Bio

Hi!  My name's Max Foley-Keene.  I'm a Sophomore attending the Communication Arts Program at Montgomery Blair High School.

I really like CAP and Blair.  CAP has allowed me to really grow as a writer and has improved my multi-media skills.  I really enjoy making films, especially news programs (like the one I did about Pokemon last year), and I also have gotten into photography.  I follow politics very closely, and enjoy writing persuasively about issues I find important.  Examples of this could include the research paper I wrote last year about abolishing the death penalty and the essay I wrote about the feminism movement and the legal protections that should and should not be afforded to women.

I have also gotten involved in politics outside of school.  Last year I worked on a campaign my County Councilwoman started called Snap the Silence, which challenged people to live on a food stamp diet for one week.  On election day last year, I traveled to different polling places in the county with state Senator Jamie Raskin asking voters to legalize gay marriage in Maryland.

After taking drama class last year, I got involved in Artstream, a theatre company for adults with developmental disabilities.  I worked back stage and with the actors and it was a truly great experience. Music is also a pretty big part of my life.  I sing with the Blair a-capella group, InToneNation, and play guitar.  I have also played saxophone for many years, and am in the Blair jazz band.  I also collect old jazz vinyl records and have a pretty good collection.

I am a huge sports fan.  I have been indoctrinated into the New England sports scene by my relatives, so much of my summer is following Red Sox baseball and much of my fall and winter is following the Patriots.  I like to stay active by playing baseball, basketball, and football with my brother Jake, and also by biking.

I am excited to start this E-portfolio so I can collect and reflect on works (in and outside of school) I do during my time in high school.  In middle school, I would turn in works that I was really proud of and immediately forget about it.  I would also have assignments that I was disappointed in and have no way to reflect on the assignment and learn from my mistakes.  I hope to create a compilation of my best and worst works.  I want to learn from both my mistakes and my successes in high school.

There are a few things I want to focus on during my time in CAP.  I, as always, want to become as good of a writer as I can possibly be.  Especially with non-fiction or position papers, I want to be able to write comprehensively and quickly.  I also want to do some more volunteer work in the community and beyond.  I have talked to a few of my music playing, upperclassmen friends about starting a non-profit volunteer group that would give free music lessons and provide instruments to kids from poor backgrounds.  I want to make a really good C-SPAN documentary project about an issue I care deeply about, and perhaps make some actual change in the process.  People often talk about doing good things in high school in preparation for college, like high school is simply a stepping stone towards real life.  I don't buy that.  High school is real life, even if we you are young.  I hope this E-portfolio will give a picture of my experience in the CAP program, and I hope it'll be a really great time.