Somersfield Academy hosted its Montessori & Middle Years Programme Personal Project Exhibition last month. Students showcased their original pieces of work, which included an eco-friendly catamaran, a Spanish children’s book, a documentary on “why we fight”, a model of a sustainable Bermudian home and a series of artworks to help those who struggle with anxiety. They reveal what inspired their projects

Cali Lindo

My goal was to create a series of five artworks that illustrate the different stages of mental illnesses such as depression, social anxiety, and atelophobia.

To do this I started with my artworks in colour and slowly added colour until the last one was in full colour, to show how someone with these mental illnesses has changed their perspectives on their mental illnesses, their life, and the world around them.

I was interested in this topic because I have many friends and family members who suffer with mental illnesses and I’ve always wanted to show them how much I care on a bigger scale than I normally do. Also, I have always enjoyed supporting people and putting a smile on their faces.

From this project, I have learnt that I can actually make an impact on people whether they have mental illnesses or not, and that my art can actually help people.

Bobby Cooper

The goal for my personal project was to design an environmentally friendly and efficient sailing catamaran and display it using artistic and architectural skills.

The reason I chose this topic is because I have always had an interest in naval architecture and would draw ships and boats growing up. I also have been sailing at the RBYC for a long time. Upon completing my project, I now know much more not just about boat design and naval architecture but also the ability to be eco-friendly and saving the marine environment in the process.

Nathaniel Binega Northcott

The purpose of my personal project was to create a physical and healthy nutrition programme geared towards myself and specifically designed to decrease fat percentages within my body while also increasing muscle mass.

The process and final product are displayed through an informative booklet describing my experiences, which provides a source of information for those curious about the topic.

At the inception of the personal project, I knew that I wanted my study to involve self-improvement. This project has been a long personal journey for me, and I have learnt more about who I am than ever before. Most notably, as a result of this project I now have become more informed about living healthily.

Rhiannon Higgins

My goal was to create a retrofit model of an environmentally sustainable home that utilises renewable energy sources to run it and that reflects Bermudian culture.

I would like my project to spread awareness about living in an eco-friendly community, to explain the sustainability features and, lastly, to document a video of the process of the model being built. I chose this project because it is a topic my generation is going to have to deal with and it’s better to start now than never.

Makayla Tucker

My goal was to design and create a series of four paper quilling artworks to illustrate the emotions I felt as an adolescent girl, while struggling with scoliosis.

The purpose was to illustrate and encourage others to embrace what their body can do rather than focus on how their body looks, and that a disability doesn’t have to define or prevent you from achieving your dreams.

Paper quilling is the art of twisting, curling and manipulating paper to create beautiful art. I taught paper quilling to an M1 art class at Somersfield Academy. This is personal to me because I have scoliosis; it has impacted my life greatly. I have a moderate curve of 36 degrees. I felt very anxious.

Psychologically, I had to contend with the opinions of others as to how my body looked and not allow it to affect my psyche.

Jordan Etemadi

“Bringing Peace to the Middle East” — My goal was to create an informative 35-40-minute documentary detailing the causes behind the violence in the Middle East, in addition to providing potential solutions

This topic is personal to me because I am half-Iranian and have many relatives living in Iran today. The instability in the surrounding countries is especially dangerous to their safety. I have learnt that there are many factors including ethnic and religious division which have led to violence.

In addition, I gained a better understanding for the importance of historical sites and the magnitude of their destruction.

J.P. Didyk

The goal of my personal project was to create a short documentary about the lionfish problem in Bermuda, for which I shot the majority of the footage used. I have been fascinated by the ocean for as long as I can remember and I love to free dive and go fishing. When I heard that the lionfish could pose a threat to the ocean that I love, I wanted to learn more and at the same time do something beneficial for the issue.

The biggest learning experience for me during the project was learning to use the editing software that I used to create the documentary.

Morgan Kempe

For my personal project, I studied and created a small series of mandala mosaics. The artworks explored similar designs, using contrasting colour schemes.

In addition, I created a short documentary displaying the creation process and also a community mosaic, where individuals could complete a section of the mosaic.

I was interested in this project because I enjoy creating artwork and expressing myself through art. Prior to the project, I had completed very small mosaics and this opportunity allowed me to develop many new skills and techniques that allowed me to grow as an artist.

Carissa De Silva

The goal of my project was to create a photography blog, to create a photography book based on the blog, and to create a showcase displaying my best works.

Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to study photography and learn more about it but never got the opportunity. Once given the opportunity, I jumped on it and created my project.

Photography has changed the way I see the world. I’m constantly thinking about photography and what would be a good or bad photo. The most important lesson I learnt was that you don’t need a fancy camera to take a good photo; your phone is just as good.

Christina Costello

My goal was to write a story in Spanish to educate M2/M3 Spanish students using the Total Physical Response Storytelling method of teaching languages, and share this story with teachers all around the world via storiesfirst.org.

I am a Spanish student and I have loved the language for the past five years I have taken the subject. Also, I enjoy writing stories, so I combined two things that I like to make a story that I am very proud of. Life is not always going to go as planned and being adaptable is a very important quality to have as a person.

Yusef Bushara

The goal of my personal project was to embark on a journey of discovery into my Sudanese culture in order to formulate a more wholesome understanding of my identity.

While doing so, I intended to broadcast my findings through the means of Bermuda’s first ever TEDx Youth event in January of 2018. The reason I chose to delve into my heritage is because of the disconnect I’ve felt for so long between myself and my Afro-Arab identity.

As a result of my experiences, I now have the knowledge to assist others in finding themselves, and ultimately, helping the youth in Bermuda find their roots.

Neena Fagundo

My goal was to make others aware of how the relationships people form with others around them can change not only their mental state, but their overall outlook on the world and what they are able to offer to others.

I did this by writing, illustrating, and publishing nine short stories based on my experiences at the Transformation for Peace programme. It was personal to me because it was so heavily inspired by what I experienced and the growth that I underwent. I felt that by sharing this story, I would be able to inspire others to find hope in the people around them.

Nadia Attride-Ramella

The goal of my personal project was to write and illustrate a book about Syria that covered the history of the conflict and refugee crisis between 2011 and 2018.

I absolutely love global politics and current events so this book was a brilliant look into the world today.

My book, which is about 150 pages, really attempts to understand the roots of the conflict and how it has evolved in its continued seven years of fighting as well as what Syrians might face when seeking refuge. The continuously evolving conflict is not one that can be captured in a single timeline or image, so my book is only a snapshot of the situation.

Hailey Hayward

My goal was to create a talk show series entitled The Baby Hailey Show. In total, I have six 30-minute episodes that highlight issues teenagers will face.

I highlight issues like finding your future job, and other milestones for teenagers such as turning 16.

Each episode includes at least two guests, a current events section and a game or skit of some sort. Viewers can access the episodes on my YouTube Channel at Baby Hailey. I had various people on the show including Michael Dunkley, Paula Cox, Nadanja Bailey and more.

Shelby Madeiros

As part of my personal project I became certified in a RYT 200-hour course through Yoga Download. As a result of getting certified as a yoga teacher, I offered a series of classes to educate and teach others locally.

I have invested a great deal of my free time to yoga and, as a result, have found that I have become a more well-rounded individual. Furthermore, I wanted to share my knowledge, and provide a way to contribute and enrich my schoolmates’ lifestyles as a whole.

As a result of the project, I have gained a better understanding of the practice of yoga, and have also been able to enhance my physical and mental health in my personal practice. In addition, I was able to enhance others’ physical and mental health in the yoga practices I taught.

Gabrielle Reid

The goal of my personal project was to create a fully functioning website, three digital illustrations, and three high-quality novel chapters about the mental condition dissociative identity disorder.

This project was personal to me because I have become fascinated with the condition and how it functions and I want to help to break the stigma around this and other mental health challenges.

Enoch Richardson

The goal of my project was to create a fully realised video game that can be played publicly by anyone 10 years and older. The final version of my video game has original music, artwork and different challenges with increasing difficulty. Altogether, I wish to utilise this project as an opportunity to present my own ideas publicly and gain. This is why I have used personal and cultural expression as my global context.

The IB definition of personal and cultural expression is, “the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity”.

This definition corresponds with my personal project because I created various characters, animations and game environments, inspired by various things from cartoons, to comic books to other video games.

I find it enjoyable and exciting to combine, compare and contrast my various interests in, video games, animation, comic books, movies and books to create my own ideas and concepts.

In the end, I learnt a lot about programming (particularly the language C+) as well as what it takes to make a video game.

Sebastian Lee

The goal for my M5 personal project was to write a collection of completely original music. I wrote a total of six compositions that spanned a variety of genres, such as swing jazz, classical music, and minimalism.

I have been playing piano since the age of 5 and consequently music has become of great importance to me. I have always been enthusiastic about studying music, but I had never actually created my own songs.

I learnt how to use instrumental music to transmit messages and emotions to an audience, even if there are no words. I also learnt how to use music to represent larger concepts that transcend the songs themselves.