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LAUNCH is an Episcopal Upper School showcase started by a small group of students in 2014. This full day, TEDx-style event features the talents, research and innovations of tomorrow’s leaders and includes talks from students in distinctive programs like ESTAAR, AP Studio Art, Robotics, and Thesis.
LAUNCH was the brainchild of the 2014 Honors Thesis graduates, who aspired to create an event to celebrate each other’s achievements in a supportive, encouraging environment. The success of that first event has led to subsequent years of continued growth and expansion. Each year, LAUNCH highlights the talents and gifts of the entire Upper School.
LAUNCH is truly the celebration of many things--a child’s promise, a parent’s inspiration, and an Episcopal student’s ambition.
We invite you to watch the videos and read the summaries below featuring LAUNCH day student presentations. Check back often as additional videos will be uploaded soon.
LAUNCH was the brainchild of the 2014 Honors Thesis graduates, who aspired to create an event to celebrate each other’s achievements in a supportive, encouraging environment. The success of that first event has led to subsequent years of continued growth and expansion. Each year, LAUNCH highlights the talents and gifts of the entire Upper School.
LAUNCH is truly the celebration of many things--a child’s promise, a parent’s inspiration, and an Episcopal student’s ambition.
We invite you to watch the videos and read the summaries below featuring LAUNCH day student presentations. Check back often as additional videos will be uploaded soon.
2019 LAUNCH Presentations
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When Life Gets Ruff: How Dogs Can Aid in Alleviating Stress by Ashley Solomon
After experiencing the unfathomable tragedy in Newtown, CT, as a sixth-grader, Senior Thesis member Ashley Solomon recalls the influx of therapy dogs to help the community process and move forward. Her research focuses on the need for more mental health services, and she makes a case for therapy dogs in school settings. Hitting a High Note in the History of Education by Hallie Sternberg
Hallie's inspiration stems from something her audience knows quite well: schools. Her research has led on her a path of discovery that includes conversations with major thinkers on education as well as a greater awareness of the innovations throughout the country that teachers are employing to make school meet your specific generation's needs. She will present her work later this spring at the Popular Culture Association Conference in Washington, DC. The Constitution and Big Brother: George Orwell’s Worst Nightmare by David Whitehurst
Episcopal Senior David Whitehurst discusses a central point of his thesis, which explores the intersection of privacy and technology. His article invites us to be aware of how our devices are changing the way we think about and experience personal privacy. The Nature of Human Violence:
A Study of the Complexities of How Intraspecial Violence Fits into our Morality and Behavior by Graham Perkins Graham's presentation looks at a troubling trend throughout human history: a capability for violence on a magnitude of scales. He considers the social and cultural forces, as well as biological instincts, arguing that we can rise above our nature. Though we have the capability of violence, we also have the ability and motivation for empathy, charity and love. One Person, One Buyer, One Product: The Power of Glocalization by Adele Broussard
After giving her audience some familiar sweets from American and Great Britain, Adele discusses the choices that companies must make when expanding abroad. She takes us case by case to analyze how companies from Coca-Cola and IKEA to Raising Cane's and Nike standardized or adapted, arguing for a blending of the two approaches. |
All Guts, No Glory by Ethan Wax
Using Evil Dead II, the film that instigated the Splatstick genre, Ethan's presentation explains the possibilities of this niche genre. He discusses the challenges of splatter horror film, the redeeming qualities of slapstick comedy, and why the merging of the two has created something unique and unexpected. A Growing Divide: Effects of Media on Political Polarization by Owen Johnson
Owen's presentation calls out a threat scarier than Godzilla: political polarization facilitated through news and entertainment media. He explores the commentary and reactions to popular media examples like Star Wars and South Park, and describes the consequences of irrresponsible news reporting. Owen challenges us to consider how media and art can both spark social progress and drive a wedge between us. Fusion of Educational Systems: A Look into Education as I Know It by Megan MacMillan
Megan's presentation follows her own personal story, which begins in an orphanage in Kazakhstan. Having moved frequently as a child, Megan has experienced every kind of education system America offers from homeschooling and public gifted education to charter school and independent private school. Her presentation promotes the notion of self-reflection and the idea that when you know where you've been, you can better determine where you want to go. "The Knightly Night": An Examination of Regressive Masculinity in a Progressive World by Douglas Robins
In this first and last episode of "The Knightly Night with Douglas Robins," Douglas encourages us to think more deeply about how popular culture shapes our understanding of our own identity. Specifically, he challenges his audience to push past the often one-dimensional and simplistic representations of masculinity that we see in popular media. Losing Our Touch: A Closer Look at Our Changing Communities and Their Effects on Our Relationships by Alyssa Macaluso
Alyssa's presentation implicates her audience from the start, asking participants to consider the healthy relationships in their lives. She names two worrisome enemies, lonliness and isolation, discussing the harmful effects of feeling disconnected and alone. She leaves us with ideas for forging meaningful and lasting connections with others. |
The American Automobile Industry and Its Place in America by Todd McInnis
Todd's love of cars, which stems from a long family history in the business, fueled his investigation into the historical, cultural, and economic impacts of the automobile industry. He takes his audience back in time, analyzing the impacts, both direct and indirect, that the car industry has had on American life and culture. Fostering a Sufficient National Dialogue: Racial Mistreatment in the American Justice System by Morgan Patty
With conviction and authority, Morgan tells the story of wrongfully-convicted Albert Woodfox to illustrate racial bias and inequities in the American criminal justice system. She compels her audience to consider systems that appear infallable in order to prevent widespread injustice from taking hold of our institutions. Dancing Around the Subject by Madeleine Cope
In a highly creative and unconventional way, Madeleine dances her thesis with the help of Dance Master Seminar. She shows her audience the power that movement can have when integrated into the learning process and urges her peers to let down their guard and start moving. What We Forget and Why We Remember by Austin Broussard
With the help of characters Marie Antoinette and Billy the Kid, Austin uncovers the changing historical narratives of major figures. He employs his own Remembrance Principle to analyze various historical figures to understand why stories change over time and urges his audience to consider the value of accuracy and truth when recounting the past. |