Last Friday, in a celebratory final burn, Mr. Madres lit his last piece of the school year. It was an awesome experience to behold and one that marked the end to a great year. If you missed the burn and want to see just what Mr. Madres’ art is all about, check out the video!

Over the summer break, the school usually undergoes some transformations– from adding new teachers and constructing new campus spaces to developing new courses and rethinking old ones.

So we here at the ODA Bolt thought that we would get some suggestions from the student body for what students want to see in the 2013-2014 school year. After taking a poll through students’ Thunder accounts, we got a lot of responses. Here are some of the suggestions:

1. Have more benches and tables around campus

2. Re-do the girls locker room

3. Sell healthier snacks in the Commons

4. Open up the choice for girls to wear dresses and skirts

5. Offer MORE interesting classes

6. Provide vending machines

7. Have more chairs in the Arts Building

8. Offer a field hockey team

9. Offer different types of teaching styles in classes

10. Have different types of classes targeted toward different types of learners

11. Offer a woodshop class

12. Create a cooking class

Thanks for your ideas, ODA students. Teachers and administrators stay an extra week in meetings to reflect on the passing year and discuss ways to improve. As for us, students? Well, we’ll be busy sleeping in and slathering on sunblock at the beach. See you next year.

Though Ms. Kozak couldn’t change why she was there, she knew she could change what was there. The idea she came up with was to have her Advanced Drawing class paint pictures that reflect the patients’ experience in treatment. She expressed the idea to her class and suggested they begin with interviewing a few of the cancer patients and creating a painting of their story.

This project was the result of a precedent that Kozak set for herself when she was first diagnosed with cancer in 2010. She wanted to include her students and bring her journey to the ODA community. She knew sharing the experience could be a sensitive issue, so she wanted to somehow make it fun. After some discussion with her neighbor, a hair dresser who told her she had a nice head, Ms. Kozak asked a few of her students to paint tribal healing symbols on her head with henna.

Everywhere around ODA she would get comments on her new do, whether that be in class, the hallway, or at the swimming pool–even with the paint running down the side of her face from the hot sun. She said the henna tattoos were “a great way to open up to this thing that is so scary for many and don’t want to talk about it.”

Despite being cancer free for two years, Kozak learned this past fall that the cancer had returned. “I had a gut feeling,” she said. “This time around I wanted to go beyond me and go beyond the bubble of ODA.”

On April 30, Ms. Kozak took advantage of this “teachable moment,” a term she dislikes, and took her Advanced Drawing class to Florida Cancer Specialists where she goes to once a week. Students met with cancer patients for one-on-one sessions to get the details of their experience and begin to visualize their projects.

The students were highly prepped for this assignment. In addition to learning from Ms. Kozak, they watched The Observer and the Observed, a documentary film about perception and experience. The film invites people to rethink stereotypes and create an artistic representation about these presumptions. Brad Bryan, the film maker, came and talked about the process with Kozak’s students. After meeting with the film maker, the students brainstormed questions that they took with them for interviews.

After their visits to the chemotherapy treatment center, the students came back to ODA to reflect on what had happened. Using what they learned from their interviewees, they created multiple thumbnail sketches (mini sketches), deliberately chose one, created it on Photoshop, printed it out, and began.

Although the assignment isn’t due until the Tuesday before exams, Julia Onufrak ’13 finished hers early. With the help of Ms. Kozak, she created a unique painting of a figure staring up at a sunset.

Maria Massaro ’14 chose to paint mountains on a golf course. She said, “the mountains represent triumph and to conquer cancer. David, my guy, loves to golf, and I think that many people will enjoy the simpleness of the golf course.”

Amy Cutmore ’15′created four seasons on a single tree. She came up with the idea after hearing that her partner loves color and nature.

The patient that Meg Phillips ’15 spoke with told her that it’s more important that the painting is interesting than tranquil. He told her that he thought art should be humorous and that he’d like to see some cats on the wall. So, Meg thought about painting some cats looking up at grapes; the painting would get a chuckle out of someone.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Francisco Marcano-Santos ’15 patient didn’t want a painting that was distracting. Instead, he is drawing a calming lake with plants and sandhill cranes to commemorate where his subject lives.

Sarah Wilcox ’14 based her painting on a description her partner made of cancer; she described everyone in the hospital as if they were on a bus going on a journey to get better. As a result, Sarah drew a bus with the word “hope” on the back traveling down a road to a serene landscape.

Reflecting on the project, Sarah said, “this was a life changing experience to understand more about what cancer is and how it affects people day to day. To see their faces when they see the artwork will be very fulfilling.”

Many of the students agreed that their experience was unexpected. They assumed that they would see frail, dying, depressed cancer patients. But surprisingly enough, it was the opposite.

“He had only one month to live. I wouldn’t think anything was wrong with him,” Meg Phillips ’15 said of her partner.

Ms. Kozak wanted her students to understand what she and other cancer patients have to go through. She said, “it’s a real life experience that is valuable to students. They had the impression that they were depressed, but they were pretty positive and had great attitudes; they were really open and excited.”

Ms. Kozak put herself in a vulnerable position to go forth with this project. It was uncomfortable for her to open up to what she has to go through. However, the end result was a profound experience for all.

“I didn’t know the impact until afterwards,” Ms. Kozak elaborated. But what an impact that was. “Patients will be able to look at something and go somewhere else besides this room. A painting can take [you] to a journey or a memory instead of thinking about what’s going on,” she added.

Once the the paintings are finished, they will be presented at Florida Cancer Specialists in a special celebration of the project. All artwork will become property of the treatment center and be displayed for patients receiving treatments.

In a world where almost all of us are touched by cancer both directly and indirectly, art can provide both a way out and a way in. It can open conversation and take people to better places. The language “teachable moment” really is too small, Ms. Kozak. Thank you for bringing us and others on this journey.

Mashups (otherwise known as bootlegs) are original songs created entirely by blending two or more pre-recorded songs together. Usually, one song’s lyrics will be placed over another song’s beat using a music editing program like Virtualdj or Audacity. Mashups can be a lot of fun and artists usually strive to combine two seemingly different genres into one flawless piece.

The staff at The Bolt recently became interested in mashups upon finding out that one of our very own, Max Provost’14, is an avid mashup artist.

Max uses Virtualdj to edit and remix his favorite songs into hit mashups. So far, his favorite creation has been a Rick Ross vs. Skrillex mashup– which blends Ross’ vocals over Skrillex’s dubstep beat.

“The trick is to find two songs that have the same beats per minute.” Max says.

Junior Amanda Durfee has also tried her hand at mashups, agreeing with Max that similar beat pattens are essential to a clean mix. Amanda uses a combination of Virtualdj and Audactiy. Her proudest production so far has been a Skrillex vs. 30h!3 mashup of “Don’t trust me.”

A quick search online reveals that mashups are quite the internet phenomenon. The Google term produced over 11 million hits.

Below are some interesting examples we found.

The Beatles v. Ke$ha- “Tik Tok Together” 

Chiddy Bang v. MGMT v. Iyaz- “Replay Kids”

La Roux v. Britney Spears- “3 bulletproof” 

Jay Z v. Dolly Parton- “Jolene is Mine”

Let us know what you think! Are you a mashup fan or do you prefer the songs in their original form?

Dexter (Showtime):

This will be the 8th season of Dexter. If all goes according to the plan of the producers, this year will feature the final tale of television’s favorite serial killer, Dexter Morgan. But what, exactly, will happen in the series’ final moments? Will Dexter get away with his murders or end up behind bars?

Breaking Bad (AMC):

This will be the 5th season of Breaking Bad. What will happen to Walter White? Will Heisenberg be captured? Will Jesse turn on Walter? How will it end? All of those questions – and more – will finally be answered this year.

Game of Thrones (HBO):

This will be the third season of Game of Thrones. because of the epic length of the third source novel, (A Storm of Swords), this season of Game of Thrones will be delivering something special and much bigger dragons

The Walking Dead (AMC):

This will be the third season of The Walking Dead. Last season ending was a shocker to many. It left many questions unresolved and some survivors seemed to have been troubled. Will season 3 resolve the questions that were left for the viewer?

The Following (FOX):

This will be the first season of the Following. The Following marks Fox’s attempt at bringing a dark, gritty cable-esque series to network television. The story itself unfolds like a mini series, where final scenes of the previous episode kick off the next.

Be sure to not miss any of these great shows. Students now have the free time, why not just chill and watch some TV.

Though sign ups have already occurred, consider some of the following new electives:

MARINE BIOLOGY

I had braces. In fact, I just got them off a few days ago. I had braces for a longer than average time. Most people have their braces for a few months. I had mine for years!

A lot of people complain that braces are the worst and that they hurt a lot. That statement is not fully true. My braces were tolerable. People make them sound much more worse than they really are. When I first got them, I was nervous because of all the horror stories I heard, but then I realize people like to exaggerate. When I first got them, my teeth and gums were a tad bit sore, but nothing to severe that a strawberry milkshake from McDonald’s couldn’t fix.

I didn’t run into any awkward stereotypical braces situations like having your first kiss and getting your braces stuck. I didn’t even have the metal detectors at the airport go off because of my braces. The only awkward situation I ran into was getting my braces stuck to my sweater and ripping the sleeve while trying to detach it. It wasn’t as awkward as it was sad. I really liked that sweater.

I chewed gum, bit my nails, ate apples, and pretty much did everything on the “Do Not Do Or Else Your Braces Will Break” list. Guess what everyone? My braces never broke. I guess I just have mad skills.

To be honest, getting my braces off was worse than getting them on. But it was mind over matter. I was afraid that my teeth were going to fall out. They didn’t and the process really didn’t hurt.

My favorite part of getting them off was getting x-ray images done. I love seeing my bones. However, I learned that I need to get my wisdom teeth out. Well, shoot.

I threw up and cried a little while getting impressions done for my retainer. No need to fear, braces wearers, I just have an abnormally sensitive gag reflex. Surely there’s a name for that, but I actually don’t know.

Don’t fret about getting your braces on or off. It will be so worth it in the end. Just how straight my teeth are! Even if you’re stuck wearing them for months or years, braces are so worth it in the end!

Now that the seniors are safely off-campus at the internships, we offer this video montage of faculty and students reflecting on the famous senior sickness: Senioritis.

But why do students attend these types of programs when they might otherwise enjoy lolling on the beach, sleeping in late, and watching summer television? One reason is to make college applications stand out. But attending these programs can lead to something more meaningful; students get to have a valuable life experiences that they may remember for the rest of their lives. Here’s a list of some of the programs ODA students are taking advantage of this summer:

Invisible Children Summit in Los Angeles

Several members of the ODA Invisible Children Club were recently invited to attend the Invisible Children Fourth Estate Leadership Summit. The summit teaches both students and educators valuable skills to help them become better leaders in their communities and even around the world. This year, the summit will be held at the University of California Los Angeles campus. Sophomores Francisco Marcano, Ben Martin, Rachel Rodgers, Morgan Woods, and Federico Frias will be the first ODA students to attend this  summit in Los Angeles in August.

“I am excited to learn more about Invisible Children itself. I’ve wanted to become more involved in Invisible Children. I wanted to learn more about the issues in Uganda and help give African children peace,” says Rachel Rodgers ’15.

“I love traveling and meeting different people that have common interests. But I also want to experience a once-in-a-lifetime [learning opportunity],” says Rachel.

Emerson Creative Writers Workshop

The Emerson Creative Writers Workshop is a pre-college program in which students develop their writing skills in genres such as non-fiction and screenwriting. Over the five week program, students work on their portfolios that they can submit to colleges. Students also have the chance to talk to special guest writers and publishers. Junior Nikki LaSalla will return for a second summer workshop at Emerson this year.

“I love Emerson. The program was really specific and sounded really fun because I love creative writing,” said Nikki.

“I hope to become a better writer and have a better sense of my writing style,” she added.

CDC Summer Camp

The Center for Disease Control is known for their studies on disease outbreaks around the world. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the CDC holds a summer program called the Disease Detective Camp. Each year, 27 students are accepted into the week-long program. They learn more about the public health field and learn more of what scientists do at the CDC. Students have the opportunity to visit a lab and conduct experiments to determine whether or not a string of bacteria is an outbreak. They also get the opportunity to take part in a mock press conference, just like the ones the CDC holds!

I recently applied and got accepted into the program. I am very excited to attend and I hope that I will come out of the program more informed about the public health field. This might even help me choose a major and eventually a career.

Summer China Trip

This past February, ODA welcomed its first foreign exchange students: Jane, Eva, Jackie, and Jason. For the three weeks they were here in America, they attended classes like normal ODA students, but also got to explore Florida by taking day trips to the Ringling Museum, Myakka State Park, and Orlando. Now six ODA students will head to China to experience Jane, Eva, Jackie, and Jason’s school.

Kelli Bagwell ’14, Sam Hajduk ’16, Erick Pena ’16, Owen Han ’16, Bam Han, ’17, Oliver Tannheiser ’15 will be attending Beijing High School #4 this summer.

“I am excited!” says Kelli Bagwell, ’14.

When asked what he is most excited for, Sam Hajduk ’16 replied with a simple, “Food!” He also hopes to come back with changed taste buds.

These are just a few of the programs students are attending this summer. Interested in doing one yourself? Well, one tip is to start early. If you haven’t already started, start exploring programs that you are interested in that still have openings. Doing meaningful summer work will look good on your college application, and you just might tap into a passion.