Organization: I feel good about the way I get and spend, budget, and keep track of my money, either as an allowance or earnings from a job.
Stress Resilience: When I have problems, I turn to others for support.
Healthy Relationships: I am able to resolve conflict in a productive way with family and friends. We are able to talk through conflict so that it does not continue.
Rest & Play: I am confident that the amount of time I spend connected to technology such as video games, TV, computer, Facebook, and cell phone is good for my overall well-being.
Handling Emotions: I am satisfied with the way I handle my emotions and how it affects my relationships.
Spirituality: I have a clear sense of meaning and purpose in life,
School & Work: I am personally happy with my grades,
Care for the Body: I am proud of the amount of respect I pay to my body overall.
“I used to think media was just entertainment, but now I see its power to help or harm our mental health. It can fuel comparison or foster connection, the difference lies in how we use it.“
“What’s the difference between mental health and mental illness?”
Mental Health: A state of well-being where we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
Mental Illness: Diagnosed conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety disorders) that affect thinking, mood, or behavior.
Understanding Stigma – What is Stigma?
Stigma are negative perceptions that society has on mental illnesses; people with mental illnesses.
Negative Attitudes
Beliefs
Stereotypes associated with mental health conditions
Impact of Stigma
Negative Affects on Relationships
Less Employment opportunities
Worse Quality of life.
Reducing Stigma
Inclusivity
Educate Others
Being Mindful
Mental health is not just the absence of illness—it’s the ability to cope with challenges, build meaningful relationships, and find purpose in our lives. Just like physical health, it requires care, awareness, and sometimes professional support.
Why It Matters
Daily Impact: Affects how we think, feel, and act in work, school, and relationships.
Spectrum of Experience: Everyone has mental health, whether thriving, struggling, or somewhere in between.
Breaking Stigma: 1 in 20 adults in the U.S face mental health challenges, yet shame often silences them.
How Does Social Media Impact Mental Health?
The Negative Effects
Comparison & Low Self-Esteem
Endless scrolling through curated “perfect” lives can fuel feelings of inadequacy.
Seeing filtered photos, highlight reels, and “successful” peers may make real life feel lacking.
Anxiety & Depression
Cyberbullying, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), and doomscrolling worsen stress.
Heavy social media use is linked to higher rates of anxiety and depressive symptoms, especially in teens.
Addiction & Sleep Deprivation
Dopamine-driven algorithms keep us hooked, reducing real-world interactions.
Late-night scrolling disrupts sleep, which harms mental health.
How to Use Social Media More Mindfully ✅
Set boundaries – Limit screen time, turn off notifications, and avoid bedtime scrolling.
Engage, don’t just consume – Comment meaningfully instead of passive scrolling.
Prioritize real-life connections – Use social media to enhance, not replace, relationships.
Mental health isn’t the goal – it’s the path we walk every day. 💙
The purpose of my conference is to share my learning journey with you and highlight the progress I’ve made this year. I’m excited to explain what I’ve learned, the challenges I’ve faced, and the goals I have for the future. I believe it’s important for you to understand not just my achievements, but also how I’ve grown as a student. I hope this conference will give you a clearer picture of my hard work, my dedication, and the ways I’ve developed my skills. Thank you for being here to support me!
Today I will be sharing…
What I’ve done and what I still want to achieve
Some areas of growth, struggles, and some of my work
My goals and how I plan to achieve them
My Vision Board
Some of the things included on my vision board are:
Volleyball
Music
Baking/Food
Places
All of these things are important to me because they are what makes me special as an individual. I find joy doing all of these activities and being myself.
My Goals Are:
Procrastinate Less
Play Consistently in Volleyball
Better Time Management & Organization
Transdisciplinary Transfer Goal (TTG)
The TTG I chose to reflect upon throughout the year is Critical Thinking
An example of a time I demonstrated this was…
Using textiles in art, I can communicate different meanings through a combination of color, pattern, material, and cultural context. Color envokes different emotions and feelings (Ex: red can symbolize passion, or danger, while blue often represents calmness or trust). Patterns can also convery cultural significance. For instance, certain geometric designs might represent specific tribal identities or spiritual meanings (Ex: floral patterns may suggest femininity or growth).
The “Forest” app offers a unique blend of productivity enhancement and environmental impact. Key features include:
Focus Timer: Users can set timers for focused work sessions, typically 10 minutes, helping to reduce distractions and enhance productivity.
Tree Planting Visualization: As users complete their focused sessions, they earn virtual trees that populate a beautiful digital forest, serving as a visual representation of their productivity.
Social Sharing: Users can share their progress and digital trees with friends, fostering a sense of community and motivation.
Usefulness
This app is particularly useful for anyone looking to grapple internet addiction and improve time management skills. The aspect of growing a virtual forest by staying focused makes the process engaging and rewarding. By motivating users to concentrate on their tasks, “Forest” effectively blends productivity with environmental consciousness, appealing to both personal and ecological goals.
Design
The design of the “Forest” app is charming and intuitive. The graphics are vibrant and inviting, creating a pleasant user experience. Making it easy to navigate, accessible for users of all ages. The animation of trees growing as users complete their sessions adds an enjoyable element to the app, enhancing motivation without being overwhelming.
Overall Impression
“Forest” successfully combines productivity tools with a commitment to environmental stewardship. It provides an engaging platform that encourages users to focus on their work while contributing to a virtual forest that symbolizes their achievements. The app is well-designed, user-friendly, and serves a dual purpose of helping individuals manage their time effectively while promoting a positive environmental impact.
Recommendation: If you struggle with staying focused and want a fun way to track your productivity while contributing to tree planting, “Forest” is an excellent choice. Its unique approach to fostering concentration and environmental awareness makes it a standout app in its category.
In this project, my partner Kamado and I created a Penguin nest for the endangered species known as the African Penguin. Over the years, people stole the penguin’s guano (their poo) which is an important source for the penguin’s. They use the guano to build their nests to protect the chicks from bigger predators, and to keep the penguin eggs warm and ready to hatch. Humans taking the guano led to the African Penguin becoming close to extinct, because the penguins need their guano to reproduce. If the reproduction process gets wrecked, it will have a huge impact on the penguin population. This is why, our 6th grade classes have started making nest prototypes, that need to include good heat insulators that will keep the penguin and their chicks warm and we had to make sure that all the penguin’s had a safe place to stay. Our nest, “Pengy Estate,” was made from aluminum foil, cotton, wood, and mylar. Firstly, we built a base with the wooden sticks. After that, we covered the top with mylar, and a sheet of aluminum foil. We poked holes in the mylar to make sure they had enough oxygen, and the heat and the cold weather was balanced. Next we added cotton, on the inner side of the entrance, and covered the inside all with cotton. We used cotton because we imagined feeling similar to guano.
Lastly, we made it look nice and added some decoration and a sign that read, “Pengy Estate.”
