“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.”

- Hellen Keller -

Hi my name is Leighton, but my friends and family call me Ellie. I am passionate, creative, and hard-working. I am 14 years old and I love making all kinds of art in my free time. I also love playing piano and reading. Thank you for viewing my portfolio!

Academic Pursuits

Our middle school program includes Interdisciplinary Studies where we examine unit themes through project work, ELA/Humanities, Math, Science, STEM and Spanish as well as community service.

PBL (Project-Based Learning) Unit on “Voice”

A project I worked on which I really enjoyed was about how vocal chords make sounds.

Another project was one we worked on during our unit on “Perspective” when I chose to study optical illusions.

Here is a fun project we did on “Dirigibles” when we were preparing for our Balloon Launch STEM Unit. My friend and I were responsible for designing the technical aspect of the dirigible.

Here’s our 2-person performance in Spanish on “Sally Ride”: presented to Upper Elementary students

This fun project (above) that we did was a collaboration between Creative Writing and Spanish class. We practiced presenting in front of a large group, in this case it was the upper elementary. Each pair of students was responsible for making a presentation in first person to the class about a significant figure.

CIVICS

To dive deeper into our studies about the Supreme Court we wrote and performed a skit about a court case that we were interested in. The case that we performed was Brown v. Board of Education.

Community Service

I believe in the power of community. I live in one of the most diverse cities in our country which is very inspiring, so I want to do my part to be a good steward and a good role model. My peers and I have cleaned up the neighborhood, spent time playing games with, singing for and reading to the elderly in the local Eldercare Facility, among other great projects like packing lunches or personal care kits for those struggling with homelessness in our community. Last year, I also baked some goods and helped sell them at a bake sale to raise money for the newspaper club, which was fundraising to support education for Ukrainian refugee children.

Leadership

As members of the HPMS middle school community, my classmates and I made a presentation about the middle school for the rising 6th graders. We talked about everything from classes, to participation, to organization, which is what I presented.

CLUBS & EXTRACURRICULARS

I am in the Newspaper Club at school. In addition, I also do the following:

MUSIC

I have been playing piano for 7 years now. I love playing classical music as well as pop music and show tunes. I love how the piano is so versatile, you can really play any melody you want. The video is from last year when I played “River Flows In You” by Yiruma at the 8th grade graduation.

Dance

I was on a dance team for about 6 years. Being on a dance team taught me teamwork, diligence, sportsmanship, and so much more. Dance will always be an important part of my life because of the experiences and friendships I made.

CREATIVITY

Paper Pumpkin Craft Tutorial_ Middle School Times - Ellie_Page_1.jpg

Here’s a look at my sketching process:

Athletics

I started taking jiu jitsu classes about a year ago. I wanted a way to be physically active while also learning self-defense. Jiu-jitsu has taught me respect, collaboration, quick thinking, and perseverance.