Exhibitions

Chemistry Exhibition
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Performance
Science Fair
The United Nations Event--DCP Students Expand Their Concept of Community
DCP Artists Create Mural in Downtown San Jose

Chemistry Exhibition

During the past few weeks, Chemistry students have designed, performed and analyzed their own experiments. Students have made full use of DCP's new laboratory facilities, with projects ranging from bacterial growth to exploding sodium metal. Students have not only come up with experimental conclusions; they are drawing upon their knowledge of chemistry to try to explain their findings on a molecular level.

As a part of a unit on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, ninth graders performed part of a scene from the play. Students had three weeks to plan their performances with their group members, including memorizing their lines, finding costumes, and making props. The goal of the project was get students more comfortable with Shakespeare's language. By requiring memorization, students got a chance to hear Elizabethean English come out of their own mouths. As a result, they were better able to comprehend the text as they read it. Students were graded on their preparation, costumes, props, and speaking skills. During a debrief after the performances, many students commented that they wish they had practiced more or put more effort into memorizing their lines. The groups that each class identified as outstanding performed their scenes for the entire school at assembly on March 10, 2004. 

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Science Fair

All Biology students were involved in a science fair this winter. At the beginning of the second semester, students were asked to pick a topic in any field of science that they were interested in studying and investigating. Students were given the choice of working in pairs or alone and the choice of doing an experiment or doing a research project. Students worked exclusively on the science fair project in class for three weeks leading up to the Science Fair exhibition on February 10th, 2004. The students also had to work a significant amount on their projects outside of class. All students had to make a poster of their project and present it orally to the class. In addition, they all had to write a paper with at least three outside sources, correctly cited in the paper.

The Science Fair itself was a big success. Parents, teachers, community members, siblings, and fellow students walked around critiquing student projects. All the Biology students explained their projects to each visitor who came by and asked questions about their projects.

Some of the students who got the best reviews for their scientific explanations of their projects were:

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The United Nations Event--DCP Students Expand Their Concept of Community

From December 14, 2003 to January 21, 2004, a group of ten DCP 9th graders worked on "Building for the Big One," a Design Challenge curriculum developed by The Tech Museum in San Jose, California that teaches students about earthquake risk mitigation. Students were asked to design structures that would sustain a 30 second earthquake. Other students from Katmandu, Nepal, Antofagasta, Chile, and Tijuana, Mexico have also been working on the same Design Challenge curriculum. On January 21, 2004, DCP hosted a reception to welcome 6 international students, their chaperones, and 4 United Nations representatives. DCP students shared their learning experience with their international peers and also provided this international group with entertainment that included ballet folklorico, salsa dancing, and guitar playing.

This United Nations event helped DCP students expand their concept of community. Student Israel Navarro explained "It was sad to learn that so many people die in other countries when earthquakes happen and that it is because the buildings were not built right". During the presentations, Emanuel Emahazion explained that 3 people died in a recent California earthquake while 30,000 people died in a similar earthquake in Iran. "This proves that we need to make sure that all countries will be safe during earthquakes", Emanuel explained. DCP students now realize how lucky they are to live in a country where buildings are safe.

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DCP Artists Create Mural in Downtown San Jose

In the spring of 2002, DCP student artists created a prominent, public mural in downtown San Jose, California. Through the summer and fall of 2002, the students' mural was exhibited on the facade of MACLA (Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana) - a pre-eminent center for Latino culture
in Silicon Valley.

Through the entire school year, students studied public art, met public artists, and visited various Bay Area and Los Angeles museums, galleries and public art installations to prepare themselves to design and execute this large scale project. The students worked in their spare time after school and on weekends to bring the project to completion. They then celebrated the mural with a community opening and press event.
 

The theme of the mural is captured in the mural's tagline, "If We Don't Change, The World Is Going To Fall Apart, And We're Going To Fall Apart With It."  Their bold response to this statement is, "We're Ready To Change," which is superimposed on their portraits on a 7' x 10' photo-mural. The student artists have made a step toward change in their own lives by choosing to attend DCP and turn their mostly low academic performance into strong, college-bound work. The students' work also comments on the events of September 11th; it stands against violence and for cross-cultural understanding.

Students worked closely with DCP Art Director Michelle Longosz, and community artists Abraham Ortega and Nicole Coleman to complete this project.

Press Footnote:

The students' work received positive press coverage in the local media, including two articles in the San Jose Mercury News.


Quotes:

"We showed pride in ourselves and the community. We made our mural with confidence, not negativity." Tejas Bafna (age 16)

"Our mural responded to the events of 9/11. We understood that 9/11 affected the entire national community. We are not alone. We all need to change." Jose Silva (age 16)

"This mural helped me emotionally. We came up with the idea. We got the money. We did everything." Diana Guadalupe (age 16)

Project Sponsors:

California Arts Council
Community Foundation Silicon Valley (Youth in Philanthropy Program)
Downtown College Prep
Echoing Green Foundation
Focus: Youth Photography Project
Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana

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