Quest

Celebrates

Grade 5Independent Project

called a Type III

Race to Retirement

EconomicsGeorge B.

I was interested in the European Union

crisis, because it was in the news and

began to wonder; how do economies

work? What products do people produce

and who wants to buy them? I also

wanted to know how inflation happens?

I decided to make a game that symbolizes the life span of a family’s economy? I wanted to get people engaged in my game, so I used my classmates’ personalities to my advantage. Race to Retirement was, as they say, “off and running.”

Greek Mythology and Its

Influence Today

Cultural AnthropologyMatthew B.

My recent travels to Europe and Greece

inspired me to explore Greece’s culture,

language, art, and how people live.

Anthropology comes from two Greek

words Antro and Logs. Those words mean

Human Thought.

My search began with a reflection

of my favorite places in

Greece, and how the Greek culture

is explained with their mythology. I

even wrote my own myth. I loved

showing people how Greeks

influenced our consumer products

today.

Who took my a ?

Archaeological PhenomenaWalker B.

I wanted to study the scientific remains of

the past that reflect human behavior like

Stonehenge, The Pyramids and Macchu

Pichu. This lead to archaeologists like

Howard Carter and Heinrich Schliemann.

The most interesting was the Terra-Cotta

soldiers found in China. They were buried

along with the emperor Ch’in Shin Huang

Ti who also started the Great Wall of

China. This led me to the question of

“ethics.” Should tombs be disturbed or

preserved and is this the right thing to do?

Here’s how it might have happened?

Engineering the Great PyramidMatteo C.

Our mystery theme in fourth grade Quest

was so interesting to me, that in fifth

grade I continued exploring historical

mysteries along with conspiracy theories.

How the Great Pyramids were built is

disputed by Egyptologists and no records

exist to tell their story.

An explanation of how this may have

happened was published by a civil

engineer named Dick Parry in Engineering

the Pyramids. I decided to build a series

of models to demonstrate some of these

ideas, including: primitive

cranes, rollers, and tree lifters.

Take An Envelope From the Amelia

Earhart Suitcase!

Amelia Earhart and FlightCristina G.

How have aircraft design, aeronautic

theory and psychology changed

throughout the ages? Why do people

want to fly and how does it affect their

feelings and character. This led me to the

icon of flight in the USA, Amelia Earhart.

I explored the mystery of her last flight,

and how her childhood and personality

affected her career. I used her feelings

and attitudes to write a diary from her

perspective.

How did you make your

animations?

Graphic Design and

Animation Eryk J.

In the beginning, my interest in doodling

and cartooning, and my combination of

multiple intelligences of mathematical

and visual/spacial smarts led me to a

study in design….

As a product, I practiced animation and

graphic design. Graphic design is used in

everything from clothes to logos to

skyscrapers. I made my own animations

titled Eryk I and Bird with a program called

Toonboom Studio and AnimationCreate

on the iPad.

What was so “great” about

Catherine the Great?

Female MonarchsEmily M.

I became interested in Marie Antoinette after

reading a historical fiction diary about her.

Her famous comment, “Let them eat cake”

demonstrates how those in power can be

unaware of their subjects’ basic human

conditions. Others however, demonstrate

compassion like Catherine the Great, who

was praised for her generosity and humanity.

How Queens reign and maintain power is

fascinating.

Can you find her?

I created a matching game

using paintings, quotes and

summaries that would help

people to understand some of

the most famous queens.

Have you ever heard of Nikki Yanofsky ?

JazzMeg C.

The first time I heard jazz on the radio, I fell

head over heels for it. It was so different

from classical pieces like Fur Elise. Being

able to play what you feel without

criticism appealed to me.

The roots of jazz were full of musical

surprises. When I heard a young

Canadian jazz singer who sounded just

like Ella Fitzgerald the “First Lady of Song,”

I had to find out more. I was lucky enough

to interview a jazz expert right here in

West Hartford. It opened up a whole new

level of understanding about Jazz.

See for yourself.

CosmologyGrace D.

Space and the end of the universe; I

couldn’t stop thinking about so many

questions. How could space possibly be

unlimited? Why can’t we see all eleven

dimensions. And why are there only

eleven?

Black holes seemed to “suck me in,” after

my first thoughts about them. So I

decided to make a model of one. It was

harder than I thought but simple too. It

was fun to show people how they work.