My name is Sage Hannon and I am currently a Junior at U32 high school. I came into the Pilot Program halfway through my sophomore year and I have been studying climate change in the program since. I will not be continuing in the Pilot Program for my senior year, I would not have enough room in my schedule for Pilot next year with all of the classes I am taking. I have been interested in climate change since my freshman year, when we learned about it in a joint science and global citizenship climate change unit. My passion for the climate change crisis continued to grow over the following months. I wanted to do something to make a difference and help fight this epidemic but I felt as though I couldn't in the classes I was taking. Over the summer going into my sophomore year, I came upon a TedTalk by Britta Riley about the hydroponic window garden movement. I was already interested in engineering from a water conservation project from my Earth Science class freshman year, after watching this TedTalk I immediately wanted to build my own hydroponic window garden. I was unsure of how I would have the time or materials to do so, until I remembered the independent study program at my school, Pilot. It was too late for me to apply for my sophomore year, so I planned on applying to get in my Junior year. One morning in January of 2018, my friend Madison called me. She told me there was a Pilot spot open to get in for the second semester. I was very surprised Madison told me about the spot because she wanted to get into Pilot too and at the time, there was only room for one. I ended up getting in and thankfully another spot opened up so Madison got in too. As I talked about on my home page, Madison has basically been the rock of my Pilot study. I feel very lucky to have her as a peer in the Pilot Program. I have always been a somewhat shy person. As I have gotten older I have come much more out of my shell, so to speak. Even with age, I always had trouble being confident in what I say or speaking out in settings such as a classroom. One of my biggest takeaways from Pilot has been public speaking. Pilot seminar and exhibitions have taught me how to relax and be confident in what I have to say. I have learned how to confidently and politely challenge the views and opinions of those around me in a productive, engaging and safe way. At U32, I am involved in the restorative panel. This is a small group of students that run restorative practices among students in order to resolve issues. I joined the panel in August of 2018 and will continue next year. In this group, I have learned how to talk to people you may not agree with. Watching students work out disputes has been interesting to say the least. It is pretty obvious to tell who of a restorative circle is not trying very hard to actually work through the dispute. A lot of students try to coast through, it can be difficult to acknowledge that you have done something to unintentionally or intentionally harm someone else. The questions we learned to ask during training while initiating these restorative circles work through the issue in a way that the students usually feel less attacked. The conversations we have with these students can usually be uncomfortable for them, I have learned how to initiate these conversations in a productive and safe way. As well as the Pilot Program, the restorative panel at U32 has helped me become comfortable with public speaking. |