lpappas

This past week was our Senior Exhibit rehearsal presentations...

Well, after spending the past week preparing and making sure I followed the basic outline Mrs. Aldrow sent us; I still didn't feel as though I was ready to give the presentation at all. And I was 100% right. I went during 3rd period on Wednesday and I didn't think I was nervous until I actually was looking at the people attending my presentation. When I started, I actually thought it was going alright, but then I finished my slides in about 15 minutes and then basically went into a state of panic. I really was not as prepared as I thought. So, I stood in front of the class, completely at a loss about what to say, then, thankfully, Ms. Wilbrandt asked me to explain the history of the Crisis and that made me remember what my project was actually about. (up until then I was just talking about the process I went through and not actually about the history or anything I learned). I think I was able to carry it on pretty well from there, but I was missing my notes on the history and started to explain it backwards, mostly because I wasn't thinking straight. Anyway, we still ended about 7 minutes early.

In retrospect, I think I should have just taken a second to stop, take a deep breath, and compose my thoughts before I said anything. Then, I wouldn't have felt like I was stumbling blindfolded through a maze. All in all, I am really glad that we had to do a rehearsal presentation because it definitely let me know how much more preparation I need, what I need to talk about, and how to budget my time. The evaluations were also really good because my evaluators clued me in on some things I didn't know I did. Ms. Wilbrandt also debriefed me on my presentation and gave me some really good tips on organization and how I can effectively explain the history. And also on my annoying presentation habits :(. She said she would be willing to work with me on the presentation, which I appreciate. After school I went and spoke to Mrs. Clark-Evans as well. I am going to meet with her next week to walk through my presentation (since she couldn't attend my rehearsal) and hopefully she will have suggestions about what I could do to make my presentation better.

Well, now that I have a better idea of what I need to accomplish before my May 14th presentation date, I think I can do it. Right? :)

Ever since my application a few weeks ago, Senior Exhibit has kind of floated to the back of my mind a little. I was really really happy that it went well, then I just decided to give myself a break from SE because of how much it consumed my life in February. Well, that mindset didn't really last too long because I had to work on my invitations and my written document.

My invitations were really neat. I had these miniature Cypriot flags and I made little wooden bases for them to stand in. Then, I attached the envelope with the invitation in it to the flagpole. The actual invitation itself was in Greek (with an English translation on the other side), which I thought was really cool (and wasn't the easiest thing to translate either).

My written document, a letter to the editor of the FLS about why we should care about Cyprus, is not as easy to write as I thought it would be. The challenge is making my point in 250 words, which didn't seem like too much when I first saw the requirement. However, it seemed short enough to throw me off balance as I was expecting more than that. However, I think that length would help my letter be more effective. We shall see...

Next Wednesday is our Senior Exhibit rehearsals and I am slightly anxious about it. I don't have my ppt or my notes done and I still don't feel confident in what I am saying or that I even understand the rehearsal presentation. My biggest worry is that I won't be able to take up thirty/thirty-five minutes. However, I am going to work on my presentation (and rehearsing my rehearsal) this weekend, so hopefully I will be ready enough when Wednesday comes around.

I know this is a monster journal entry, but this week has been extremely eventful for Senior Exhibit. The major component of my project occurred and I couldn't be happier with how it went.

Ambassador Kakouris visited FA on Tuesday! This event was one of the applications for my project and the culmination of work I have been doing since October. This being so, I was quite anxious about everything working out as planned and didn't get any sleep the night before. However, my fears were unfounded, as the entire affair went smoothly. From the moment he pulled up to when he left not one thing went wrong (Thankfully!). When he arrived, he was ready to go and really just walked into the theater and spoke. What impressed me the most is that he gave his whole talk without a single note in front of him. He is also a great speaker; the way he speaks just seems to draw you and want to know more. During his speech, he drifted off on tangents that didn't seem related, but always connected them to the main point, which was amazing. Anyway, after the presentation he hung around to have a separate Q&A session with the AP Government classes in the Upper School office. I thought it was really neat because he answered some really good questions. However, he only stuck around for about fifteen minutes before he had to leave. As we walked out he thanked me for inviting him, which made me feel special because he's the one who should be thanked and it isn't everyday a diplomat thanks a high school student for something. It was just really cool altogether. He's a really amiable guy and I am really happy he came. I have received a lot of positive feedback and it seems like everyone enjoyed the presentation, which is nice to know. It went over better than I expected. However, despite its success, I am happy it is over. : )

On Wednesday, Mrs. Clark-Evans and I met to go over the presentation and to talk about my written document. As everything else has done, the form of my written document has yet again changed. I am not really keen on doing an outline or a flat essay because it just wouldn't be dynamic exciting, to be quite honest. So, we discussed what I could do and Mrs. Clark-Evans had some really cool ideas. The one that I liked the most was writing a letter to the editor of the Free-Lance Star about why Cyprus matters (which was, incidentally, the topic of the Ambassador's speech). I am going to start working on an outline for the structure of the letter soon. It is going to be really cool to get even more awareness about the Cypriot Crisis out to the public. Another idea Mrs. Clark-Evans gave me is that I could write a letter to my Senator asking him to get involved with the problem on Capital Hill. Either one of these ideas could actually end up turning into another (mini) application, which is pretty cool. We also talked about the structure of the final presentation. This was good for me because I am really not sure of how to go about planning my final presentation or what needs to be said in it. Mrs. Clark-Evans gave me some key points that I need to hit upon and a way to structure my final presentation. I am actually pretty excited about putting together my final presentation because everything I have been working on for the past year is coming together! YAY!!

During our Senior Exhibit meeting on Thursday, Mrs. Aldrow reminded us about two important things we needed to do. The first is to send our application evaluations to an evaluator. However, since I kind of did two applications, I'm not sure how Mrs. Clark-Evans is going to separate them. Well, we shall see. The second thing we discussed was invitations, which are due next Wednesday. My invitations are going to be really neat. I am going to attach the Cypriot flag to the front of each invitation and all of the writing is going to be in Greek! (with an English translation on the back of course).

Overall, it is exciting to see everything winding down with my project. It's a little sad, but it means that I have almost completed what I set out to do, which is the important part. :) YAY!!!

I was thinking about what I would ask the Ambassador when he came and I decided I would post a few of them up here. :)

How will the election of a communist leader affect Cypriot relations with the United States (if at all)?

How is this change in leadership likely to change Cypriot relations with Greece and with Turkey? Will it be positive or negative change for the country?

Cyprus' new president is Demetris Christofias. He was the candidate from the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL), which is considered the Communist Party of Cyprus. Christofias (and communism) coming to power in Cyprus means a lot for the reunification of the island, which the new president widely approves. This reunification (and president) is a blessing for Turkey. It will allow them acess to the benifits of an EU membership. We have yet to see the effects of this monumental change in Cyprus and if it will turn out well.

In the meantime, check out some of these cool articles from CNN, BBC and other major news networks. They explain the voting process and analyze the possible effects of the outcome. (the BBC one-the first link-is really cool!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7262050.stm

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/02/24/cyprus.election.ap/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/02/25/cyprus.talks.ap/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/02/18/cyprus.election.ap/index.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/24/AR2008022400600.html