Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School ━ SY24

Airon DiLego-Adelt
Senior Portfolio

Explore the intellectual and artistic properties of the mind of a 17-year-old upcoming high school graduate.

AGENDA

Introduction

Purpose of the portfolio
My themes
Introductory poem

Academics

Discussing 3 core classes
Sharing 2 assignments from each class

Non-academics

Dual enrollment
Internship
Character & community

Postscript

Post-grad plans
Concluding poem
Audience feedback

INTRODUCTION

Purpose

What is the meaning of portfolio?

Themes

Readiness

Introduction Segue

A beginning poem

INTRODUCTION

Purpose

• What is portfolio?
• Why portfolio?
• Personal experience

INTRODUCTION

Themes

• Maturity and growth
• Readiness
• How will these be seen in this presentation?

Threat

05/03/2024

To give you an idea of who you’re actually dealing with here:
binge eating, tears, body aches, bedrotting sessions, weeks without showering, relapse after relapse after relapse, bleeding, trips to the hospital, more bedrotting, rinse and repeat
was the cycle I ended up building when I promised my teachers and my counselors and my therapist and my mom that I would make a routine for myself.
The scars poorly covered up by bracelets, the oversized Slipknot shirt that hides my bloated stomach perfectly, the knockoff Dr. Martens adorning the feet that always struggle to keep me upright, the yellow teeth that have smiled at you, and the resting look of disdain are all you can gather from me upon first glance. None of you would’ve known any of what I told you about my habits outside of school had I not told you, although I’m sure you had your own assumptions upon seeing me walk in the door. What I bring to the table for you all today will be much more than just the surface-level teenage angst you’re getting a taste of now.
Allow me to humble myself this time.
Allow me to speak the truth, warts and all.I don’t know who I thought I was in Junior year, but whoever I was wasn’t authentic. Whoever it was that did this presentation last year wasn’t me. What stood in front of you and awkwardly stuttered through 12 pages of cookiecutter poems for 45 minutes isn’t who’s standing in front of you today. You were convinced to believe I was on a steady path to success and had everything under control by whoever I was a year ago. You were lied to, manipulated, what the cool kids call “gaslit,” etcetera etcetera.
We're not doing that whole thing anymore.All of you will see what I have endured as a conventionally unattractive, mentally troubled high school senior who has spent all 6,506 days, 8 hours, 41 minutes, and 21 seconds of his life in the beautiful, boring hills of Berkshire County, Massachusetts; 2,467 of those days spent at the very school you are sitting inside of today.
It is not meant to be pretty.
It is not meant to give you hope.
It is not meant to impress you or make me or anything else look good.
It is only meant to show you how desperate I am to get the fuck out of the prison that is the American school system and into the real world.
It is meant to show you how desperate I am to live.

ACADEMICS

Chemistry

Taught by Mr. Rich LaRocque

Senior Seminar

Taught by Mr. Chris Hantman

Fantasy Literature

Taught by Mx. Kelly Newby

CHEMISTRY

My evolving interest in science, particularly through reconnecting with a supportive teacher in a small chemistry class, has transformed from uncertainty to excitement and confidence, as reflected in my strong performance on assessments.

SENIOR SEMINAR

After struggling in my junior year and feeling overwhelmed by college-prep classes, I approached my senior seminar class with determination, ultimately finding clarity and comfort in exploring alternatives to immediate higher education and growing through the assignments.

FANTASY LITERATURE

Despite struggling with reading and essay writing throughout high school, this year I developed a strong relationship with text analysis and annotation, thanks to my supportive senior year English teacher, leading to a newfound appreciation for literature and improved skills in reading and writing alike.

NON-ACADEMICS

Dual Enrollment

Experience taking a college course

Internship

Shadowing 6th grade art class

Character & Community

Who am I? What is my role at BART?

NON-ACADEMICS

Dual Enrollment

• College course taken
• Withdrawal & requirement waiver
• Overall experience

NON-ACADEMICS

Internship

• Premise
• Shadowing 6th grade art class
• Experience and takeaways

Suerza

05/03/2024

I always hate this part of things, talking about myself as if everyone else is incapable of perceiving me. I think it’s repetitive and kind of awkward to tell you “what my character is.” There’s a lot of obvious things you all already know about me: I’m short, I’m fat, I’m terrible at public speaking, I don’t follow rules, I get shaky and sweaty under pressure, I’m not actually thirsty and I’m only drinking a lot of water because my medication gives me cottonmouth, I’m tired, blah blah blah.To be quite honest, I don’t really want to tell you stuff like this. I don’t want to tell you how I don’t shower as often as I should, or how I have panic attacks over writing 5 paragraph essays, or how I used to cry in the school bathroom almost daily before the school took away reasonable bathroom privileges.Why? I don't really know. I personally believe people shouldn’t have to tell others about themselves and should instead let others learn about them on their own over time. If you really want to know about me, why should I have to do that work for you? Put that effort in yourself. Maybe I’m just tired of always doing things for others and never for myself and getting nothing in return. I’m very bitter.Maybe it's because I’m not used to standing in front of a group of people that are here purely to make that effort to get to know me. I’m more familiar with meeting new people and then never hearing back from them so with the next person I meet I’m extra careful and I overthink how they’re perceiving me, then we exchange numbers and the conversation ends and the text message I’m anxiously awaiting never comes, then I meet someone new again and the cycle repeats. I’m constantly second guessing every single word I say as if I don't know a single thing about myself. When I watch what I say, I’m too standoffish; when I say whatever’s on my mind, I’m too overwhelming.And now I'm dumping the entire reason I’m diagnosed with an anxiety disorder onto you. Let's breathe for a second.To answer the question of “what my character is” instead of making you listen to my hypocritical rambling , all I can say is that I am human. That’s all I’ve ever been and it’s all I’ll ever be, just like all of you. I am unique, yes, but so is every other human being, even twins. I want to live my life to its fullest potential the way humanity was meant to be. I want to be a human without anyone telling me what human things I can and can’t do. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do ever since I knew what living was. I am a human being who just wants to live.

Anthrodynia

05/07/2024

My experience here at this school is that I’m ready to get out of here; I know that doesn’t make any sense but nothing at this school has ever made sense to me. I’ve noticed that every time I move up a grade here, the less I feel valued as a student.Having been at this school for over 6 years, I’m nothing short of scarred. The welcoming and accommodating administration has consistently ignored my needs, the diverse community of kind students have punched in the gut and damaged my ribs more than the violent cough I had in August 2021, the outstanding curriculum has nearly crushed me because my 135 pound body cannot survive under the pressure of college, college, college. What this school preaches is not what happens behind the doors of the very building you all walked through today, at least in my experience. My sense of community here is nonexistent. I’ve had to fend for myself because I don’t fit this school’s ideal student archetype. I need to be in an environment that treats me right and encourages me to learn in my own way. School has destroyed my drive for learning solely because I’m different.But I have to remember that that’s life. I’ve been at this school for 6 years; I came to this school as a terrified little bud and I’m leaving the imperfect blossomed flower I’ve always longed to be. The hurdles I had to gather the strength to jump have left my legs aching, or maybe it’s just the stairs. But that’s life. Life is gonna ignore you, it’s gonna give you people whose sole purpose is to punch you in the gut, it’s gonna make you bear its weight when carrying your own weight is already hard enough. Life isn’t supposed to be easy and give you everything you’ve ever wanted. Some of us don’t have the energy to join clubs or go to dances or any of that; some of us are simply trying to survive. Some of us are just doing what we can to get by and jump those hurdles despite how much we wish they weren’t there. Things will be unfair. A wise British woman once said: “Life is unfair. Kill yourself or get over it.”Did I mention that I’m bitter?

POSTSCRIPT

Future

Post-grad plans, feelings, etc

Conclusion

A finishing poem

Feedback

Questions? Thoughts?

POSTSCRIPT

Future

• Post-grad plans
• Is college for me?
• Final thoughts and feelings

Steadfast

05/22/2024

Well, I made it.Despite the suicide rates and other grave statistics for people like me, I am still standing before you with a beating heart and shaky hands. I write this poem with tears in my eyes and if I were a fortune teller, I’d say I’m on the verge of crying as I read this to you now. Hundreds of emotions are rushing through my veins faster than Usain Bolt on coke. Sorry. Forgot I still have to be professional.I was in the behavioral facility/psych ward/looney bin in December of last year and I remember writing a poem about how much I hated hospitals. In it I said that when I was 13, I took the attention I was given “and ran a marathon with it.” I followed that statement up with “sometimes I wish that metaphorical marathon I was running was the 2013 Boston Marathon.” I remember how defeated and lost I felt then. Funny how much can change over the course of a few months.
Oh, it’s been 5 months since December? Jeez.A lot happened this school year. Fate really decided my high school career would go out with a bang, all things considered. I was plagued with unexplainable health issues once a month, I ditched all the friends I had known since I was a tween because they did a really bad job at lying to my face and I still somehow believed them, I reconnected with my father after heartlessly ghosting him for over a year, I was manic, I was lower than rock bottom, I feared for my life, I feared myself, so on and so forth.
This was the most traumatic, confusing, overwhelming, terrifying period of my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.What I experienced this school year was nothing short of life changing. The lessons I learned have made the world I reside in a little bit easier to see, especially without the rose colored glasses I wore for so long. Despite how much this year sucked, I needed it. I wouldn’t have learned a thing had I not suffered. I’m okay with that.I’m getting sidetracked.Now that I’ve been vulnerable with you for the past 30 minutes and wrap up this presentation I’ve been dreading since April, I’m finally done. Soon I’ll be able to walk across the stage in this school and be handed the piece of paper that tells me high school is officially a thing of the past. These final moments of this stage in my life are very bittersweet.
I can’t put into words how excited I am to get out into the real world, how scared I am to be an adult, and how ready I am to be completely unprepared for what life has in store for me.
I can finally be whatever I want to be without 5 paragraph essays and deadlines holding me back.
I can be free.I can be.

POSTSCRIPT

Feedback

• Questions?
• Thoughts?
• Constructive criticism?