Elevator speech

April/May Monthly Assignment

TROPICAL CYCLONE

March Monthly Assignment

5/5 assignment

1.  What impact did this experience have on my personal growth?
This experience taught me many great skills, the most important being accountability and time management skills. I had to be on a schedule and make sure I did what my mentors expected of me, as well as try to strive beyond my expectations.

2.  What was my greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment was working on the Trillium Trek. Elachee had to plan months in advance, and I was able to help with it all as well as plan the Kids Fun Run. It was a small responsibility, but a responsibility nonetheless and I had to put in extra time and effort to make it successful.

3.  What did you find most challenging about the mentorship?
I believe that a task is not fulfilled unless go past what they expected me to do. Bare minimum does not get the task done. Keeping this philosophy was probably the hardest part of my mentorship experience. Not just doing what my mentors asked, but doing it to the best of my ability.

4.  What did you discover about yourself?
I discovered that I have mentally matured beyond the average high schooler, and that I have a "leg up" in the work force when competing for jobs with people my age. 

5.  What influence will this experience have on your future academic and career choices?
My mentorships [at the Hall County Government and Elachee Nature Center] have influenced my future in that now I want to major in Communications and minor in environmental science when I go to university at UCLA.

6.  What did you learn from people you admire in the organization?
I learned that the office world is not black and white and bland. I was surprised the most when I saw how friendly and connected everyone was. When I work in my career, I want friendliness to be a key component of the working life. 

week 3/31 blog post

1.  What successes have you experienced?  What did they mean to you?
Elachee just recently hosted the Trillium Trek, which assisted them fundraise as a non-profit. I was able to help prepare that project for many weeks in advance and see it executed on race day, which was a proud accomplishment for me! I have become part of a team rather that a naive student, and this was the first event where I could show that. 

2.  What setbacks have you experienced?  What did you learn from those setbacks?

No matter what I do, I am still set back because I am a volunteer, or a non paid worker, at Elachee. Ive learned that I can learn from my mentors, but when push comes to shove, they are the ones that are trained to do their jobs, and have years of experience under their belt, and that is why I am learning from them, and not the other way around. In whatever i end up doing as a career, i look forward to being skilled and at the top of my field, rather than at the bottom like most young people are. 

Week 3/24

1.  On you blog this week, discuss how each of the following tasks are on-going at your mentorship.  Answer each of the questions posed below:

Career Path:  If you wanted to follow in the career path of someone at your internship site, what would you need to do to make this happen?  (Tip – ask the person for advice and use this in your response.)
My mentor went to college, so I would probably go to an accredited college and major in business and ecology, biology, environmental science, or something of that sort. Since Elachee is a non profit, I would need knowledge of how to run non profit organization and how to manage money inflow and outflow, as well as field experience of taking care of nature. 

Workload:  How does the organization distribute the level of work among the staff?  How equitable do you believe the distribution is?
Each person at Elachee has specific jobs to do, however, those jobs can overlap. The level of work at Elachee is evenly distributed amongst the different workers, even if it is not one specifically tasked job. 

Tasks:  What types of tasks are you discovering that you enjoy or excel at completing?  Which ones are less attractive or fulfilling?
Most time when i work in the office, I do minor tasks like envelope stuffing, and when I am in the animal room, I help renew the animals' food and water. Most of the jobs I do are simple and routine, so that is what I am good at right now. If I was given the task of leading trails (if i had the time), I would love to excel at that. It really just depends on what they want me to do. 

Week 3/17

1.  On you blog this week, discuss how each of the following interpersonal skills are on-going at your mentorship.  Answer each of the questions posed below:

Culture/Collegiality:  How would you describe the culture within your organization (ways in which co-workers interact or don’t interact) and how does this fit with your “ideal” employer?

The culture at Elachee is very comfortable, like we are family. Most of the people working there have been there for a long time, so most everyone knows each other. I like this style of working very much, because everyone respects, understands, and is comfortable with one another. 

Collaboration:  Describe the way in which the organization collaborates with other groups in the area.

Elachee Nature Center is all about interacting and collaborating with other groups in the area, whether it be human or not. They provide many goods and services to the environment and animals inhabiting the area to keep visitors interested. They collaborate with many people and groups for donations of money or time. Since Elachee is a non profit, many companies will donate for publicity or for tax reductions. Elachee also is a very popular spot for elementary school field trips from schools all around Hall County.  

Mentoring:  In what ways have you experienced or witnessed either informal or formal mentoring taking place within the organization, other than the mentoring you are experiencing?

With Rob Stewart as the new manager of Elachee as of last October, a couple minor changes have taken place. I have witnessed new employees being trained to take care of animals in the Animal Room, or trained to tour people on trails. Personally, I sometimes come in on weekends to get a different experience in my mentorship. This coming sunday, I will be helping with the annual Trillium Trek Trail Run, to get a different experience in at Elachee, especially with fundraising. 

Student Project Plan

Student Project Plan

Name: __________Alexis Gerdts_________________________________

School: ______Flowery Branch High School______________________________________

Mentor: _______J. Killingsworth___________________________________

Area of Interest: _____Business and ecology_____________________________

Essential Question: _________It what ways does a non profit such as Elachee Nature Science Center function and what role does it play in the local culture?_____________________________________

What research questions do you have about this topic? What do you need to find out about this topic area? Please list a minimum of three questions. Refer to your interview questions and annotated bibliographies to guide you if needed.

Questions to my mentor:

1. What are the major sources of income at this time?

2. Are there financial cycles of ups and downs that you know of or is the money in a consistent, even flow?

3. What kind of things go on behind the scenes that save money at Elachee?

You will create a website to present at the community presentation night the data you have collected and evidence of the additional materials listed below.  Please map out an outline of what you have in mind for your website, including links and the free website generator you plan on using.

 I do not know of any free website generators to use yet, but for my website i intend to have many visuals to keep the website interesting, including a map of Elachee and photos of the various different events and services it offers. As for information, I will have charts, examples, and other things that assist in analyzing my essential question. 

Keep a running account of any and all resources that will be used as you pursue the planning, research and product development phase of your project. The material resources listed below will ultimately serve as your bibliography. Each student will be required to post a works cited page with a minimum of five sources (your annotated bibliographies and interviews can, and should, be included).

 Rob Stewart - Elachee

 Gremberg, Allen, "Renewables: A charge in Colo. economy." Northern Colorado Business Report. 2/22/2013, Vol. 18 Issue 12, p38-39.

 Social Media in the Business World: Annotated bibliography, Maria, Jess M. "The Social CIO." Public CIO Summer 2012: 12-16. Print.

List some possible intended audiences for you to present your research to: (Name and address of contact persons in organized groups-faculty, student class, Board of Education, public, community groups, and special interest groups):

I believe that the public would be interested in this, as well as local non - profits that struggle to make financial ends meet. I do not think that a person around my age would be extremely interested in this topic unless it related to them personally. 

How will you communicate the results of your research to an appropriate audience?  This can be a PowerPoint presentation, a video, a Prezi, etc…

 A powerpoint presentation would be most appropriate, one that stays simple, to the point, and attractive to an audience (with pictures and short facts, for example)

What is your goal with this research project?

 To inform people about successful non profit organizations that are right in their backyard, as well as spread the idea of greener living. 

What is your personal connection with this topic?

I personally intern at Elachee Nature Center, but that is not all. I intend to major in business and minor in ecology and explore different uses of green energy. I do not understand much of a non profit versus for profit, so i intend to learn more about that as I do this project, all the while spreading the idea of greener living. 

Annotated Bibliography 2, 2/24

Alexis Gerdts

J. Killingsworth

Honors Mentorship Program

24 February 2014

Gremberg, Allen, "Renewables: A charge in Colo. economy." Northern Colorado Business Report. 2/22/2013, Vol. 18 Issue 12, p38-39.

This source, which contains two articles from a Colorado newspaper, addresses the use of renewable energy in both the private and public sector. It states multiple statistics and info about how renewable energy such as solar and wind energy are used very little, but it is “an industry in its infancy and, with large political support, could develop into a common source of energy” (Gremberg pg 38). The articles advocate for the continued and growing use of efficient energy, they explain their claim, and then propose ideas as to how it could be done.

Some quotes I have derived from this article that would be useful are “The United States is the second largest energy consumer in the world (China is the first), and our demand only continues to grow.” on page 38; “The federal government is the nation's No. 1 energy consumer, so it's a good place to start looking for efficiencies” on page 38; “In 2011, President Obama urged federal department and agency heads to enter into significantly more contracts by the end of 2013 and while we commend the president for this initial step, the progress on this goal is not as far along as it could be.” on page 38; "Solar is the fastest growing and most affordable, accessible and reliable clean energy technology available today.” on page 39; “America's solar industry now employs more than 119,000 workers at 5,600 companies - most of which are small businesses spread across every state in the union.” on page 39; “The goal: to generate enough solar energy to power 1 million Colorado homes and businesses by 2030. Get- ting there will require installing about 10 times as much solar equipment as now exists in the state.” on page 39; “Though it's been around for decades, solar is still very much in its infancy. Panel prices have been plunging but they're still too high for many, and the return on investment still takes too long for some” on page 39; and “Ending the tax breaks that Exxon Mobil, BP and other Big Oil companies enjoy would put $24 billion in the federal government's accounts over the next decade.” on page 39.

This source is credible because it gives numerical statistics, quotes important and generally trusted people as sources, and mentions specific companies in the energy industry that would support the article's claim. The newspaper this is from is not a national newspaper, which means that it it is somewhat biased to the region it covers, but the article stays very factual.

This article hits very close to what my paper will be about. I am analyzing the use of green energy and energy efficiency in both the public and private sectors, and this article supports my views. This will greatly assist me in outlining how my ideas should flow when writing my paper and also will help me in identifying specific topics I will address.

February monthly assignment

Renewable Energy, January Assignment

For some really interesting data on renewable energy, go to:

Sources:

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/07/renewable-energy-charts-renewable-energy-facts/

http://www.justgreencommunity.com/10-amazing-facts-about-renewable-energy/

Graphic Organizer, 2/17

Source #____ Bibliography (MLA or APA) 4pts	Gremberg, Allen, "Renewables: A charge in Colo. economy." Northern      -        Colorado Business Report. 2/22/2013, Vol. 18 Issue 12, p38-39.
Annotation: (Describe ALL info. that might be important for your paper. Explain to the reader and/or summarize what might be found in this source) 4pts	This consists of two articles from a Colorado newspaper. The articles address the use of renewable energy in both the private and public sector. It states multiple quotes and statistics about how renewable energy such as solar and wind energy are used very little, but it is an industry in its infancy and, with large political support, could develop into a common source of energy. The articles advocate for the continued and growing use of efficient energy, they explain their claim, and then propose ideas as to how it could be done.
Potential Quotes: (Are there any significant quotes you can use or paraphrase from this source?) 4pts	The United States is the second- largest energy consumer in the world (China is the first), and our demand only continues to grow. The federal government is the nation's No. 1 energy consumer, so it's a good place to start looking for efficiencies. In 2011, President Obama urged federal department and agency heads to enter into significantly more contracts by the end of 2013 and while we commend the president for this initial step, the progress on this goal is not as far along as it could be.   "Solar is the fastest-growing and most affordable, accessible and reli- able clean energy technology avail- able today. America's solar industry now employs more than 119,000 workers at 5,600 companies - most of which are small businesses spread across every state in the union.  The goal: to generate enough solar energy to power 1 million Colorado homes and businesses by 2030. Get- ting there will require installing about 10 times as much solar equipment as now exists in the state. Though it's been around for decades, solar is still very much in its infancy. Panel prices have been plunging but they're still too high for many, and the return on investment still takes too long for some Ending the tax breaks that Exxon Mobil, BP and other Big Oil companies enjoy would put $24 billion in the federal government's accounts over the next decade.
Assessment: (Analyze and explain why this source is credible)  4pts	This source is credible because it gives numerical statistics, quotes important and generally trusted people as sources, and mentions specific companies in the energy industry that would support the article's claim.
Reflection: (How will you use it?  In which section of your paper will this source be useful?) 4pts	This article hits very close to what my paper will be about. I am analyzing the use of green energy and energy efficiency in both the public and private sectors, and this article supports my views. This will greatly assist me in outlining how my ideas should flow when writing my paper and also will help me in identifying specific topics I will address.

Interview, 1-27 assignment

Questions: Rob Stewart, Elachee Nature Center

1. What is Elachee nature center's purpose?

Elachee's motto is "Educating for Today... Preserving for Tomorrow." We really strive to teach people to appreciate, understand, and be concerned for the natural world, and to be personally invested in preserving the earth for future generations.

My reflection: I really like how Elachee is a place for local people to see the environment in its natural form. People read “nature preserve” and think of places like Yellowstone, when really there doesn’t have to be special places for nature to be marveled at.

2. When did you first start here?

I (Rob) first started here back in October 2013, so I am very new. Most of the staff has been here for years and years.

My reflection: I think it is good to get a fresh face at Elachee, which is mainly old people who have been here since around the time the place opened.

3. What do you do here?

I am the new manager of the place as of past October. I am still learning all the specifics of my job, as the weather gets warmer and more visitors come. Mostly, I make sure everything is running the way it should. If there is a problem with the trails, like a fallen tree branch, I will take care of it. If an employee needs help with their work, I usually evaluate the problem and organize a way for it to get done. I do a little bit of everything.

My reflection: It is a good idea not to come into a place with ideas for change out the wazoo, but instead (being in a place with traditional values), see how things are done first and then change something if it is not working well. Younger people coming into the place also makes the place look more desirable.

4.  What kind of activities are available here?

We have walking and hiking trails for all level hikers. There are also biking trails for the more extreme. During warmer weather we have many elementary schools come on field trips. On the first Saturday of each month we have a "First Saturday Hike" where a naturalist here at Elachee will take hikers through the trails and teach a lesson about nature. During the summer we have week long camps with different themes each week for pre-k up to middle school. In April we will have our annual trillium trek, which is a run through our trails with distances for all ages. There are other miscellaneous things that happen throughout the year, but those are the main things.

My reflection: Elachee is a place that most people know about in Hall COunty, but not many people besides children visit there for fun. I think more activities and involvement in the community would be good for Elachee.

5. What other services does Elachee provide?

We have a pre-k school here at Elachee that runs year long that focuses on nature and being healthy. We have a museum about the geographical history of Georgia. We have an animal room with turtles, snakes, lizards, and a few large insects. We usually take these animals on classroom outreaches and when younger kids visit. We do birthday parties and other private events as well.

My reflection: I really like the nature focused preschool. If I was a parent in the area I would most definitely prefer this preschool to teach my kids to love the outdoors. It is great that Elachee has animals for children to see and interact with. I am in high school, and I still enjoy going in on fridays and mondays and feeding those animals. I see parents and adults all the time that enjoy it as much, if not more, than the children.

6. Who is Elachee's main focus for marketing?

Elachee is mainly focused on kids. We are a very popular spot for field trips, but, as I said earlier, we do outreaches to classrooms all the time. We have a pre-k, summer camps, people-friendly animals, and we make sure all of our public events are available to children as well as adults.

My reflection: It is good that the kids are the main focus, because children, with their natural rambunctiousness and excitement, will motivate their parents and grandparents to come to Elachee too. I wish I lived in Hall County when I was in elementary school to go on a field trip here!

7. Do you think Elachee is a vital part of Hall County? Why?

I believe it plays a very important role in preserving the natural habitat of the wildlife of the area, especially with this becoming a popular area. Not only does it educate the community, it provides culture too. Elachee is one of the most popular nature centers in the southeast, which makes us unique.

My reflection: I think what Elachee represents, protecting and enjoying nature, is a very important part of Hall County. Whenever I tell people “I intern at Elachee Nature Center,” everyone has heard of it and what it does, and it sparks a temporary interest in them to come by and check it out. I think that is a great thing, but also a downside. Most everyone knows of Elachee, but most people haven’t actually been here more that once or twice.

8. Where does Elachee get it's funding/money?

Elachee is a private non-profit organization so we raise all of our money through donations, fundraising, sponsorships, grants, and earned income, such as memberships and renting out our facilities.

My reflection: I like this part of Elachee, even if there ever is a tightness of money. It being a non profit means it is truly about nature and people, and it gets the community involved on a business and personal level.

9. In what ways does Elachee preserve the environment?

We have multiple compost and recycle bins, so we use those as much as possible. Part of us being a nature preserve means that whatever is growing in the nature preserve must stay. For example, we cannot use fallen trees as firewood to burn or sell, so we just move them out of the paths or use the stumps as benches. We are here to protect the environment, so there is a lot going on around here.

My reflection:  I love how everything is recycled! Especially the part about how what is at Elachee must stay at Elachee. I’ve been on a couple hikes to clear trees from paths, and I didn’t understand at first why they don’t just get rid of the fallen trees, but now I love how everything is a part of Elachee.

10. What do you plan on doing now that Elachee is under new management?

I don't really plan on changing much of how Elachee runs. Many of the people who work here have been a part of Elachee for a long time, so they know what works well her. Right now I am trying to promote Elachee though, and get more people to visit and volunteer.

My reflection: I think that is the best way to join something. If I was to go into a place with ideas of change running out the wazoo, the people who know the routine here may not like me very much.

Reflection week 1-21

1)      Describe the most memorable experience you have had this semester in regards to the Honors Mentorship Program?

My most memorable experience last semester with the Hall County Government Office was working with the Elections office. It was the first year that Gainesville was able to elect their mayor, instead of a board appointing one. I was able to talk to people from all over Gainesville, I learned about the election system firsthand, I registered to vote, and I even got payed hourly. It was a great experience overall!

2)      What has been the biggest lesson learned during your first semester of your mentorship experience?

The biggest lesson I learned was punctuality. I had to be at my mentorship at a certain time after school almost each day in order to get the hours i needed. I also needed to leave at a certain time to get to rowing practice on time. I had to make sure that my mentor was on schedule and also tell her if I couldn't be there on certain days. My greatest lesson from this was learning time management. 

3)      How will you use this experience in the future?  How has this experience changed your view of learning? 

In the future I will use this to understand how to be professional in the workplace and impress my employers. I have a leg up on my competitors because while they are learning the basics, I will be learning the next step :)

 4)  How has it changed your view of the career area in which you are mentoring?

Although I enjoyed the professional workplace, i learned that working with the government is not my thing. I have high respect for people who can do that job, but it has also made me critical, in a healthy way, of the people who work for the government. 

Project planning, 1-13 weekly assignment

• I need and want to know this: 
• How to companies like the Hall County Government and Elachee Nature Center function differently?
• What is your current essential question (has it changed from when you wrote it earlier in the school year?  If it is the same, use that question for this portion of you proposal). 
• Compare and contrast how companies like the Hall County Government (for profit) and Elachee Nature Center (not for profit) function differently.
• Other than the required website, what other tools do you envision to best show case your project (#4)? 
• Perhaps a diagram on a poster comparing the two, with pictures and visuals supporting my statement and information.
• What will you do for your "real inquiry" (see above #5)?
•  I will talk to my mentors, both old (Katie Crumley at the HC Government) and new (Rob Stewart at Elachee Nature Center). Since I have already completed my time at the HC Government, I understand a good portion of the information I require. I can also talk to Rob, my mentor at Elachee, and ask questions about how non-profits work and what they do. 

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