Jordan Levy

ACLC has shaped who I am. Since sixth grade, I have lived its mission statement. This goes far beyond academics; my personality, social life, values, and much more have been heavily influenced by ACLC. ACLC is a far from a normal school, and I have taken full advantage of every unique aspect of it.

 

I. Personal Qualities, Work Habits, Attitudes

 

I like to maintain a positive outlook on my life, and most aspects of my life reflect that positivity. It has been heavily influenced by ACLC in that the school’s culture has facilitated the growth of positive attitude. I am happy with the person that I have become and am proud of myself. Over the years, the many open periods I have had at school have encouraged me hone my time management skills and enable me to motivate myself when I need to get things done. This free time in addition to projects we have had has fostered my success in social settings, and I work hard to stay true to my values and avoid hypocrisy. Obviously, I am not without fault and can be the worst of any of these qualities, but I think that there is always room for improvement and I make those improvements whenever I can.

 

II. New Basics

 

I have found myself to be very successful from an academic standpoint. Throughout High School I have maintained an unweighted 4.0 GPA. In terms of language, I am very fluent in English, functional in Spanish, and know the basics of both Hebrew and American Sign Language. I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate English literature and am a competent writer as well; one of my pieces of writing was featured on NPR. Outside of language, I try to keep up with matters of the world such as history and politics, especially since I spent four months living in the Middle East. My mathematical and scientific skills are among my best, and my best example therein is a “Best in Show” award from a bridge-building competition I participated in through Pre-Calculus. Throughout my high school career, I have worked hard to have my academics be among my best qualities.

 

III. Thinking and Reasoning Skills

 

One of my favorite things to do is learn. I like to learn in many different ways; I like hands-on projects, asking questions, reading, etc. I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember and doing so has made me a much smarter person; vocabulary, and articulation are skills I have gained from reading that help me immensely to communicate and problem-solve. I also love to plan ahead. I do it without even trying a lot of the time. The future is usually where my mind wanders to, which makes me thoroughly plan before making a big decision, like when I studied abroad; going to Israel was not an easy thing to decide or plan. Problem-solving, admittedly, is something I’m good at because of video games. Countless puzzle games have trained me to think outside of the box. This has led me to try to take a logical approach to everything.

 

IV. Interpersonal and Collaborative Ability

 

Over the years, ACLC’s project-based learning style has taught me group skills and dynamics. Countless projects, such as building bridges, cardboard boats, roller coasters, Rube Goldberg machines, etc., have given me the opportunity to be both a leader and follower and hone my skills as both. I have also been in Leadership class for all of high school, so my leadership skills are exceptional. Every week I lead our school-wide CCC as one of its MCs and as a Small Group Leader. I have also been elected to the position of Judicial Committee Clerk; I spent lots of time solving disputes between learners and trying to teach them to be better citizens, especially through JC. I always try to be diplomatic and work for the greater good, especially when the cause is bigger than just myself.

 

V. Technology

 

One of ACLC’s focuses is on the use of twenty-first century technology. This has led me to extreme proficiency in the use of our modern technology. Through countless projects, ACLC has taught me to use many programs such as Powerpoint, Prezi, and Word. Initially, most of my encounters with technology were either homework or gaming, but I began to play around with file systems at school. Messing with computers has become a hobby of mine; I have physically put together and managed both the hardware and software of my home computer, which has given me a lot of insight on the way that computers work. I am also in the process of learning the code language “Ruby.” Technology pervades my life, and I have embraced it. I would not be the person I am today without ACLC’s influence. The seven years I have spent there have been both unforgettable and extremely beneficial. I am an ACLC kid through and through, and I am so thankful for everything the school has taught me and done for me.