My name is Harlow Kramer-Dew, I am in the tenth grade and go to Fort Lauderdale High School. I decided to enroll in Media Studies because I thought that learning about the movie production process would be interesting. Before taking this class, I did not realize all of the work that goes into making a movie, now I am beginning to understand how complex that process is. Currently, I am a part of the Symphonic winds program at my school and am also a part of the marching band. I had been playing the flute since middle school and decided to continue my musical journey by joining the band during high school. Last year, both bands earned straight superiors at our MPA, which is a test for bands where they are given grades from poor, the worst grade, to superior, which is the highest grade. Of the two, I prefer marching band because of the family that has formed within the band as well as the piccolo that I play while marching.
When I am not in school, I enjoy reading fantasy and utopia or dystopia fiction. A few of my favorite books include Unwind, Dry, Scythe, Cinder, and the Empire of Dreams. Because of the global pandemic, I have had a large amount of free time and have spent most of it reading books on my kindle. My local library has an app where books can be borrowed and returned, similar to an in person library. The app has been a very beneficial, and I have used it to read a plethora of books. I am also a Girl Scout and part of Troop 10171. About two years ago my troop decided to complete the Silver Award. The award consisted of a project that had to be sustainable and last after it was completed. The project chosen by each member of the troop was banning plastic straws in our city. By doing so I had to discuss with each of the commissioners on the town council, talk to each restaurant to see which straws they used, and speak with paper straw company representatives. At the end of the project an ordinance was passed to ban the use of plastic straws in restaurants within our town. This project led to a greater awareness in the species of turtles and the environment, therefore when a friend told me about a club at my school called Surfriders, I became interested and wanted to join. Surfriders is a club that focuses on the environment and uses the collaboration of students to find ideas that benefit the environment, such as reducing the amount of waste in the oceans or recycling plastic. As this is my first year in the club, I am not sure what to expect, but believe that the club will benefit the environment and my awareness of the environment in the future.
