Progress+Reports

__**October 7th, 2009**__

As of now, my research has actually not been going quite as planned. With the idea that I would be discussing the detriments of World War II on the NFL, I found that this information wasn't as easy to locate as I originally thought. To compensate, I spoke with Mr. Martin about possible focusing my research on a particular area of my topic and, surprisingly enough, I was able to find more information. However, I have been finding myself seeing information that has not been of help due to the fact that it is largely opinionated rather than factual. Also, because the topic isn't really well-documented, the variety of information available has been scarce. I will be seeking the help of both Mr. Martin and especially Dr. Valenza to help get my research back on the right track.

For my hands-on portion, I never really planned on any specific goals to be completed by the end of the first marking period. At some point during the beginning to middle of the second marking period, however, I will start to brainstorm ideas and figure out the necessary steps that it will take to complete whatever I choose to do for my hands-on portion.

The three goals that I hope to accomplish before my next checkpoint are to establish a revamped method of research, complete my final proposal, and to use the aforementioned revamped method of research to put together a well thought out, informational, and aesthetically pleasing research paper.

I chose my mother to be my project mentor for the simple facts that I trust her to keep me on track with my project and that I can rely on going to her when I need advice as to what course of action I should take when I find myself unable to come to a decision about any issues that may present themselves. That being said, yes, I have been in frequent contact with my mentor. On a nightly basis, she checks in to see how I am progressing with my project and asks what the next step is.

__**October 27th, 2009**__

Since my last progress report, I have completed most of my research, but I have still found it hard to get a variety of information throughout my sources. In my research, I have stumbled upon a book titled, "Last Team Standing," which is a biography about the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh merger. My hope is to either buy or check out this book from the township library so that even if I don't read through the entire book, I can photo copy the pages that contain necessary information for my project. Also, I remember a series on television entitled, "Amazing Sports Stories" and one of the episodes revolved around that same merger. I would like to somehow acquire that episode whether it be free online viewing (which has been hard to come by) or find it if it is available on DVD. If I can get a greater variety of information from these possible sources, I will feel much more comfortable with my project going forward.

I really need to get my hands-on project going. My plan is to organize a flag football tournament and donate the proceeds to NFL Play 60, an NFL charity that promotes awareness about child obesity and encourages young people to get at least 60 minutes of exercise everyday in order to promote an active generation.

Before my next progress report is due, I would like to have either established a concrete plan for my hands-on project or have it already completed. In addition, I would like to have submitted the rough draft of my research paper with confidence that I am on the right track.

My mom has pressured me to get started on planning my hands-on project. While my main focus has been organizing a flag football tournament, my mom and I have brainstormed other possible ideas should that one not work. We have continued our frequent contact with one another on a daily basis so that she is aware of what point I am at in my project and what the next steps are that need to be taken.

__**November 2nd, 2009**__

The rough draft of my research project has been completed. Thanks to positive feedback from Mr. Martin, the next part of my project will be to fix and improve my paper so that it can be turned in as a final draft.

Even though less than a week has gone by since my last progress report, as I mentioned before, I really need to get my hands-on project off the ground. Speaking with my project mentor, we thought of visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio as a possible fallback in the event that my flag football tournament didn't develop as planned. However, with the idea of driving rather than flying in mind and the fact that the weather in Ohio may be less than perfect beginning at this time of year, that possibility is looking dimmer at the moment.

Before my next progress is due, my plan is to have something organized for my hands-on project and, upon return from Thanksgiving break, I would like to start focusing on either continuing to work on my PowerPoint presentation or practicing memorizing the actual presentation.

My mom has continued to preach to me the importance of getting started with my hands-on project and has also pressured me to continue with any research that may elevate my paper to the next level. Otherwise, frequent check-ins about where my project lies as is and what the next steps that need to be taken have been performed as usual.

__**November 30th, 2009**__

I have finally completed the hands-on portion of my Senior Seminar project!

I ended up going with my Plan B. Last weekend, my mentor (my mom) and I flew out to Canton, Ohio for three days (Friday the 20th to Sunday the 22nd) and visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On Saturday the 21st, we took our first of two trips to the Hall of Fame. On that day, we simply took a tour of the museum and walked the entirety of it. While there, my mom and I took several photos and captured some video clips. In all, we stayed there for five hours so that we could really take in the sights and the information that was available to us.

On our second trip (Sunday the 22nd), we made our visit to the Archives and Information Center. Essentially, the Archives is where the Hall of Fame keeps information that is restricted to public viewing without an appointment and where you can access additional information to a topic of interested. I had called the Hall of Fame two weeks prior to our trip so that I could schedule an appointment with the Archives. Once my mom and I got in to the Archives, we were surprised to hear that the archivist had already pulled the information that I had asked for on the phone (professional football during the World War II era and the Phil-Pitt "Steagles"). He sat us both down and explained to us that the Archives contained an extensive amount of material on professional football during the World War II era and that they had frequently researched it. I could be happier. In addition, they allowed us to make photocopies of documents, photos, news clippings, and programs, to name a few, to take home with us. After we were finished in the Archives, my mom and I took one more round through the museum to take more snapshots and to record video of anything that we might have missed.

All in all, I left Canton with supreme confidence that I can turn my experiences there into an excellent hands-on presentation. I have tons of video clips, photos, and photocopies from the Archives that I am excited to share with the rest of the class and my friends and family.

__**December 14th, 2009**__

Between my return from Canton, Ohio, and now, I have started working on the video documentary of my time at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With the creative input provided by my mentor (my mom), I have found this process to have progressed much more smoothly than it was while I was working on my own. In addition, my mom and I have successfully scanned all of the documents acquired from the Archives at the Hall of Fame and have transferred all photos taken on to our computer and copied on to a flash drive for use at school. With this large task finally behind us, I can begin to shift my focus on putting my initial Power Point together.

__**December 22nd, 2009**__

I have completed a preliminary version of my final Power Point presentation. With this draft, I have a springboard for the basis of my final presentation. Over winter break, I will tweak and finalize my Power Point so that it is ready for my project presentation after winter break. In addition, I have continued to work on my Pro Football Hall of Fame video documentary and am in the process of figuring out which piece of it to show for my presentation. Once all of this is completed, I can begin to practice my oral presentation and continue to make sure that everything is working properly in order to avoid any mishaps when it is time for my presentation.