For Expo Fest this year, we wanted to address a problem that affects all of us; something we can all relate to as human beings. As high school students who carry burdens of stress, anxiety, and depression we felt that focusing on the topic of mental health was just that. Nearly 1 in 5 people throughout the United States have a mental illness. However, everybody has mental health. We feel that the importance of mental health isn't as prioritized as it should be and want to create a product that would bring awareness to how vital of a role it plays in all of us. In our classroom, we have a Mood Meter chart where every morning we pin our emotions. This tool is not only useful for understanding how we ourselves are feeling, but how others around us are as well. This creates a more empathetic environment where we can all understand the needs of ourselves and others to create a productive and understanding work space.
Mental illness is seldom talked about and mental health isn’t as prioritized as it should be. Often mental health is overlooked and deemed not as important as physical health. We feel that our project will really raise conversations and shine a new light on these topics. As high schoolers preparing ourselves for college and the “real world”, it is now more than ever that we need to focus on our mental health. Creating a prototype that could potentially raise awareness for the importance of mental health and relieve the heavy burdens of stress in a new individualized approach could really bring new meaning to how we feel about ourselves and others.
Mental illness is seldom talked about and mental health isn’t as prioritized as it should be. Often mental health is overlooked and deemed not as important as physical health. We feel that our project will really raise conversations and shine a new light on these topics. As high schoolers preparing ourselves for college and the “real world”, it is now more than ever that we need to focus on our mental health. Creating a prototype that could potentially raise awareness for the importance of mental health and relieve the heavy burdens of stress in a new individualized approach could really bring new meaning to how we feel about ourselves and others.
OUR MISSION
After looking at what kinds of stress-relieving mechanisms currently sit in the market, there was a common theme we saw and wanted to change. We realized many of these mechanisms had a “one-size-fits-all” component that didn’t cater to individual needs. Through our own personal experience and knowledge, we knew that all of our mental health needs were unique and this cookie-cutter mold wasn’t good enough. For Expo Fest this year, we created FLY Charms. The concept these interchangeable charms is function as individual fidgeting tools to correspond with one’s specific needs or preferences. The purpose of these charms is to provide a sense of relief and comfort to those struggling with or without mental illnesses.
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Outtakes from our Big Pitch video and a great way to get to know the FLY Charms team!
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"I think it's really important to de-stigmatize mental illness in any form...Everybody is going through something, everybody has had something that they've had to overcome."
- Mary Lambert
- Mary Lambert
FRESH PERSPECTIVES
With this year’s Expo Fest theme being Fresh Perspectives, we felt that covering a topic such as mental health in a new light was just that. Many of us realize there is a stigma around mental illness and a lack of focus on the importance of mental health. Creating an individualized mechanism aiming to comfort and bring relief to those struggling with mental health would bring awareness to the seriousness of the issue and perhaps lessen the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
MEET THE TEAM
Natalie Held
Team Co-captain
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Hello! My name is Natalie Held and I am from Fairfield, CT. I am currently a senior at both Fairfield Warde High School and Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture. I am passionate about sharks, New York City, travel, and mental health. I am a brand ambassador for Canadian clothing line Wear Your Label which is all about ending the stigma surrounding mental illness. In 2015, I walked in NYFW to represent the company and speak out about mental illness. Mental health has always been of great importance to me due to my social anxiety. Creating FLY charms for our Expo Fest project this year is something I am so ecstatic and passionate about. In my free time I enjoy blogging, brunching, drinking copious amounts of tea, taking trips into New York City, and watching Rick and Morty with Joe Cartin.
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Joe Cartin
My name is Joe Cartin and I’m a student at both Fairfield Warde High School and Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture. My passions include computer programming, drawing, and many more; but most of all, I love the sciences. My favorite pastimes include gaming, debating, and hanging out with Natalie Held watching Rick and Morty. Post-high school I plan to go into biology and study genetics and other DNA sciences, even explore telomere reparation if possible. One of my other all time favorite sciences is neurosceince, and i'm thrilled to be working on a project that works with it so closely. This year I’m thrilled to be a part of our Expo Fest team because it helps to remedy something that we all can relate to, something that we all, at times, struggle with. Hopefully FLY Charms can do what we dream and more for stress and mental illness.
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Website Developer
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Joselyn Acevedo
Researcher
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My name is Joselyn Acevedo. I am a junior currently attending Central Magnet in Bridgeport, CT and am part of the Aquaculture Biotechnology 2017 Expo team. I also participate in other school activities, such as the Central Criterion, Debate Club, and National Honor Society. I have a lot of interest in the visual arts and believe the best skills I offer my team to be digital and traditional mediums of art (though, that’s not to say I’m a professional by any means). I am both anxious and excited to be part of Expo Fest this year. While it may be a rollercoaster ride of emotions, I am determined to be a productive teammate to an amazing team.
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Loanis Cabrera
My name is Loanis Cabrera and I am an active junior from Central. I participate in various after school activities and take advantage of the opportunities I am given. Due to my interest in writing, I joined the newspaper club as a freshman which eventually turned into a journalism internship. Now two years later, I am the current Co Editor-in-chief of our newspaper, The Criterion. I play an active role in debate club as well and have been doing it for about a year now. It has really helped me improve on my ability to present which I consider to be one of my strongest skills. Although it may be nerve wracking experience, it is also a rewarding one. I have also worked really hard to become a member of the National Honors Society. As far as hobbies go, I enjoy singing and I usually go for church events. I am also pursuing an interest in drawing. I am not much of an artist but I can see my improvements and I am determined to get better through practice. I have always had in interest in science, which is why I decided to come to Aquaculture and am very excited to be able to take part in Expo Fest this year.
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Researcher
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Jack Di Carlo
Scientist
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My name is Jack Di Carlo and I’m a coffee drinking, bandaid slinging Aquaculture student. I enjoy working outside and doing things most kids my age don’t do, whether it be acquiring EMT training to going to the Dominican Republic to work on a global sustainability project to help improve the health conditions of those in the developing country. I’m hoping to join the military after college to fly helicopters. In school I’m in the movie club to continue my interest and film. I am also in Stress Management Club to help myself along with other students deal with stress which goes along perfectly with our Expo Fest project.
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Grace Budd
My name is Grace Budd I am a junior at Fairfield Warde High School in Connecticut. I am very excited to be a part of this years Aquaculture Expo team and I look forward to putting our ideas into the world. Outside of Aqua I play softball and I swim for my school teams. I enjoy photography and videography in my free time and I turned that hobby into an internship at an art studio doing promotional videos for their art classes. I started a club at Warde where we make friendship bracelets and send them to Bridgeport Children's Hospital to brighten the kids' rough days. I am very interested in making a difference in this world even with small things like making a sick kid smile. I would like to go to college for medical research and focus on making a difference in the medical world. My strong interest in making a difference goes along with our project idea and I hope it will take me and the rest of the team one step closer to helping people.
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Team Co-captain
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Ashley Goncalves
Researcher |
My name is Ashley Goncalves and I'm a junior at Fairfield Warde High School. I enjoy listening to music and hanging out with my friends. I also love to travel. Outside of school I have been doing Karate for 11 years. In school I am apart of two charity clubs, H2Africa and Wags for Hope. I am very excited to be apart of this year Bridgeport Aquaculture Expo team. As a student who stresses easily, I hope FLY charms can help manage stress with other students and adults who also stress easily.
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Jamielyn Iquina
Heyyyy! My name is Jamielyn Iquina and I'm a junior currently attending Bunnell High School in Stratford (the better of Stratford's two high schools) and Bridgeport Aquaculture School. People call me Iguana, Jamel (juh-mel), but mostly just Jamie. I love listening to music, doodling, and watching Netflix. Currently my favorite show is Parks and Recreation with Amy Poehler and Chris Pratt. As a student who wants to enter the medical field after high school, I’m usually putting all my efforts into my work, no matter how small a task is. I’m pretty mellow most of the time and I don't get angered easily. I hope that with FLY Charms, teens, including myself, can help in de-stressing students during times of struggle and challenge.
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Scientist
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Barry Libowitz II
Scientist
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Hello thanks for reading about me, it’s an honor I’m sure. I would start from the beginning, but frankly, I don’t have enough space for all the epic stuff I did before high school. Let's start in 2014, that's the year I started high school. Since then I have been in many clubs at Stratford High School (my home school, the better of Stratford’s two high schools). Examples include the drama society where I have made the auditorium roar with laughter in such productions as South Pacific, See How they Run, and The Drowzey Chaperone. My other clubs include both select and concert choir as well as the experiment club. Speaking of experiments (that’s what we in showbiz call a segway kids), I am also here as part of the 2017 Aqua Expo Fest team as one of our researchers and presenters. Outside of school I enjoy the finer things in life such as copies of the theatrical cut of Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi, obviously George Lucas’s finest entry in the saga, and mint copies of DC Showcase #2 The first appearance of Barry Allen, my favorite superhero, paired with a nice cold Crystal Pepsi my favorite of the major cola brands. Oh you’d like more? Well here we go: favorite alien from Mos Eisley Cantina? Bom Vimdin. My favorite Back to the Future? The first movie. My favorite 1940’s film actor? Spencer Tracy. I’d say more, but Natalie is making me stop. She doesn’t understand true genius like mine.
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Colin O'Hare
Elizabeth Silva
Researcher |
My name is Elizabeth Silva and I am a sophomore at Central Magnet High School and Bridgeport Aquaculture. I enjoy spending time with friends and learning about government and politics. I volunteer for the Icla da Silva Foundation, whose mission is to save lives by registering bone marrow donations and providing support services to children and adults with leukemia and other diseases treatable by marrow transplants. I am also the co-founder of Doe Vida//Donate Life, an organization that aims to recruit bone marrow donors. I am very excited to participate in Expo 2017.
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Keegan O'Reilly
Hi I’m a junior attending Fairfield Ludlowe High School and the Bridgeport Aquaculture school. I love playing hockey, golf, and I like to fish in my free time. I work for my brother in the summer off the shore of cape cod as a commercial striper fisherman. When I’m not doing this, I am caddying at private golf course down the road or working for my uncle who’s an electrician. I love to work hard.
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Scientist |
Julia Parnell
Michael Sciole
My name is Michael Sciole and I am a senior at Fairfield Warde High School. I am very passionate about sciences and I have found my greatest strengths lie in physics and calculus. I am extremely passionate about mental health awareness and want to help do my part in ending the stigma.
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Prototype designer
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MEET THE MENTORS
Carla Ebmeyer
Carla Ebmeyer is a Med/Vet and Biotechnology teacher at Aquaculture. Mrs. Ebmeyer has an impressive background in the sciences including a degree in Medical Laboratory Technology and a B.S. in Biology/Chemistry with a focus in Microbiology. She has had first hand lab experience working as a medical technologist in hematology for 10 years. She is also the leading teacher and advisor of FLY Charms. She has provided us days to work on our project, useful resources, access to lab equipment, and moral support for our hard days. The FLY Charms team could not ask for a better mentor or teacher for the project and we are so lucky to have Mrs. Ebmeyer. We know her enthusiastic and positive attitude is the glue to our project and what drives us to work hard for Expo Fest.
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Thomas McGann
Thomas McGann is a CAD teacher at Aquaculture. He has provided the FLY Charms team access to his 3D printers and equipment to produce our prototypes. He has been very patient and generous with his time to allow us to do what we want to accomplish before Expo Fest. He has provided the FLY Charms team with helpful information in regards to the design and function of our charms as well as the marketing and sales aspect to our project.
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Kayley Reed
Kayley Reed is the CEO and Creative Director of Canadian clothing brand Wear Your Label. The FLY Charms team reached out to Kayley to partner and combine two great mental health initiatives. Kayley and the WYL team have been generous enough to send all of us here at FLY Charms their limited edition Fresh Perspective shirts to wear at Expo Fest. In addition to this, they will be doing a giveaway of some FLY Charms on their Instagram page. At Expo Fest the FLY Charms team will be doing an Instagram/Snapchat story takeover for WYL and provide followers insight into what we are doing.
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Julie O'Reilly
Julie O’Reilly is a wife and mother of 4 children who has always had a passion for holistic health and wellness. She discovered the amazing benefits of using essential oils about 2 years ago. She couldn’t keep quiet about these benefits and just had to let others know that there is an effective, safe, affordable, and natural option out there for their healthcare needs! She loves to educate others about what essential oils are, why the brand/quality of oil matters, how to use the oils, and give everyone their first “Oil Experience”.
Contact info: Julie O’Reilly dōTERRA wellness Advocate 203-520-8122 www.mydoterra.com/julieoreilly Facebook Group: Choose Natural Healthcare |
Rene Sanz
Rene Sanz is a mathematics, physics, analytical chemistry teacher at Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture School. He received an undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry and a graduate degree in clinical chemistry. He has been working as a clinical chemist for over 30 years. He has been helping the FLY Charms team with their research and experimentation for the aromatherapy charms. He has been generous to allow students in his lab to work on their essential oil extractions and provide helpful information.
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