Our Community

On Friday, last week, we drove around our community on a class trip to understand the differences between equity and equality.  Going out of school during school time felt really weird. As a group, we travelled place to place, starting at schools & ending up in Panmure. A place we found that showed culture, was Te Oro. Te Oro had a lot of traditional patterns engraved on the walls. One way we can improve our community is by being kind & respectful to others by not playing loud music

 

Graphic Novel

My 3 Panel story

Akomanga Kaihanga Project

Kia Ora everyone! My name is Siosaia and I am a Year 9 student, who is currently attending
Tamaki College. I am part of a project-based learning class called “Akomanga Kaihanga”. There
are currently 29 students in my class, and we’ve been split into five groups.

I was put into a group, and we named our group “Team Jaxxs”. Besides me, there are 5 other
students in my group, and they’re names are Chastyti, Danielle, Liena, Eden, and Jerome. Our
group is focusing on child poverty, here in our community. We are planning to run a second
Food-Drive here at Tamaki College, in front of the Whare Kai. My group I, hope to Help with
Poverty in our community.

Te Whare Tapa Wha

Here is my whare that I made out of paper! My whare represents Te
Whare Tapa Wha. Te Whare Tapa Wha contains four dimensions of
our well-being. The four dimensions are Taha Tinana (Physical well-
being), Taha Wairua (Spiritual well-being), Taha Whanau (Social well
-being), and Taha Hinengaro (Mental & Emotional well-being). Our
Physical well-being is affected when we’re doing exercise, dancing,
or simply just moving. Our Spiritual well-being is affected when we’re
at church or praying. Social well-being is being affected when we’re
communicating with one another or performing an item in front of
an audience. Lastly, Our Mental and Emotional well-being is being
affected when you get or have feelings & thoughts.

Previously, my class and I went on a trip to the Panmure library, to
show our projects to people that work in our community. After the
presentation, the class split into two groups. One group went to a
school, and the other group walked up a mountain and slid down
the mountain. I was in the second group. When everything was
finished, Karl asked us to reflect on what we did. After a few
minutes of reflecting, I noticed that my Social and physical
well-being had been affected while we were presenting our
project and while climbing and sliding down the mountain, and
Since I was climbing the mountain with my friends, I felt excited
& energized, which also affected my Mental/Emotional wellbeing.

(It's a pop-up card)

Summer Learning Journey Day 5 Week 4

DAY 5: Dancing Queens

Activity 1: The World of Hip Hop [4 points]

Parris Goebel has taken over the world of dance! You might already have heard of her as she is pretty famous in New Zealand and around the world.

Parris was born in Manurewa, South Auckland, and she is of Samoan/Chinese/Scottish descent. Parris loved dancing when she was very little and she began hip hop lessons when she was 10. By the age of 15, she was so good that she started her own all-girl dance crew called ReQuest,
and they went on to win several first places at the World Hip Hop Championships.

Parris later started The Palace Dance Studio in Auckland and formed five more dance crews that won competitions worldwide. She has also worked as a choreographer for famous musicians like Justin Beiber, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, and Janet Jackson. In 2019, Parris and her new dance crew, The Royal Family, won the World Hip Hop Dance Championship.

For this activity, please think of a recent performance that you watched. This could be something that you saw on television, on the internet, or in person. What do you like about performance? What did the individual and/or group do well? What could they work on? Write a review and post it on your blog.

The lastest performance I've watched was Tape Face, on Americans got Talent. Tape Face is a comedian from the amazing country of great New Zealand!. The video I watch was about Tape Face making oven gloves sing and making then kiss at the end! It's really funny when he does it!. His second act was him putting a dress on him halfway so it can look like there is a woman hugging him!, He's a really funny guy, even Simon Cowell referred to Tape face as "a modern Charlie Chaplin"!

Activity 2: En Pointe [4 points]

Most successful ballet dancers start learning ballet when they are very young - 3 or 4 years old. World-famous ballerina, Misty Copeland, wasn’t like most other ballet dancers. Instead of starting at age 3, she started ballet lessons at age 13!

By 14, Misty had won a national competition for ballet dancers. She continued to work very hard and, in 2015, she became the first African American principal (lead) dancer of the American Ballet Theatre. This is amazing because there were, and still are, very few African American ballet dancers in the country. When interviewed, Misty has said that she would like people to be able to “see dreams through me”. This is an example of an inspirational quote.

For this activity, please choose a quote that you like from the following list and tell us what it means to you. Post your answer on your blog

Inspirational Quotes - Options

1. “I don’t love studying. I hate studying. I like learning. Learning is beautiful.” – Natalie Portman [Actress]

2. “If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” – Roald Dahl [Author]

3. “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt [Politician]

4. “Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve done before. ” – Bonnie Blair [Athlete]

5. “You’re braver than you believe and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A.A. Milne [Author]

For me, I really Like the 4th quote. The fourth quote isn't directed to me, it's directed to some of my friends! I really like this quote because every time we (me and my friends) have a game of competitive sports, They turn into a different person, taking the game literally and trash-talking other players. That's why I like the fourth quote!

Activity 3: Concluding the Journey [6 points]

Sadly, the Summer Learning Journey has now come to an end. It is time to reflect on everything that you have learned this summer about people who have had an impact or changed the world, in some way.

For this activity, please reflect on your experience with the Summer Learning Journey program this year. To earn full points, answer each of the following questions. Please post your responses on your blog.

1. Which activity, or activities, did you enjoy the most?
My favourite activity has to be Day 1, Week 2 , Activity 2: Rights and Wrongs. I really liked that activity because it was really interesting and actual quite simple to slove!
2. Which activity, or activities, did you enjoy the least?
The activity I enjoyed the least was none of them. I really enjoyed completing every single on of them!

3. What are the three things that you learned while completing the program?

• 1. I learnt about a new company called "Twenty-Seven Names"
• 2. I learnt alot about Greta Thunberg and how she protested against climate change
• 3. I learnt that England has more that 1 known breakfast!

4. What are the changes or improvements you would make to the program for next year? 
I’m actually not going to be doing the Summer Learning Journey next year because, this is actually my last year, and I will be in college next year.

I’ve been doing the Summer Learning Journey since 2017, so doing this years SLJ, was a special one, because I knew it was going to be my last one! So I just want to say thank you to everyone who's been a part of the Summer Learning Journey, espicially Rachael and Jordan!. Without this program, I wouldn't have been this intelligent and would have lower grades than I have now! 

Kind Regards
Siosaia


Thank you for participating in the Summer Learning Journey 2019-2020 program!

Summer Learning Journey Day 4 Week 4

DAY 4: Arty Designers

Activity 1: Fashion forward [4 points]

Coco Chanel was a French fashion designer from the early 1900s. She was very influential because she
designed clothes for women that were beautiful, but also comfortable and practical. Before Coco came along, European women wore corsets which pulled in their waists, and dresses that had lots of lace. Coco Chanel introduced a completely new style, influenced by men’s fashion - trousers (pants), monochrome (black and white) fabric, and looser tops.

Twenty Seven Names is a contemporary (current) New Zealand fashion label that is quite influential. The founders of the company are two friends, Rachel Easting and Anjali Burnett. Rachel and Anjali met when they were at primary school. When they left school, Anjali studied fashion design and Rachel studied art, before they set up their own business designing and making clothing. They named their company after the 27 people who helped them start their business.

For this activity, please read about how another famous New Zealand design company, the Allbirds, got their name. Former All White turned entrepreneur Tim Brown launched Allbirds (a footwear company) back in 2014. Brown said the name was an ode to New Zealand. "When people first settled in New Zealand, there were no other mammals on the island, just birds. It's also a reference to our sustainable mission – birds are a great predictor of environmental health and well-being, so when the birds are
thriving, it's a good sign that an ecosystem is doing well," Brown said. "As a brand that uses sustainable materials and draws inspiration from New Zealand's incredible natural environment and birdlife, it was important for us to choose a name that communicates that to our customers."

If you had to choose a name for a footwear company, what would it be? Once you have chosen the name think about what inspired you to choose that name. Post both the name of your company and information about what inspired the choice on your blog

If I was to choose a name for a footwear company, I would call it "Elfhex". There is no reason behind it, I just really liked the name.

  

Activity 2: Try Your Own Tapa [4 points]

Fatu Feu’u is a Samoan artist who lives in Aotearoa/New Zealand. He is mostly known for being a painter but he also creates sculptures, pottery, prints and glass works.

As an artist, Fatu Feu’u is primarily influenced by tapa cloth (siapo) patterns from Samoa, as well as tatau (tattoo), weaving, carving, and mask designs.

Many Pacific Islands have their own versions of tapa cloth. In Tonga it is called the ngatu, in Fiji - the masi, in Niue - the hiapo, in the Cook Islands - the tapa, and in Hawaii - the kapa.

For this activity, please create your own tapa cloth design. You can draw your design on paper or use the computer. Post an image on your blog (photo or screenshot) of your tapa design and describe what each part of your picture represents (means).

Activity 3: Top Secret Street Art [6 points]

“Banksy” is an influential artist from England. He is very private and secretive. In fact, almost
no one knows who he really is - he always creates his art in secret! Banksy often uses
stencils to create his street art.

Street art, or graffiti art, is all around us. Sometimes the art tells a story, sometimes it makes a
building look more interesting, and sometimes it makes us think hard about something. In
2011, the city of Christchurch experienced a huge earthquake. A lot of the central city
buildings fell down. It takes a long time to rebuild a city, and there are areas of Christchurch
where buildings are still damaged and/or need to be rebuilt. Street artists in Christchurch have
seen this as a chance to create artwork that helps to make the city beautiful again. You can
see lots of amazing street art in Christchurch at the moment!

For this activity, we have provided two different pieces of artwork from Christchurch. Look carefully at both and identify at least two similarities and two differences between the pieces of art. Post your work on your blog.

Summer Learning Journey Day 3 Week 4

DAY 3: Screen Legends

Activity 1: Talk Show Host [4 points]

Oprah Winfrey is a bit of a television legend! She is best known for her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show which ran for 25 years. Some people have said that she is one of the most influential women in the world. She is certainly very successful and has spent a lot of time helping others.

Like so many others, Oprah had to work very hard for her success. She had to overcome challenges and she experienced many struggles during her life, however, she persisted and eventually became a radio presenter, TV news presenter, and daytime talk show host. She started her own production company (HARPO Productions), and television station (OWN). She also produces a magazine called ‘O.’'

Oprah is passionate about education. She believes in the power of learning and has even started her own school in South Africa called The Oprah Winfrey Leadership School for Girls. She is keen to provide young people with opportunities to follow their passions.

For this activity, we would love to know more about your interest (passions) and your future plans. What would you like to do when you are older? Do you have a specific job in mind? Post your work on your blog.

In the future, I would want to be a Rugby Player! The reason why I would want to play rugby for a living, is because it's a really fun and competitive game! I plan on starting off from college then moving on to club. The player I mostly look up to, is the one & only, Jonah Lomu. Jonah Lomu was a really fast, strong and fearsless rugby player, and thats what I like about him.

Activity 2: Plot Points [4 points]

Lupita Nyong’o is a Mexican-Kenyan actress. She spent most of her childhood living in Kenya, Africa with her family. She is one of six children.

When she graduated from high school, she decided to move to the United States of America to follow her dreams of becoming an actress. She was cast in her first American film, East River, in 2008. She went on to write, produce and star in a number of films, including Black Panther and 12 Days a Slave, for which she won the 2013 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (otherwise known as an ‘Oscar’). Not only did Lupita win the Oscar but she was the first ever Kenyan and/or Mexican
woman to win the award. Amazing ‘eh?!

Over the past few years Lupita has continued to act, she has earned a master’s degree from Yale University and has written a children’s book called Sulwe. She has also written and produced her own movies.

For this activity, imagine that you had the chance to write your own movie. What would it be about? Who would be your main characters? What are the important events that would take place? Write a summary of your movie. Post it on your blog.

If a was the director of my own movie, I would make a movies version on Ross Capicchioni's life. if you don't know who that is, Ross Capicchioni is a dude who got shot by his friend of 10 years, just to join a gang. He was shot with a shotgun 3 times and left to die due to his friend wanting to be initiated in a gang. But somehow, Ross survived and lived to tell his story!

Activity 3: Feast or Famine [6 points]

Julian Dennison is a very funny guy! He is from Lower Hutt, near Wellington. He is only 17 years old but he has already starred in a number of movies and TV commercials. You may have seen him in the Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Deadpool, or in the Lynx ads.

Julian is not only a funny actor. He recently joined up with World Vision to be a 40 Hour Famine Ambassador. In a 40 Hour famine you don’t eat anything for a full 40 hours. He traveled with World Vision to Uganda to meet some of the refugees from South Sudan who are living there.

For this activity, we would like to know if you would consider doing a 20 or 40 Hour Famine to raise money for charity. Why or why not? If you have already participated in a 20 or 40 Hour Famine, please share your experience, including why you decided to participate and some highlights and challenges of the experience. To get full points, provide at least six sentences. Post your work on your blog

The old me would say No to doing 40-hour famine because not eating for almost 2 days was a challenge, But since it's for charity, I would do it. I just read about the 40 Hour Famine and I can see that the charity is about little African kids. I also read that Their goal is to save children's lives and ensure that they have a future.

Fun Fact: Julian is a twin! His brother, Christian, is pretty. different to Julian. He wants to study law and Te Reo Māori at university and then be a politician. Clever guy!

Summer Learning Journey Day 2 Week 4

DAY 2: Musos

Activity 1: Getting Stronger [4 points]

Aaradhna is a Samoan-Indian singer from New Zealand. As a girl, Aaradhna sang traditional Samoan and country songs with her family, eventually joining the senior choir at her high school (Porirua College). She gained international recognition in 2004 when she paired upwith Adeaze to release the song, “Getting Stronger.” The song went to number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart and it is still one of my all-time favourites, to this day!

Speaking of favourite songs, we would love to know who you listen to and what songs you like the most.

For this activity, please give us a list of your ‘Top 5’ favourite artists (singers) and
your ‘Top 5’ favourite songs. They can be from any time period and any genre (type) of music. Post your lists on your blog.

My Top 5 artists are...

5. HP Boyz.

4.  Frank Sinatra.
  3. Bruno Mars. 

2. Stevie wonder. 

1. Michael Jackson.

My Top 5 Songs are...

5. Cruising - Smokey Robinson

4. Bad - Michael Jackson

3. The way you make me feel - Michael Jackson

2. Blame it on the Boogie - Michael Jackson 

1. Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder

Activity 2: K-pop heroes [4 points]

BTS, or Bangtan Boys, is a seven member boy band from South Korea. They have sold over 15 million albums in South Korea, which make them the best selling artists in South Korea of all time. They have topped the music charts in the United States of America and around the world.

They began singing hip hop but now sing mostly K-Pop (Korean Pop). Most of their songs are sung in Korean - their first language.

BTS is famous for making great music videos and for singing about topics that many people can relate to - love, self-confidence, etc. They have a huge and very loyal fan base are called the BTS A.R.M.Y. Most of their fans follow them on social media. They have 16.5 million followers on Twitter and 13 million followers on Instagram. Wow! They are really popular!

For this activity, please tell us if you like BTS. Why or why not? If you have not heard
of them, please tell us about your favourite band instead. Post your answer on your blog.

I definitely haven't heard about BTS so i'm just going  tell you about my favourite band!

My favourite band of all time has to be The Jackson 5! I really like The Jackson 5 because it has the type of genres that I like!. The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, were an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1965 in Gary, Indiana, by brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine, with younger brothers Marlon and Michael

Activity 3: Girl Power [6 points]

Jessica Mauboy is an Aboriginal Australian singer. She rose to fame when she was runner-up in the 2006 Australian Idol, and has gone on to record a number of very successful songs. She
is a role model for both girls, and indigenous Australians as she has been so successful in her music and acting career.

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is an opera singer from Aotearoa/New  Zealand. She became one of the best sopranos (a female singer with a high voice) in the world. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is
Māori, however she was adopted when she was a baby and
very little is known about her birth family.

For young singers, both of these women can serve as role models - people who have faced challenges
and overcome them in order to achieve their dreams of becoming professional singers.

For this activity, we would like to choose one role model and tell us about them. What makes them a role model? They can be people you know personally, people you have seen on television or the internet, people you have heard on the radio, or people you have heard about from a friend of family member. Post your description on your blog.

My role model has to be Jennifer Lawrence. The reason why I chose Jennifer Lawrence is because she is a really confident when she's in interviews and when shes acting! She also Loves her fans! She always makes a point of stopping to talk to her fans! The last thing that I like about Jennifer Lawrence is that she loves Pizza!

Summer Learning Learning Day 1 Week 4

WEEK 4: All the World’s a Stage

Kia ora and welcome to the final week of the Summer Learning Journey! This week we are going to be learning about people who changed the world through the arts and entertainment industries. The people included in this programme are only a small number of the exceptional, influential and inspirational authors, musicians, artists and entertainers in the world.

Get ready to learn about some very creative people!

DAY 1: Bookworms
DAY 2: Musos
DAY 3: Screen Legends
DAY 4: Arty Designers
DAY 5: Dancing Queens

DAY 1: Bookworms

Activity 1: Rags to Riches [4 points]

J. K. Rowling is one of the most well known authors in the world. She wrote the Harry Potter series of
books. Over 500 million copies of her books have been sold, making J. K. Rowling the world’s first
billionaire author.

While she was writing the first Harry Potter book, she was a single mum with very little money. She used to write while her daughter Jessica was asleep. She used her initials ‘J.K.’ instead of her name (Joanne) because her publisher thought that boys might not want to read a book written by a woman.

J. K. Rowling has done many interviews which have revealed things about her as a writer and as a
person. One of these interviews was conducted by a very famous television personality, Oprah Winfrey
(you can find more about her on Day 3, Activity 1!).

In order to encourage people to read her books, J. K. Rowling made sure that the book covers were really creative and interesting.

For this activity, it is your turn to design a book cover for your favourite book. You will need to think about what needs to be on the cover (the title, author, illustrator, pictures, colour, etc). Please create all of the images yourself (draw or photograph). Share the book cover on your blog.
 

Activity 2: Romeo and Juliet [4 points]

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an author, poet and playwright. He is best known for the plays that he wrote while living in England in the 16th Century. Although they were written a long time ago, they are still popular because they talk about things that are familiar to us - love, revenge, confusion, betrayal, jealousy, hurt, etc. You might have heard of some of his plays: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear. Many of them have also been made into movies.

Shakespeare wrote his plays in English, however, it was not the same version of English that we have now. In fact, many of the words that we use today, in 2019, weren’t used back in 1600 (and vice versa). To experience the difference between modern-day English and Shakespearean English, please read the following example:

#1: Modern English version - This morning I got up early when my daughter Laila woke up. We had a delicious breakfast of steaming hot porridge before heading out the door to start the day. It was cold, sunny and clear outside.

#2 - Shakespearean English version - This m'rning I did get up early at which hour mine own daught'r Laila did wake up. We hadst a delicious breakfast of steaming hot p'rridge bef're heading out the doth'r to starteth the day. T’wast bitter cold, sunny and cleareth outside.

For this activity, read the following Shakespearean sentences and then rewrite them in Modern English. Post both the original Shakespearean sentence and your Modern English version on your blog.

Sentence #1: Mine own mume’s favouriteth meall is chicken with riceth and broccoli.
Sentence #1 Remake: My mummy's favourite meal is Chicken with Rice and Broccoli
Sentence #2: During the summer holidaie I always wend swimming at the locall pool and hast a hokeie pokeie iceth cream coneth on the waie hometh.
Sentence #2 Remake: During the summer holiday's, I always went swimming at the local pool and had a Hokie Pokie Ice Cream cone on the way home. 

Activity 3: The Diary of Anne Frank [6 points]

Anne Frank was a very brave girl. She was born and raised in a Jewish family in Germany in the 1930s. When World War II started, Anne and her family were forced to hide because the German politicians (Nazis) did not like Jewish people. She and her family hid out in a secret room in their house for two full years. During this time, Anne wrote in a diary. When the war ended, Anne’s dad found the diary and made it into a book. He called it The Diary of Anne Frank or The Diary of a Young Girl.

I know lots of people who keep a diary. Often they will record what they did during the day or
recount stories about special events that have taken place.

For this activity, we would like you to imagine that you have a diary. In your diary please write a story about your most extraordinary day. What happened? You can tell us about an actual event or you can make one up. It’s totally up to you! Please be as creative as you can. Post a diary entry about your extraordinary day on your blog. Be sure to start your post with the words “Dear Diary”.

Dear Diary.

My Mums almost finished with dinner so i'll have to make this quick. Today was an extraordinary day at school! So the day started off as any ordinary day. Teacher taking the roll, kids mucking around, but all of a sudden, our principle called out through the intercom ans said "All classes to the hall". We had no idea what was happening, not even the teachers. When we all arrived at the hall, The first thing I saw, was Blue, Red and White. I then realized it was Spiderman!. My jaw dropped. After few screaming, we all took a seat. Spiderman did a few tricks and showed us how he shot his web. After the lesson, Spiderman asked a few question. Well, I have to go now, My Mums calling me for Dinner! Bye for now!

Summer Learning Journey Day 5 Week 3

DAY 5: Creativity +

Activity 1: Ministry of Inspiration [4 points]

So you might have heard of the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Health, right? They are groups of people who give advice to the government. But have you heard of the Ministry of Inspiration? It sounds like fun, doesn’t it?! Well, this is a real organisation based in Nelson, New Zealand. Their aim is to get kids thinking creatively in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts, maths and society (STEAMS).

The Ministry of Inspiration hosts many cool activities and events, including an Aquabot competition. Aquabots are robots that travel under the water. They are built by secondary school students. Once a year, the students bring their aquabots to a pool to compete in a series of challenges. These challenges include picking up items from the bottom of the pool, delivering and/or collecting items from various locations in the pool. The team with the best aquabot wins the competition.

For this activity, we would like to know if you would join an Underwater Robotics team at your school. Why or why not? Post your answer on your blog.

If I was giving the opportunity to Join an Underwater Robotics, I would gladly join the Robotics team! The reason why I would join the team is because of a few reason. The first reason is that the Aqua bot competition, which includes a lot of fun challenges, sounds like a lot of fun! The second reason is that you can challenge other Teams or schools to make things a bit more challenging. The final reason is that Children from Year 5 to Year 13 can compete in the challenges!

Activity 2: Caine’s Arcade [4 points]

Caine Monroy is a 17 year old boy who lives in Los Angeles (L.A.), California. When he was younger, he spent his summer holidays at his dad’s work - an auto parts store in downtown L.A. While his dad was working, he decided to build himself something that he had always wanted - an arcade! He built an arcade all by himself out of cardboard boxes and things that he found lying around the shop.

One day a man came into the store to buy a handle for his car and he met Caine. Caine showed him what he had made and the man was so impressed with the arcade game that he made a movie about Caine and invited all the people in L.A. to come and play the games in Caine’s Arcade!

For this activity, we would like to know about your favourite game. It can be a board game, a card game, a game that you play outside with friends (e.g., rugby) or a quiet game that you play by yourself. Tell us about your favourite game. What is it called? How do you play it? Post your answer to this activity on your blog.

My Favorite game to play is a free-to-play mobile game, called PUBG. I really like playing this game because it's a really fun and competitive game you can play with your friends and Family. PUBG is an online multiplayer battle royale game. PUBG is a game which contains 100 players in one map and they have to fight until there is only 1 player left. To make things challenging, there is a zone in every map that shrinks which makes players closer to each other.

Activity 3: Choose your own [6 points]

You have now made it to the end of Week 3 and have the chance to choose your very own scientist,
technologist, or inventor who you think has changed the world. There are no right or wrong choices for
this activity, so find someone who interests you and tell us about them on your blog. It could be someone from your family, church or community or someone famous that you admire.

Here is an example in case you get stuck. The information came from the Coconet TV documentary
series

Dr Taitusi Taufa - Cancer Researcher, Tonga

Dr Taufa recently completed a PhD at Victoria University in Wellington. For his PhD he was looking to
see if specific ocean plants (e.g., Marine Sponges) could be used in the treatment of cancer. His interest
in this area can be traced back to his childhood on Tongatapu, the main island of Tonga. When he was
8 years old growing up in Tonga he accidentally poked a stick into his cousins eye and doctors there had told them there was nothing they could do and he would never see out of that eye. However, a traditional healer in a neighbouring village applied drops from a local plant and within a month his cousin could see again.

For his PhD, Taufa collected samples from marine sponges, sea cucumber and sea squirts. It’s these chemicals that he believes could form the basis of future anti-cancer drugs. Medication isolated from sponges could also prove more effective than conventional anti-cancer drugs, because the chemical compounds bind permanently to cancer cells, unlike many current treatments. Taufa’s work is ground-breaking and may save hundreds of people’s lives over the coming years.

For this activity, please choose one person (Dr Taufa or someone else) and tell us a bit about them. You must tell us their name of the person, and provide a description of the work they do/have done along with an explanation of how they/their work has had an impact on the lives of others. Post your work on your blog.

Leonardo DiCaprio

The person I chose is the famous Leonardo DiCaprio. Mr DiCaprio may only look like an actor, but He does a lot more than act. He is a environmentalist. Mr DiCaprio is really concerned about climate change and the future of our planet! Mr DiCaprio is doing everything in his power to help climate change or help convince others to help with climate change. Mr DiCaprio has also made a Foundation and named it "The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation". 

The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is dedicated to the long-term health and well being of all Earth's creatures. Through collaborative partnerships, we support innovative projects that protect vulnerable wildlife from extinction, while restoring balance to threatened ecosystems and communities. Mr DiCaprio has also donated 5 million dollars to help with climate change!. What I think Mr DiCaprio is doing is a really brave and convincing thing to do, and if it keeps up, leaders from different countries might get convince and maybe help with his foundation!