To respond to our Experimental presentation and website, click the "comments" button below. Thank you to everyone who came to our presentation!
Sukhveen S.
5/17/2011 10:59:20 am
I really enjoyed your presentation even though I came in a bit late. What was most notable throughout the presentation was how you guys connected earlier parts of your presentation into whatever you were speaking of. For example, Graham would often bring up European history, connecting it to a different topic than history. I thought it was unique how you guys linked everything together into a whole. Although I did not have a chance to taste one of the cookies, I know from when Graham and I were together in our class, one of our classmates suggested the idea to him and I loved the idea of it! I also would like to commend your ability on acting so quickly after realizing there was a glitch. Even after doing so, Jamie performed so well in her waltz. Great job guys!
Samantha G.
5/17/2011 11:00:03 am
Hey Graham and Jamie, congratulations on a great presentation! You guys (as well as the Secrecy group) were extremely brave to go on the first day. It really paid off though because now you're done and were all REALLY jealous! I was most impressed with both of your speaking abilities. The whole audience could tell that you knew your topic inside and out and that you were overly comfortable with it. It was excellent that with all the information you taught us about you hardly had to check your index cards for prompts. Your voices were continuously strong and could be heard throughout the entire room. There were many factors that made your presentation unique. First off, I loved how you decorated the room. My favorite part was the big IDENTITY banner on the ceiling at the front of the room... very cool. Also, Graham's varioius hat changes were entertaining and added overall life and entertainment. Jamie's personal was of course another unique factor because she gave us some insight into who she is by using dance, one of her favorite past times. Overall, your presentation was very impressive! I really feel educated about the topic of identity.
Ally P.
5/17/2011 11:01:09 am
Graham and Jamie--
Everything about your presentation was phenomenal!!
Handing out masks for everyone to wear to "hide their identities" was a very creative and well-done way to get the audience involved and interested from the beginning. Additionally, you picking people from the audience to ask them to identify themselves was another smart approach!
Jamie--your personal was very well connected and incorporated dance in a way that I had never thought of before!
Graham--your personal, too, was very unpredictable and used a sport you clearly love in a way to tie in Identity that I would have never thought of. I loved your idea of bringing in the mask to really show the literal incorporation of Identity into hockey.
One of the most interesting slides in your powerpoint to me was Graham's dad, Dr. Turk! What he had to say about the FBI and the masking of identities through plastic surgery--something that incorporates health, medicine, science, business, and culture--was so eye-opening! Tying plastic surgery into your topic was very creative and unexpected--a good way to make the audience think.
I also thought it was a great idea to hand out copies of the survey.. The results that indicated that zero 10th graders said that their identity never changed was very intriguing and definitely made me think!
Overall, everything was outstanding and really set the bars high--you were so brave to go on the first day!!
I hope you are both relieved and relaxing now because it was well-deserved and you did an outstanding job!! congrats!
Gabby Pollack
5/17/2011 11:06:14 am
Hey guys! This website looks just about as awesome as your presentation was!
For starters I loved the mask to "shield" your identity as we walked into the room. I thought that was extremely creative and well thought-out. My favorite parts of your presentation were your reference to the Holocaust and the questions you asked. The holocaust is an important factor to identity and the fact that Hitler did not succeed in taking away the identity of the Jewish race, as well as all other non-Aryan races was extremely important for our backgrounds. I loved the question you asked, is our identity changing? I think you answered that by saying that in different instances our identity does change, however with your survey results you showed that it stayed pretty consistent.
Your personals- excellent! Graham, I always new of you love of Hockey and intense passion for sports but I had never made the connection between the goalie mask once again shielding who you are. Jamie, despite the minor technical difficulties you remained calm and preformed a lovely dance for all of us!
As for decorations, yours were truly amazing, I loved the art work, the ceiling hang-ups, the boards, and so on. I also LOVED the cookies, such a great and creative idea! Kudos on going second as well! Great job guys!
Ahmad Khanzada
5/17/2011 12:00:58 pm
I would like to begin this response by pointing out how excellent both of you guys dressed. Grahamuel I loved your pants and shoes, very stylish. The concept of identity was rather vague to me internally before this presentation so I was very interested in seeing what you guys had to say about it. You both knew a great deal behind your experimental topic, and I learned a large amount of factual information throughout the course of your presentation. The organization of your presentation is something that stuck out to me. I liked how in the beginning you mentioned your two or three lines of inquiry and how you talked about each one and showed us examples of each line of inquiry as the period progressed. This was a good idea and an excellent method for organization too. The emphasis on the creation or development of ones identity is the line of inquiry I was the most fascinated with. This idea is what brought both of you into your personals. Jamie, I never knew what a majestic dancer you were. Now that I am talking about your personal, let me just mention how clutch you were with fixing the minor technological problem. You were efficient and I was highly impressed with your ability to fix with the problem quickly. If God forbid a technological problem happens in my presentation, I hope my ability to fix the problem is as efficient as you were today.
It was amazing how you found so many examples of identity in music. The song that we all heard while entering with the masks related and was a song that almost everyone is familiar with. This was a good idea and let everyone get seated with a great deal of internal comfort. I would also like to point out how relaxed both of you were from the beginning to the end of your presentation. It was not even my experimental and my legs were shaking like I was a toddler who had been holding in the need to pee for hours. Bobby and Rebecca were both sitting next to me wondering what was wrong with my constantly shaking legs. The truth was that I was just so excited and nervous for you guys but you definitely eased my anticipation as soon as the presentation began. You two conducted your entire experimental presentation with a great level of relaxation and this technique used in your public speaking is an ability that not all people have. You both were excellent presenters and I was impressed with your abilities.
One of my favorite parts of your experimental was your survey. The survey results proved to me how in depth and far you went into your research and you two should be proud with your great deal of effort. The Oreo inside the chocolate chip cookies was also an aspect of your experimental that blew my mind. People usually love the free food which people have in their experimental and you guys actually baked so many of these unique and tasty treats. You both had excellent ideas from the Russian props to the fascinating interviews with Dr. Turk, and the level of information presented in such a short amount of time was immense. Congratulations on setting the bar high and completing with the experimental assignment of 10p with such a high degree of success.
Daniela Czemerinski
5/17/2011 12:48:43 pm
Great job guys! From the beginning of the presentation, when you drew in the audience with the Bourne Identity movie, I knew your presentation would be far from boring. Like Sukhveen said, I especially liked how you were able to transition from one topic to another smoothly, leaving the audience in awe of all of your interesting information. I have to say, being the second presentation that I saw, I came in not knowing what to expect. However, when I left your presentation, I found that I learned a lot of new information about Identity, a topic I didn't know much about in the broad sense before. I loved the masks that were handed out in the beginning, they truly gave the audience a change to imagine a world of hidden identity. Thanks for sharing all your information with us! Great job!
Laura Siegel
5/18/2011 07:43:35 am
I can't say enough how amazing your presentation was! The way you incorporated the masks into the presentation and incorporated the audience was phenomenal. Taking on an experimental on the first day is really brave and I know everyone knows how scary that is. Jamie- your personal was amazing and your dance was truly beautiful! We can all tell how much work you put into it! Graham- I love the idea of how hockey gave you an identity because it is true that when playing on a team and having almost a belonging does change us and affect our lives. I was really interested by the plastic surgery interview because does recreating your face or aspects of your face give you a new identity? Or is identity something more meaningful and its who you are inside rather than externally? The actually factual was terrifically put together and it flowed perfectly to make it interesting and easy to follow. I look forward to looking at the rest of your website for more information. Congratulations and you guys definitely have to make more of those cookie/oreos for the end of the year!
Celeste R
5/18/2011 01:50:34 pm
Graham and Jamie-
You're presentation was excellent! The opening movie montage was intriguing and very well edited. (My favorite part was the spongebob clip, who doesn't love spongebob!??) Your presentation made me leave still thinking, "who am I and what identifies me?" I guess you can say I am in that "identity crisis" stage that Jamie talked about. I really loved your personals! Graham- connecting identity to hockey was a cool idea, and I liked how you wore the mask! Jamie- your dance was great! As I was watching the beginning your presentation, I noticed your ballet slippers and was excited to see you dance! Both of your hobbies/sports are a big part of your life, which definitely defines you and determines who you are. Now, of corse, I'm going to have to comment on how AMAZING those cookies were! I would've eaten the whole plate! It was the perfect wrap-up to an great presentation- the connection was perfect. Tying in food to the final conclusion was smart. I left your experimental wanting to find my "inner-oreo." Overall, you could see just how much work you put into this project! As Mrs. B would say, "blood, sweat, and tears." You were both obviously very well prepared and confident up there. Great job guys!
Mali Zaken
5/19/2011 05:33:29 am
EXCELLENT JOB GUYS! I can't believe you were able to create SUCH a thought provoking and intellectual experimental in such a short period of time! It was obvious that both of you were very interested in your topic and knew a lot about it. Both of your presentation skills were professional and pleasing. I loved the way you incorporated Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" to open your experimental because it went great with your topic while exciting the audience. The masks were also a great addition, as well as actually interacting with the audience. It really made me question my identity and what words I would use to describe myself. Dr. Turk's interview really blew me away. It was a very creative addition to the presentation. Jamie, it was so brave of you to dance for your personal! You did an amazing job and I have a lot of respect for your dancing! Graham, your connection to Hockey was brilliant. You are definitely very passionate and I loved how you wore the mask. Your survey results were very easy to follow because of how you printed them out for everyone to see. I loved your art and book decorations. I could tell you really spent a lot of time making everything perfect. Great job!!!
Chelsea P.
5/21/2011 05:45:04 am
Graham and Jamie--
Amazing presentation!!! I loved how you began by handing out black masks; this act alone engaged the audience to your presentation so much! You brought up a lot of interesting information in your presentation that engaged the audience even more! Your personals were both great! Graham, I loved the way you related hockey to the topic of identity. My favorite part was when you said the helmet of a goalie tends to hide their identity, which gives you a different feeling from when you're out of the rink. Jamie, your dancing was wonderful! The song was great and I liked the most that you used the entire stage, the whole front of the room, to portray your dancing skills. This way, the audience wasn't just looking in one place. Your interview the Dr. Turk was extremely fascinating! Your questions led to great, interesting answers. You took the topic of identity to a whole other level. Great Job!!!
5/22/2011 05:08:31 am
Wow! You guys really did a fantastic job. I know from experience how difficult it was to go on the first day, but you guys were very well prepared and seemed calm, cool and collected. The masks in the beginning really set the mood and brought the audience's attention immediately. Handing out the packet with the graphs on them was also engaging. It made your presentation more than just a powerpoint. The large pieces of artwork added a nice touch to the room. I loved both of your personals. Jamie- I've been hearing about your dances for years now, but to finally get to see you perform was a real treat! Even when you hit a little glitch with the music, you quickly righted it and didn't freak out at all! Graham- your personal was different and interesting. I never would have thought about how sports contribute to our identities. I have to say, my favorite part of the presentation was the cookies:) When I bit into it, I was truly shocked. It made the point that things aren't always what they seem in a clever and fun way. Your website is also really cool. The quotes on the homepage got me engaged in your topic right away. Overall, it was a really great job guys!
Lambert Chu
5/23/2011 10:36:45 pm
Hey Graham and Jamie. You two gave a very impressive presentation! What stood out the most was your abilities to speak fluently about your work. Both of you displayed your deep understanding for your research and your bravery of speaking in front of a large group of people. I really hope that I can speak as well as you two did!
I was also impressed by the introduction of your experimental. The distribution of masks was very creative and Lady Gaga's song "Born this Way" was a solid connection to your topic. The presentation was, of course, excellent. I enjoyed watching both of your personals. Graham made a great connection to hockey and Jamie's ballet performance was entertaining to watch.
Congratulations on an outstanding experimental!
Bobby Halpern
5/24/2011 06:01:02 am
Great job Graham and Jamie. You guys did an awesome job. Your nonchalant attitudes while speaking were impressive, and I could only hope to have been as calm as you guys were. I especially liked your personals. Jamie, I liked how you out on a dance for the whole audience. It takes courage to preform in front of an audience, and I applaud you on a fantastic job. Graham, your personal reminded me of how I feel when I play sports. I never thought that when I put on my helmet, my true identity comes out, but now I realize this occurs. One of my favorite parts of your experimental was the minor detail of the name of your presentation hanging in the room. The sign was really impressive and helped sell the presentation along with the masks that you handed out in the beginning. Congrats on a terrific experimental.
yuval Hananya
5/24/2011 09:12:13 am
Jamie and Graham,
You guys did a wonderful job presenting, and made a great duo. You both spoke wonderfully, and managed to give everyone a better understanding at the end. You were both very calm, cool, and collected as you presented one of the biggest projects ever. Major props on that.
Your research was amazing, and did a wonderful job presenting music. The beginning was one of the coolest aspects. The masks were such an interesting aspect, hiding everyones identity. Also, playing born this way, great touch. Really showed a song that doesnt say identity, but shows how you need to be yourself, your own true identity.
Jamie - your personal was perfect. You are such a great dancer, and it really is just who you are, a dancer, and a good one at that. You really do dance very well.
Graham - I know how much you love hockey, but I didnt know how much it made you who you are. All the criticism that you need to overcome has really made you the kid you are today.
Your cookies were of course delicious and exemplified what you wanted to get across very well. I really liked your ending, the "beautiful" ending, as i call them, is something that really affected my experimental.
Congrats, I know how hard you guys have been working and it really came together really well.
Robert Berman
5/28/2011 01:51:01 am
Wow! What an experience! Immediately upon walking into only my 2nd experimental ever, I was greeted by an odd masked fellow that happened to look just like Graham. He presented me a mask, and thus began the show.
Graham: After presenting everyone else with a mask, you had a special mask of your own; your goalie mask. You were able to bring up your identity as a goalie and the last method of defense against the other team's offense. Also, one of the best speaking performances in a presentation that I have ever seen.
Jamie: You are an amazing dancer. Just from watching you, I could tell that that must have taken hours and hours of hard work and practice alone. You spoke extremely well and knew what you were going to say while sounding intelligent at the same time.
To finish the experience off were seemingly normal chocolate chip cookies. However, after taking a bite, I discovered an Oreo inside! Great touch to end what was a stunning experience.
Chelsea D
5/30/2011 06:44:11 am
Congratulations on completing an amazing experimental! The two of you set the bar high for the rest to follow given that you were on the first day! It was very clear that the two of you did extensive amounts of research given that your slideshow alone seemed to have enough information to make an entire website! Although this is not technically part of the presentation, I would like to mention that I really like the organization of your website. Your website is very easy to navigate with the minimal tabs on the top and an insane amount of subtopics to follow. One aspect of your presentation that I really liked was the masks. It was a perfect way to portray what happens to a person when they are stripped of their identity given that we all looked basically the same and it was hard to tell who was who when we were wearing them. Your different connections through literature, music, and art were very well thought out as well.
In addition to the masks, Your personals were another fantastic part of your presentation worth noting. Jamie- connecting your love of dance to identity because of how you feel it defines you was very creative. I really liked how you were able to give us a show and think your performance was beautiful.Graham- your connection to hockey was one that was a bit more literal given that you have to wear a mask as goalie, and it was clear how much the sport means to you.
Daniel J.
5/31/2011 11:03:02 am
Congrats on having presented the first experimental for 4th period and a great one to say the least! After watching your presentation and even while I was watching it, it was very clear to me that the both of you put in a capacious amount of work into this experimental. All of your topics went very in depth in terms of connecting to identity, especially after looking through your website. It was evident that you two both knew exactly what you were talking about because, from what I remember, you didn't need a script to read while presenting. Everything was spoken very clearly, which is very important when performing in front of such a large audience. I thought the idea of wearing masks was very inventive! Jamie, your dance to "Waltz of the Flowers" was great! And you choreographed it yourself! The connection to identity (being that dance defines who you are and is a building block of your identity) was great, as well. Graham, your personal was great in that you showed us how hockey can hide your identity by wearing all of the goalie equipment and gear yet, as Jamie said in her personal, build your identity. You two were great partners, and although there was a slight glitch with the music in Jamie's personal, you were quick on your feet and fixed it within seconds! The cookies were also delicious (both of them) and, of course, paired well with your topic. Great job, guys! You two should be very proud in all of your work and discoveries!
Morgan Littman
6/1/2011 01:10:03 am
CONGRATULATIONS! I posted on the first day and it didn't work so now I'm going to attempt to cover everything I initially wanted to cover. Firstly, wow! You were the first group I saw and therefore kicked off my experimental season! You were both incredible and I was so impressed! Your personals were clearly imprortant to both of you and I learned much about who I am and how important being true to myself was. You motivated me in chosing my persaonl as well because it made me want to inspire others to be true to themselves! Also, I feel like I learned a lot about how identity has played a role in history! The coolest part of your experimental was your dad (Graham's) interview! I never knew that people changed their faces to change who they are in the ways he described! You two should be so proud! CONGRATS!
Matt Rothstein
6/2/2011 02:51:57 am
Congratulations Graham and Jamie, your experimental was amazing! First off, you guys went on the first day and set the bar extremely high. I loved the idea of handing out masks at the start of your presentation. These props really allowed the audience to better understand your topic before the presentation even began. This idea is what inspired my group to have Rob sit in a wheelchair and have myself in a neck brace as people were walking in. Thanks for the great idea! I learned so much new information after your presentation and couldn’t believe how much information you included. I then went to your website and discovered that your presentation was truly only the tip of the iceberg. You guys have so much research which must have taken a lot of time and hard work. Graham, your speaking skills are amazing. You remained extremely calm and relaxed throughout the entire presentation. The fact that close to 100 people were staring at you didn’t seem to affect you at all. My favorite part of your presentation was when you handed out the cookies. When you told everyone to take a bite, no one expected an Oreo to be in the center. This was a perfect example to show that you should never judge a book, or a cookie, by its cover. (The cookies were also the best cookies of the 2011 experimental season!) I enjoyed both of your personals too. Graham, I liked how you had your hockey mask with you to clearly show how your identity is hidden. I didn’t realize that hockey connected that well to identity. Jamie, you have been dancing for a very long time and it has paid off. Your live performance was very entertaining. Great job! All of your decorations were great including the artwork and your surveys hanging from the ceiling. It was a great idea to hand out a packet of the surveys to everyone which made it very easy to follow. You guys should be very proud of yourselves for having such an amazing experimental! Congratulations!
6/2/2011 05:25:05 am
Wow! Great job guys! First off, the beginning of your presentation was very unique. Handing out masks helped to illustrate exactly what makes us, us. Both of your personals shed light on your own identities. Jamie did a great job dancing and Graham, your helmet/mask really helped to prove your point. However, I'm going to be completely honest with you, my favorite part of your presentation was the Oreo-covered chocolate chip cookies. They were delicious and completely related to your topic. I could tell that it must have taken a lot of time to make those special cookies.