WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE ARE DOING

I chose to make my American Spirit Project the cure for sickle cell anemia because it is very innovative. Basically, researchers used HIV to transport DNA into red blood cells to make them return to their normal shape. This is an innovative process because they used a dangerous virus turned good to help cure a painful disease. It is also still a work in progress, as they have yet to make it more available to the public and they’re still working out the kinks. This is why I chose to make my American Spirit Project the cure for sickle cell anemia.

I chose to make my American Spirit Project about music because I love music and it’s very inclusive. Music can bring people together even with their differences. My project is about being better together and celebrating diversity. Would you rather listen to music alone or with people who like listening to the same type of music, so you can bond about it? My quilt panel also represents celebrating differences because anybody black, white, old, and young can listen to and enjoy music.

I represented the American Spirit with food. Food is a way for everyone to come together and enjoy spending time together. While I was thinking about what to make for this project, I just thought about what I enjoyed doing. Many different things came to mind, but I decided to choose food because it is something all Americans use on a daily basis. When you see people smiling one reason could be because they are eating or thinking about food. It also brings people together because of how much culture is added to it. Food isn’t just something you eat, it is also an art and something people enjoy creating. There are a lot of different foods in America that represent all different cultures from all around the world.

I chose to focus on America’s space exploration and what we have accomplished over the years. I think that space exploration represents American Spirit because it shows how we are so determined to learn more about outer space. We are determined to discover new things and it is because of curiosity. I feel that all humans have a character trait known as curiosity that causes us to work even harder. It shows innovation because of the rockets that had to go through many stages before being able to go into space. Also, when making the technology to venture into space, engineers of NASA have to be creative and find new ideas to make what’s needed. Also, NASA worked with many people to make the ships, demonstrating “better together.” These were some of the reasons that I picked space exploration as my representation of  the American Spirit.

This is the Statue of Artistry. It is part of the American Spirit because artists bring people together by sharing their paintings. Artists are also creative and innovative because they come up with so many ideas for their paintings.  

Mason thinks “cooperate” is a great word to represent the American Spirit. He says “cooperate means work together. It helps everyone when we cooperate.”

When asked to think of a word that represents the American Spirit, Robert chose the word “support.” He says “people need help and support. It makes me feel happy when I’m supported.”

For my project, I picked The Special Olympics. The Special Olympics were started in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy. It was a way to bring people with disabilities together and make them feel excited and included. The Special Olympics help us celebrate our differences and bring Americans together. I am glad we have The Special Olympics because it helps people with disabilities to feel important and successful.

I chose to make my American Spirit Project focused on female inventors. Usually when you hear about an inventor you think of a man. But there are girl inventors, too. For example, Ruth Wakefield made the chocolate chip cookie. It shows innovation and creativity. These women had to be creative and think hard about what they could invent and that shows a lot. It also shows that when people work together you can make something big. If you work together you can get more done and faster than you can with one person. And it’s a lot of fun to work with other people. It’s in a work in progress too, people all over the world, boys and girls, are coming together to make new things. This is why I chose to do female inventors.

Isaac thought of the word “include” to show American Spirit. He says we should “include everybody because everybody deserves it. People feel special when you include them.”

Kristin says that “creative” is a good word to describe the American Spirit. She says when you’re creative you think of your own ideas and you make something new and different.

I chose Jackie Robinson for my project because he changed how the people in America saw and thought about race. Jackie Robinson was the very first black man to play in the MLB. He ended up playing for the Dodgers. As soon as the country found out that there was a black person playing baseball with all white boys they were confused because back then a lot of the country was segregated. Sometimes the police or players from other teams would even notice him playing and then try kick him off the field. Jackie Robinson proved that we are better together and that Americans should celebrate our differences.

For my project, I did the Wright Brothers. Two brothers from Ohio created the world’s first airplane. They showed innovation by making many different models of their planes. The first one only flew for five seconds, but they didn’t give up, they kept working. Because of the Wright Brothers and their invention, transportation numbers increased and more goods were being shipped from other countries. They cooperated and worked together to make America a better place.

Sady focused on the word “brave” for her American Spirit quilt panel. Sady shared that her mother calls her brave and it makes her feel “happy and excited and big.” She says “I am brave because I am strong.”

James focused on the word “kind” for his project. He says being kind is as simple as “saying hello.” When people are kind to him, James shares that it “makes his heart feel happy.”

For my American Spirit project, I chose to create something that happened in real life. One day there was a girl crying on the bus and I noticed her. I went up to her and talked to her. I helped her calm down and we became friends. This is a good idea for American Spirit because the girl was being bullied, which is not a good thing at all. This story represents people coming together and being better together because Americans should always help each other.

For my quilt square I decided to do a totem pole. The google definition of a totem pole is “resembling (showing) a group of people, family, or tribe.” The totem pole shows “better together” because it resembles being together in a group or family. Sometimes when we think of Americans, we only think of certain types of people. What we don’t always think about are the Native Americans. I did this project to show that we are all Americans. I chose animals to symbolize different parts of the American Spirit.

Beaver meaning HOPE. 

Wolf meaning TRUST IN OTHERS.

Deer meaning CREATE PEACE.

Owl meaning TRUTH.

I chose to make my American Spirit Project about the basketball player John Wall and a little girl named Damiyah. Their story shows that no matter how famous, rich or poor you are, you can always help others. I chose this because I like sports and I wanted to do something about basketball. John Wall really showed his true colors when he helped this little girl fight through cancer. When she didn’t make it, John was devastated. This shows how we Americans can be better together. John Wall is a NBA superstar and when people like this find kids who are sick or have disabilities, it brings out the leadership in these guys and shows what kind of person they really are. This why I chose to make my American Spirit Project about John Wall and Damiyah.

My mind immediately went to the National Parks when I thought about how to best represent an American Spirit. The parks are, of course, physical places, but I also see them as something more abstract; a collective effort to preserve our nation’s beauty and wilderness. Americans from different political backgrounds, professions and geographic locations have united around the creation and conservancy of the parks, from artists like Ansel Adams to presidents like Theodore Roosevelt. Because of these efforts, our nation’s most beautiful landscapes can be enjoyed by all Americans. Today, the National Parks Service offers accommodations and special park passes for visitors with disabilities, making the parks truly accessible for all. The National Parks represent our very best: a willingness to work together towards a common goal, a positive “can do” approach and an appreciation for the many places that capture America’s spirit.

I chose to represent American Spirit by using Betsy Ross and the American flag. Betsy Ross is the woman who made the first American flag. She lived from 1752 – 1836. The American flag shows that we are all different, but we are better together. It unites us because it shows how the thirteen colonies all came together to help us gain our freedom with its thirteen stripes. The stars represent the different states that make up our country. The flag is a work in progress and shows innovation because it has changed 26 times, just like the US itself has changed. Each time a new state was added, the flag had to change, too.