Category: 2015-2016

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Khmer Literature and Culture Festival

As a Cambodian youth, its our obligation, our duty to preserve our beautiful culture and language that was passed down from our ancestors. The culture that is soft and well-structure. It is important that we, the new generation should do something to not letting it fade. The less worry and care to it, the more chance it will be lose and forget about. 

On the 24th of May 2019, all of the Liger Leadership Academy students had worked and conducted a fruitful festival that contained many things that related to our culture. I was one of the lead role in the organizing team. I felt so happy to be apart of this culture and this team that trying to preserve our wonderful history. 

Everything was organized by every single one of the Liger students. We got funded from the USA embassy, Plantation Hotel and Sousdey Cambodia. Without them this event won’t be able to happen. As well as thank you to the monks, the speakers, the judges and everyone who attended the event it incredibly honor to be hosting you. 

 

At the end of the day everyone finished up their booths with smiles because we never thought that this festival will be successful like the way it turned out. More than 200 students turned up at our school with smile and curiosity. I am hoping that we can host this as an annually event again every year and we hope to see more people come in. 

 

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Chemistry Unit 4: Reactions and Stoichiometry

Throughout our unit 4 in Chemistry, we learned about reactions and stoichiometry. In this unit we went over, types of reaction, did some labs and did a few calculation on the reaction rate.

There are five types of reaction: 

  1. Synthesis – Two substances react to form a single product.
    1. x+y → xy
  2. Decomposition – A single reactant decomposes or breaks down into two or more products
    1. A    →    B + C
  3. Combustion – One reactant (fuel) combines with oxygen to produce an oxide and water.
    1. Fuel + O2  →    oxide + H2O
  4. Single Replacement – One, more reactive element, replaces another.
    1. M  + AX  →MX + A
  5. Double Replacement – A reaction in which the cations and anions of both reactants switch partners.
    1. AX  + DZ    →    AZ + DX

Those are the five types of reaction that can happen to the molecule when they are reacting.  We also went over the reaction rate. A few words that I want to tell are activation energy, activated complex, reactant, and product. 

Activation energy (Ea)  is the minimum amount of energy to start a reaction.

Activated complex is a reaction progresses from reactants to products, it goes through a transition state.

The reactant is a substance in reaction before becoming the product.

A product is as the reaction occurs products is produced.

Reactants → Products
  • Start with a concentration of reactants (reagents)  which decrease over time.
  • The reaction occurs quickly at the beginning and then slows down.

There are four(4) major factors in looking at the effect in the reaction rate:

  1. Concentration-  As the concentration of reactants increases, there are more particles, so more collisions, and the rate will increase.
  2. Temperature – As temperature increases, the particles move faster, so more collisions occur, and the rate increases.
  3. Surface Area- Reactions take place on the surface of the solid, so as of surface area increase, reaction rate increases. *Notice they are a direct relationship
  4. Catalyst- a substance that speeds up a reaction without being consumed

Through this unit, I had understood the difference between reaction rate and reaction time. As well as understanding deeper into looking at the reaction progress of the molecule. This lesson really interests me as a student who doesn’t really interest in Chemistry and I think it is really fun to learn something like this topic. 

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Literacy Unit 2: Communication

Communication is an essential skill that everyone in this globe is using to deliver their message and interact with each other. Without expressing our gestures, we won’t be able to receive a clear information from the other person and it is significantly valuable to be able to have this skill and keep it with us everywhere we go and every time we are doing anything. 

During our second unit of literacy, we went over different types of communication skill that requires us to use in our life. The four types of communication skills that we went over in class were body language, active listening, writing a formal email and lastly video conferencing. Our goal at the end of this unit was to organize a workshop that teaches our juniors’ cohort about the four kinds of skills. 

I wanted to highlight one of the skills that I was very interested and enjoy learning the most and that was active listening.

   Active listening is a skill that everyone living on this planet should have and should practice. Without understanding what others are talking about, the world won’t be able to have peace.

– The plan won’t be able to implement if nobody listens to the planner.

– Design won’t be able to present if nobody gives value and listen to the designer.

Listen to take in rather than listen to speak.

Make sure you give them value to what they are speaking because this is their turn to speak and then it’ll be you.

During our workshop, I was the facilitator of the active listening session. Personally, I love having this kind of discussion because it helps everyone to learn and gain different ideas from different people. People’s voice is so important in a way that they can help everyone grow. 

We did a few activities including telephone game, the example of mentally active listener vs the physically active listener. I really like these activities, I felt I receive so much experience or ideas from both seniors and juniors. 

Through this experience, both activities in class and during workshop have helped me as a person in school and in society to listen carefully from others and to become a more respectful person. Last thing to remember, everyone has a voice when he or she are speaking listening to understand and take it not to criticize or speak. 

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Diving towards Statistical Analysis

What comes to your mind when you hear the word STATISTICS?

I believe you must’ve thought that it will be connected to data analysis, graph, bar graph,  histogram, scatter-plot, stem-plot and other data related. Well, you are correct it does relate to that.

Over the last seven weeks, we started to dive into the statistics math problems. According to the definition Statistics “is a branch of mathematics dealing with data collection, organization, analysis, interpretation and presentation.” Therefore, based on this definition you can most likely to recognize that in our class we will be doing lots of data collection, analysis and the interpretation of the data. 

In the class, we used many resources including, Barron’s AP Statistics textbook, The practice of Statistics textbook and Khan Academy, our most used technology website resource for better maximize our learning and learning of each other.

 

At the beginning of the lesson we went over one chapter which was to learn how to read stem-plot. Do you know what is a stem-plot? Stem-plot is a type of data visualization that depict shapes, center and spread.

Shape, center and spread are the three types of distribution that given from stem-plot, dot plot and histogram or sometimes people may use box plot to represent as well.

Based from what I learned, mean and median are the measure of center symmetric distribution: mean is an accurate measure of center. 

Let me show you some of the symbols we used in analyzing the statistical data: 

We then continue our lesson to learn about the density curve which it is a mathematical model that is always on or above horizontal axis and  has an area exactly one underneath it. Through this lesson we went over Empirical rule which is the 68-95-99.7 rules to calculate z-score and how many deviation or data is away from the mean. 

If you happen to use T-83 calculator you can generate probability or the raw data Or you can also generate a z-score from your calculator by typing: 

normalcdf(lowerbound, upperbound, mean, deviation) --> Raw data
invNorm(area,mean, deviation) --> raw data
invNorm(%) --> z-score

We then dive into correlation chapter. Correlation is what make scatter-plot to see the point correlate.   In order to describe a scatter plot it requires form, direction and strength. 

 

Form - linear or nonlinear
Direction - positive or negative
Strength - weak, moderate or strong

r = correlation coefficient intuition, it is the value that determine how correlated the data is together.  -1 < = r <= 1

When there is a -r it is a negative association and when there is a +r it is a positive association. 

What do you think the association of this scatter-plot?

Well the above scatter-plot show a positive association even the correlation isn’t close to each other. Remember that the mean of least square regression line is always zero. 

Most of all, I am very enjoy learning statistics even though I’m not good at it. It teaches me to think and analyze better and harder than I ever did. These are just small things that combine to explain to all of you of what I learned in math class however we learn even more than that. I will try my best even though I have no plan to take the exam next year and will keep pushing myself to try harder and harder to maximize my learning. 

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Chemistry Unit 3: Determining Types of Bonding

It has been a great unit to dive into determining the types of bonds, drawing the Lewis dots structure, VSEPR model and analyzing the molecular shape and the polarity. 

There are three types of bonding such as: Ionic Bond, Metallic Bond and Covalent Bond. In order to identify which elements when combined is an ionic, metallic or covalent bond, these following characteristics will help to determine: 

Also we took a lesson on learning about the Lewis Dot Structure, it’s a structure that people would draw to help others visualize the combine elements more closely. It also help us to determined which bond is it through doing the Lewis Dot Structure. 

 

Through drawing the Lewis dot structure it has helped us to better determining the molecular shape and its polarity. As by seeing from the above picture, those are a kind of some diagrams in the class.  

Valence-Shell Electron-Pair Repulsion, VSEPR  Model is another kind of diagram that people draw.  Through this model we can also calculate the formal charge:  a valence electrons in the free atoms:  non-bonding electrons, bonding e-/2. 

Polarity and Molecular Shape: 

  1. Linear:  nonpolar
  2. Trigonal Planar: nonpolar
  3. Tetrahedral: nonpolar
  4. Trigonal pyramidal: polar
  5. Bent: polar
  6. Trigonal bipyramidal: polar
  7. Octahedral: nonpolar

Overall, through learning this unit, I’ve learned how to determine the boding and analyzing the molecular shape and more, I’m looking forward to learn  more things about chemistry in the next coming unit. 

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A Long History of America – Poem

As a final assessment for my literacy class this term, I wrote a poem about the American history through different articles that I read in class. I hope you enjoy reading it 🙂

It started off with one rhythm

Americans Citizens

They experienced love, scarcity, depression, success

They tried to fight for their liberty or else for death

“Give me liberty or Give me death”

Patrick Henry a man with kindness

His rousing speech resolved huge stress

Persuaded his country to battle for what is best

It took a while to escape this mess

Strictly bound under pressure from the British

That’s why they asked for either freedom or death

A year later, they received liberty and began their life with faith.

 

1781 the story of Native Americans

The story of unfairness has yet to end

Thomas Jefferson a cunning man

His four letters were all intense

He wanted the Indian to give up his land

Like getting rid of the dirty shirt that stuck with stain

His tone started off nice but blaming at the end

He used rhetorical devices to convince Ben

He was acting very gentle but he actually pretend

However assimilation did not happen

And all Indians keep fighting till the end.

 

Here comes the Civil War, 1861

Split Southerner and Northerner bond

The South needed slaves to work upon

Such growing crops like wheat and corns

The North was anti-slavery and they held on

“Climate was the roots” that split the one

Laws have been made and spread beyond

This whole nation and its phenomenon

Black Africans became the target that the US want

They became property to sell and were put-on

The auction block to be bought

And shipped them out, to the place they did not belong

Fiercely manipulate the Black Africans upon.

 

Then the immigration was discussed

The U.S. worked to exclude certain immigrants in the past

They need to be physically strong, healthy and fast

The U.S. immigration laws were strict and was difficult to pass

29 probing questions is a difficult task

It’s not like when students playing bluff

And those immigrants have to determine that they can climb up this massive mast

If they make it, their life will be better compare to their past.

 

And this is just a small part of America’s history, that I learned in class

United States has changed so fast!

 

AMERICA a country of GROWTH and CHANGE!

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Unit One: Working as a Chemist

Chemistry!!! Yea….

First of all, how would you define Chemistry?

Well according to the definition Chemistry means, “the branch of science that deals with the identification of the substances of which matter is composed;” Generally, people would describe that chemistry is the study of chemical substances. 

Our class began with learning about strategies that the chemist do to complete their work.

In order to finish a lap report a chemist need to follow this steps: 

  • Observation/Problem: Something that you have notice and you wonder.
    • Qualitative: No data or number involve
    • Quantitative: Measured with numbers
  • Hypothesis: Statement that we believe it’ll happen in the experiment.
  • Experiment: Testing/Set up
    • Data: #Result
    • Conclusion: Analyse and conclude the testing result.

We also learned how to set up an experiment:

  • Control variables: factor that being controlled
  • Independent variable: factor that being tested 
  • Dependent variable: factor that being measured
  • Control group: does not get independent
  • Experimental group – same as control but gets independent variable.

Personally, chemistry is a very hard topic but I will try my best and work hard in order to achieve and complete this course successfully. 

 

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America – Literacy Unit

America? 

Part of English literacy class this year we started off learning the history of the United States. U.S. got a long story to talk about in their history. The history involved sadness, awfulness, happiness, victory, racism, discrimination etc.

We read various articles every week to learn about different stories of the America and answered some questions about the articles:

  • Give me liberty or Give me death
  • Causes of the American civil war
  • Thomas Jefferson writing on the American Indian
  • America’s shifting views on immigration
  • Excerpt from the jungle (Meat Packaging Industry)
  • The Great Depression

Highlight of my response about the Meat Packaging Industry: 

Back in the 1900s, the meat packaging industry would use various ways to cover up the spoiled meat. Based on The Jungle-“meat that was taken out of pickle would often be found sour,”-therefore they bound it up with soda to remove the smell because when the meat got spoiled, the factory can’t used it for anything else besides – “chop it up into sausage.” They then would use, “a machine consisting of a hollow needle attached to a pump; by plunging this needle into the meat,” so they could stuffed – “a ham with pickle in a few seconds.” “To pump into these the packers had a second much stronger pickle which destroyed the odor,” meaning in order to get rid of the bad smell and cover up the spoiled meat, the packers then have to carry on ways that being mentioned to cover up the spoiled meat in the factory.

This unit, especially reading the excerpt is very challenging for me but I will work hard and try my personal best to reach my goal. It is not just about my comprehension skill but it also but my writing skill. It is important to get the ball rolling and find a better way that I will be able to become a successful English learner.

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“The Network”

Over the last seven weeks before the end of school year started to emerge, I was pleased to be apart of the member of the acting exploration. “The Network” was the play that produced by Christian Kiley and was used to be our theme for performing. 

My role in the exploration was a producer, somebody whose is in charge of marketing and finance team. It was a challenge role, I believed it was difficult the first time I started it  but after I found my way out and work with my teammates, I can see improvements have been done. 

About three weeks later during exploration, I got an exciting news that I could become one of the important character in the play. I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn and have that acting experience. I was enrolled as A, a character that combined both outside world and internet world together on the network. I figured out that A is a character that under manipulate by one other character in the play. If I were to compare between this play and the real world, I would say many of the people living on Earth whose used internet now are experienced in it. 

Internet have taken everyone attention and drawn everyone in a social media world. But it have help both in positive and negative aspect. An example from my writing prompt activity was: A time that technology has impacted my life was when my dad got into an accident. Way back then, I posted an old picture of me with my dad with apologizing words. I wrote a sorry caption plus and emotional emojis. On that same week I received many sweet and motivates comments and messages from different people. And because of those texts, it have helped me to feel so much better with lots of love from friends and family members from far side. In that situation, The Network have helped me and my family to feel so much better after.

Besides working on producer job, Everyone got to participate in many acting activities. One of my favorite acting activity is bus stop station. This is when each person got a line of who their character or person is and then they will be going to the bus stop and act out who their character is without telling the audience but after everyone done we would guess each character. This experience some how teaches me ways to be able to become a better actor.  

So by the end of the exploration, we finally got to show our first full-length play to Liger, many other international schools and expats in Phnom Penh. The play was performed at Department of performing arts. This experience lead me to better understand the important of acting and being a producer, I learned to be flexible and become a better actress. 

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Creative Writing about Khmer New Year

It was in the middle of the night, my grandmother hosted a dance party at her house located in the middle of nowhere and was surrounded by a massive maze where nobody could never be able to escape. People come in and out from nowhere dressed up fancy. There was a big crowd of people dancing right in the center of the house while some are flirting together. I was too shy to get out from my sit but right at the moment, I saw a guy who wears a long nice suit and dressed up differently out of all looks at me and approaches me. I was frightened and I turned my face downward facing the floor with my eyes open staring at his footsteps one by one. Right at the moment, when that guy arrived me, I put my both of my palm on my face but thing ends up differently; he was actually trying to get me to be a dance partner with him. It was scary the first time to see him but I decided to dance with him. While dancing, he started asking me different questions about my life and so on he asked me this question, “Have you ever want to get out from this maze?” I knocked my head slowly as a sign of telling him yes. He said he wanted to get out of the maze since he was 10 but he couldn’t find a way to do it yet. He looked at me with his sharp eyes in such begging way for me to get out of this maze with him. I don’t know what comes to my mind and what has happened but I told him I will try to find a way to get out with him. It was the same night, right after the talk, he holds my left hand tightly pulling me forward and he started to run to the door. After five days both of us had found our way out of the maze. The world was completely beautiful better than the inside that we always been seeing. I really enjoyed my life outside world; a year later, the guy who came with me has vanished. I always try to search for him but 2 years later my grandmother went into my dream, and told that he was just a shadow of someone who lives in the outside world and was ordered to get into the maze to help me get out and see this beautiful nature. 

This story was inspired by a cool looking guy who I saw at the pagoda when I went to watch people dancing. His style of dressing up just completely blown my eyes and his dancing skill was really cool to see, and he was also the only one guy that stands out the most in the crowd so I was just sitting and staring at him the whole time he was dancing. So I think this can be taken and turn into a short and simple story.