “having nothing to say.”

Obstacles & Adjustments

At first, I struggled with:

Overthinking (“Will they think this is random?”).
Forgetting to reach out because it wasn’t a habit yet.

To overcome this, I:

Set reminders to message friends.
Started small (sending a funny reel instead of waiting for a “perfect” topic).
Spontaneous events like inviting friends to join last-minute plans, which often led to the most memorable moments (impromptu park picnics).

Conclusion & Reflections

This goal taught me that connection grows on effort, not perfection. By taking initiative, whether planning hangouts or chatting with strangers at events, I deepened existing friendships and gained new ones. The MUN conference was a highlight, as it proved how rewarding it is to step outside my usual social bubble. Moving forward, I’ll keep prioritizing consistent, genuine communication and stay open to unexpected opportunities for connection.

Unit 2: Tech, Media, and Mental Health

April 9, 2025 / Annabella

I used to think technology was just screens and distractions, but now I see how deeply it connects to our mental health, both the good and the bad. Before this unit, I didn’t realize how much apps and social media shape the way we feel about ourselves and others. However, after learning and research, I feel that I now have a deeper understanding.

One of the biggest things I learned was about stigma. In class, we did presentations on mental health conditions like PTSD, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, OCD, and eating disorders. Hearing everyone’s projects made me realize how misunderstood these conditions are. I used to think only certain people struggled with mental health, but now I know it’s way more common than we talk about. Social media and TV often make it worse by spreading stereotypes, like acting like PTSD only happens to soldiers or that anxiety is just “being nervous.” But the truth is, mental health is complicated, and tech can either hurt or help.

That’s where apps like Daily Bean come in. At first, I thought habit tracking apps were just for productivity, but using one showed me how small things, like logging my mood or writing a few sentences about my day, can make a difference. It’s not about fixing everything at once. It’s about noticing patterns, like how scrolling late at night makes me feel worse the next day.

Social media was another big lesson. I used to think it was all fake happiness and comparison, and although a lot of it is, I see that it depends on how you use it. Following accounts that talk openly about mental health (instead of just perfect selfies) can actually make it feel less lonely. The problem isn’t the apps themselves, it’s the way some are designed to keep us addicted on likes and endless scrolling.

The most important change in idea for me was realizing that mental health isn’t about quick fixes. It’s okay if some days are harder. Tech isn’t the enemy, but we have to be careful with it. Apps like Daily Bean remind me to check in with myself, and our class projects reminded me that everyone might be struggling with something, even if we can’t see it. I used to think mental health was a private struggle, but now I think talking about it and being aware is how we make things better.

French Environment Writing Task

March 28, 2025 / Annabella

La Terre a Besoin de Nous

Auteur: Annabella
Date du post: 28 mars 2025

Je suis tres en colere! Au lieu de protéger la nature, beaucoup d’étudiants dans mon collège font n’importe pas. Je regarde des déchets par terre plutôt que dans les poubelles. Les lumières restent allumées pour rien. Il est nécessaire de comprendre que ca blesse notre planète!

Je vous déconseille d’utiliser les bouteilles en plastique au lieu d’une gourde. Il est important d’éteindre les lumières en partant pour économiser l’énergie. Aussi, je vous recommande de trier vos déchets. Il faut agir maintenant! Je vous conseille de faire les petits gestes. Il est essentiel de changer nos habitudes. Et vous, vous commencez quand?

Signer, Annabella

Language Arts Artifact 2

March 17, 2025 / Annabella

Speaking ── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

feedback for speaking diagnostic:

This was the feedback I received for the speaking diagnostic in the beginning of the year. During the public speaking unit, I felt that I was able to improve but not to the ideal point I was hoping to. During the final level of the public speaking, i felt myself panicking as well as fidgeting. However, I did make more body movements to emphasize my speaking, and tried making more eye contact.

Language Arts Artifact 1

March 13, 2025 / Annabella

Reading Writing Passports ── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

reading writing passport unit 1 Download

reading writing passport unit 2 Download

I chose these artifacts to show my strength of organization, note taking, and research. Reading and writing passports required a combination of these skills to complete, as we had to read articles and analyze visuals. My notes and research organization can be seen in the pdfs above.

Wellness App Review

March 3, 2025 / Annabella

I chose my woop goal based on the area I scored lowest on my wellness compass because I thought that part needed the most work. The app helped me overcome my obstacle which was forgetting to track my mood by sending notifications. These notifications were effective and were not excessive or addictive, they were just a short sentence everyday reminding me to log on and fill out my day.

Design Tech Artifact 2

February 26, 2025 / Annabella

The Box: Prototype ── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

This artifact shows an area that I am proud of, which is the prototyping part of the box unit. This part included showing my skills like using foam to make a model, using inkscape to design the box, and glueing the pieces together.

Design Tech Artifact 1