Senior Project Reflection 3

This week, Avery and I focused on completing our two others goals that we had yet to complete. Although we knew that we would not have time to finish the pamphlet we wanted to create for admissions, we still wanted to reach out to alumni to get responses to give to admission/Lori and let them do what they wanted with them.

The first couple days of this week we reached out to several alums, intricately explaining our senior project, our thoughts, our goals, and our questions for them. Thankfully, 6/7 alums responded with thoughtful, and provoking answers to our questions. I am so excited to see where these answers go and how they help the connection between our school and Native Americans. When we asked the alums what they got most out of their Proctor experience, the common answer was confidence. I thought this should be highlighted because I think that accurately depicts what everyone gets from Proctor. I think this is also a great way to encourage Native Americans to come to Proctor because everyone's responses were so positive.

In the last part of the week, Avery and I focused on our third and final goal. Presenting our senior project and teaching the school about the connection that Proctor has with Native Americans, especially those of the Pineridge and Rosebud reservations. This was definitely the most stressful part of our project, and frankly the part I was not excited about. I don't like getting up in front of people, and I hate when all eyes are on me. Ive never been a preforming kind of person. The fact that I was supposed to get up in front of the entire school and not just make a quick announcement about my sports team but actually present something completely terrified me. I had never done anything like that before and I hadn't planned to, until now. We spent some of Wednesday and all of Thursday planning on what we would say in assembly and also making a short powerpoint to go along with it.

When Friday came we were ready to present. The presentation went rather smoothly. I am so proud of myself and of Avery for doing something that we were both completely freaked out by. I think we totally stepped out of our comfort zones and gained a lot of confidence. I am very happy we completed another goal, and also pushed our limits.

Senior Project Day 16

Today, (Friday), Avery and I met at 9:00 to go over/practice our presentation in assembly. The presentation went well, although we definitely were a bit nervous and had a couple hiccups in our presentation but I think thats okay and helps us learn even more. I'm glad we completed another goal which was to educate the community about what we were trying to do in our senior project and also teach people who don't know about the connection the importance of it. It feels great to complete another essential goal in our project!

Senior Project Day 15

Today, (Thursday), we has to redo our presentation for Friday because the time we had was not long enough to present what we planned on. We completely shortened and changed the main list of our presentation in order to mold to the time we were given. This was frustrating, but good in the long run, because the things we took out we could use for our final product next week. We chose to highlight our Splash fundraising success, talk about the connection, and also share a Moose Lip singers song as well.

Senior Project Day 14

Today, (Wednesday) Avery and I continued responding/contacting to the Native American alum. 4 our of the 7 responded back quickly asking for more details on our project. We plan on creating a google doc to put all of the alum's responses in and then we plan on sharing this doc with admission, Lori, etc. in hope that they can use this information to strengthen the connection between Proctor and Native Americans. A common response to the question What did you get most out of Proctor? was confidence and I wanted to highlight that. Avery an dI reached out to Tucker Prudden and we will be presenting our presentation on the connection between Proctor and Native Americans on Friday, after the awards. We spend the remainder of the day planning what we would say, and also starting our final project we would present next week.

Senior Project Day 13

Today, Avery and I got a later start than usual due to the fact that I had a dentist appt. We later met up at school and met with Annie MacKenzie and she gave us even more Native American alum contact information. What was cool was she not only gave us Lakota alum information but also other Native American grads that came from the Navajo and Hopey tribes. We contacted all seven and sent out individual emails to them all. We are hoping to get some responses back. Avery and I also started the presentation that we plan to share in assembly on powerpoint.

Senior Project day 12

Today, Avery and I met with Lori to again go over our plans and see how everything was going. She signed out time sheets and we also chatted about the Native American alums and getting in touch with them. She gave us a few contacts (3) and together, Avery and I drafted an email to them. They quickly responded with their answers and we put their responses into a doc in order to create the pamphlet for admissions. We also talked to Lori and we have decided that we wanted to present what we have learned in assembly and create a presentation for our peers to enjoy.

Weekly Reflection #2

This week Avery and I completed one of our major goals in our senior project, we fundraised for the horse therapy program on the Rosebud Reservation. We did this by running a game of assassin or splash. We sent out emails and made an assembly announcement about the game and what it was raising money for. On Monday and Tuesday we sat at lunch collecting donations and signing people up for splash. I highly encourage anyone who is fundraising next to run this game because it was a huge success. I really enjoyed this week because I felt like we really made a difference in someone else's life. It was great to see how the Proctor community came together to make a change in someone else's life. On multiple occasions, people who did not want to participate in SPLASH, still donated money which I thought was really admirable.

On Wednesday, the start of the game, we woke up early and sent out an email to each participant explaining the rules and giving them there targets. Thursday and Friday were planning days for next week, but in the afternoon on Friday we went to Hanover, NH to go see a Native American museum there. The museum was a little bit of a disappointment, considering the one we intended on going to was closed due to construction. The other one we went to didn't give a lot of information about native americans, rather their artwork instead.

This week we learned about time management and also the power of fun when it comes to fundraising. SPLASH was so successful because people thought it was fun. The participants enjoyed the game, therefore, they gave more money. Overall, we made 300.00 dollars for the therapy program. Which I think is awesome. We debated playing another game of splash to raise more money but decided against it because the first game is still going on and we probably wouldn't have a winner if we played again.

One thing that went well this week was splash, and one thing that could've gone better is our time management. Next week, we plan to get in touch with he alums and present to assembly about the things we have learned.

Senior Project Day 11

Today, (Friday) we decided we would head to White River Junction to visit a Native American museum that my mom recommended. The museum was mostly different artwork made by Native Americans and a couple trinkets from different Native American tribes. Overall, the museum was a bit of a let down. I expected to learn more than I did. There wasn't much information about Native Americans around this area (New England), although I did learn about different artwork that different times created. We also talked to the museum owner and he said he would email us with more museum suggestions.

Senior Project Day 8

Today was the first day of splash! The game started at 9:00 a.m. so Avery and I got up ay 7:30 a.m. to  write emails to all 53 participants telling them who their target was and reminding them of the rules. This took much longer than expected and we didn't finish until 9:30 a.m. (oops). Next, we bought more squirt guns and sold them to people who didn't get one at lunch.

Senior Project Day 10

Today, Avery and I met with Lori at 9:30 to talk about our progress. As of now, we are a bit behind on what we plan on accomplishing. Everything is taking a bit longer than expected but after talking to Lori I feel a bit less stressed out. It has been hard trying to get a list of alums because everyone is very busy and doesn't always have time to do extra things which is completely understandable. Lori gave us a few alum names and we plan on reaching out to them as soon as we can. We then planned what we were going to ask the alums. We settled on a couple questions. For example, How has your experience at Proctor shaped who you are today? and What advice would you give Native American students who are debating whether or not they want to come to Proctor? Overall it was a very busy day.

Senior Project Day 9

Today was another day of managing splash. A surprising amount of people got out the first day so we spent the day emailing participants who there next target was and also telling people who was left in the game. We made plans with Lori for a senior project meeting but unfortunately had to reschedule for the next day. We emailed Annie MacKenzie again asking for alum emails.

Week 1 Reflection

            Week 1 was a whirlwind! After four years of waiting, these three weeks are finally here and we couldn't be more excited. We started the week off meeting with Lori and JR at the Kearsarge Indian museum in Warner, NH. After meeting Steve Lamb and his family, we headed to the museum. Celebrating the museums 25th anniversary and talking to JR was definitely the highlight of my week. We learned about not only the Lakota Native Americans, but all of the tribes in the museum. We also had the opportunity to walk around with JR and have him descriptively tell us about some of the Lakota artifacts featured, and also about some of the customs his people practice. On Monday Avery and I slept in (oops) and nearly missed the interview with JR. We were able to sit in on Ethney and Lori asking JR questions and got to ask a few questions of our own. Listening to JR's insightful responses was an awesome learning experience. He spoke about his reservation, what Proctor did for him, how Proctor helped him in his later life, his ideas about how to encourage/recruit more Lakota children to attend Proctor, and much more.

             Tuesday and Wednesday were focused mainly on reaching out to JR's mother and mother in law and finding out what we could help with in terms of fundraising. They immediately responded that they needed help funding for their Horse Therapy program, they wanted more kids to be able to participate. The program helps kids with behavioral issues on the Rosebud reservation by helping them connect with a horse which has shown to majority improve children's behavior and emotional problems. After hearing about this, Avery and I immediately hopped on board. We decided that we should start brainstorming ideas on how to fundraise for the program. We swung between a bake sale and a coin drive for a day and then got the idea to play SPLASH/ASSASIN. In order to play the game, you had to pay $5.00 and water guns were an extra $2.00. When you sign up, you are given a name of another person who is playing and you eliminate them by splashing them with water. Once you get them out you get their target. This continues until theres one victor. We sent out a mass email about the fundraiser and asked for anyone interested to send us an email back so we could roughly get a number. over 60 people responded back!

           On Friday, we reached out to Annie Mackenzie and Patty Pond about a list of Native American alums we could contact. They are still getting the lists together and we should have them by next week. We also watched Dances With Wolves a four hour long adventure/love story about Native Americans, specifically the Lakota.

             Avery and I thoroughly enjoyed our first week, although we were busy it was very worth it and we gained lots of knowledge, and feel like we will really make a difference!

Senior Project Day 7

Today was another fundraising day. Avery and I set another mass email to the students and faculty and sat during lunch and dinner for SPLASH sign ups, all together we raised 280.000 that will be going towards the horse therapy program. Avery and I were thinking that we may even want to run a second SPLASH game because it was such a great turn out and so many more kids want to be a part of it. We also started to focus more about the Native American Proctor alums and getting in touch with them. Tomorrow we will send emails out.

Senior Project Day 6

On Monday, Avery and I started off our day by heading to New London where we bought 20 water guns. We quickly headed back to campus just in time to catch assembly. Nervously, Avery and I took the stage to restate all we said in our email sent out on Friday. We tried to explain the program which we were donating to, and we also explained the point of the game to the audience. At lunch, we had more than 25 people sign up and made nearly 180.00 dollars. We are so excited about this number and so excited to see what happens tomorrow in our final day of fundraising!

Senior Project Day 5

Today,  Avery and I sent out a mass email to the student body and faculty explaining what our fundraiser was for and also explaining splash. In the email we explained that the game would start on Wednesday and we would be sending out reminders. In the email we asked people to respond back to the email if they were interested in playing just so we knew (roughly) the amount of people interested in playing. We got a total of 40 people interested. We placed all the names in a google doc, so we could keep track of them. Next, we decided that the admission fee for the game would be 5.00 dollars and to make a little extra money, we decided we would buy squirt guns to sell to players to make it easier to "splash" them. After planning this, we continued watching and finished the movie Dances With Wolves.

Senior Project Day 4

Today Avery and I decided that for our fundraiser we would have the school play the game splash or assassin. In order to play the game and have your name on the list, there is a five dollar admission fee. We will be donating the money we make to the Therapy Horse Program that JR's mother runs. If you would like to learn more about this therapy program, here is the website tiwahe.org. The game of splash is played when you get a name of someone else playing splash and you have to splash them with water, once you splash them with water they are out and you get the person then you get the name of the person they were trying to splash and so on until there is a single winner. Avery and I also reached out to Patty Pond and Annie MacKenzie to get a list of past Native American alums we can contact. Avery and I have also been watching Dances With Wolves. I have already seen the movie, but Avery hasn't and it is fun to see her reactions and thoughts throughout the movie.

Senior Project Day 3

Today was another planning day for Avery and I considering we still have not heard back from JR's mother or mother in law. We decided to meet with Lori because we feel like we are a little behind in this weeks goal of finding out what we need to fundraise. While meeting with Lori we decided that we should start to get the names of past alums so we could start contacting them early. We plan on meeting with Patty tomorrow morning. We also decided that we should watch the movie Dances with Wolves because it shows Lakota life, and Albert WhiteHat did all the translations for the movie. Lori also suggested that we talk with Annie MacKenzie and ask about her knowledge of previous alums that would be willing to talk with us.

Senior Project Day 2

Avery and I started off our day by emailing JR about getting in touch with his mother and mother in law about helping rosebud in anyway we could. He quickly responded back to our email with the contact information for both. We sent out an email to both of them and are awaiting their responses. With time on our hands, we decided to plan what we would be doing for the next couple of weeks. We plan to meet with Lori tomorrow and get the names of past Lakota alums, we then plan on contacting them via email or telephone and setting up a meeting for us to call/facetime with them and hear about their Proctor Experiences. We also heard about a group meeting on Sunday at the WCA in Wilmot, NH that plans to help townspeople learn more about the history in our area surrounding Native Americans. Although today wasn't a hands on work day, we did accomplish lots of the planning that needs to be done.

First day of senior project

On Sunday, Avery and I had the opportunity to start senior project a little early and go with JR, Raz, and Lori to visit the Lambs house and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner, NH. When we first got there, we were introuced to Steve Lamb and his father Bud who founded the museum. We then headed to the museum where we were greeted by about 75 people celebrating the anniversary. Avery and I then walked around the museum with JR and he shared  his knowledge about the Lakota Native Americans. One of the most interesting things he taught us about the Lakota culture is the fact that when babies are born, if it's a girl they create a beaded turtle figure and if its a boy they create a beaded lizard figure. Once the babies umbilical cord falls off, they sew the unbilical cord inside the lizard or turtle. Then childen wear the lizard or turle around their neck until it eventually falls off, representing the ending of their childhood. After, Avery and I sat and listened to the history of how the museum was first started and how Bud and the Whitehats came to be friends. Next, Lori, Jr, Raz, and others preformed a prayer song that was about love and friendship.

On Monday, Avery and I headed to school to help interview JR with Ethny and Lori. We learned even more about the connection between the Lakota and Proctor and also learned about JR's personal experience at Proctor. We then spoke to him about how Avery and I could help the Lakota reservation. He told us he would help us get in touch with his mother and mother in law and they would help us get in touch with different soup kitchens. Next, we headed to Brooks Bicknell's class and listened to JR talk about what happened between the government and the Native Americans and how they were treated unfairly and had most of their land taken away. He also talked about how they were only given the land that was least prosperous. Unfortuantly, JR left on Monday to go back home but we are very grateful for the knowledge and connection he left us with.