WEBVTT 00:00:03.690 --> 00:00:06.690 Welcome to Students Incorporated. I'm your host, 00:00:06.710 --> 00:00:09.789 Mr. Jason. Join me weekly as my team and I produce 00:00:09.789 --> 00:00:12.650 content that's informative, positive, fun, and 00:00:12.650 --> 00:00:15.310 uplifting. This podcast is created and produced 00:00:15.310 --> 00:00:17.210 with the help of students from the International 00:00:17.210 --> 00:00:20.609 Community School of Bangkok. Welcome back to 00:00:20.609 --> 00:00:22.929 the show, everyone. Today's episode in segment 00:00:22.929 --> 00:00:26.449 one is all about turning big ideas into real 00:00:26.449 --> 00:00:29.410 impact. We're diving into the Capstone Project 00:00:29.410 --> 00:00:32.350 experience with special guests who've lived it 00:00:32.350 --> 00:00:35.350 from challenges to breakthroughs. And later, 00:00:35.390 --> 00:00:37.890 get ready for part nine of Legends of the Yucatan. 00:00:37.950 --> 00:00:41.130 Our story is reaching a whole new level you won't 00:00:41.130 --> 00:00:43.210 want to miss. But first, let's hear our quote 00:00:43.210 --> 00:00:45.469 of the day and get some headline news. Our quote 00:00:45.469 --> 00:00:47.729 of the day comes from the one and only Capstone 00:00:47.729 --> 00:00:50.630 man, Mr. Mike Houghton. He said the most important 00:00:50.630 --> 00:00:52.750 part about Capstone is students learning about 00:00:52.750 --> 00:00:55.780 others and themselves. This quote shows that 00:00:55.780 --> 00:00:58.780 the most significant part of a capstone isn't 00:00:58.780 --> 00:01:01.640 just finishing a project. It's also about growth. 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:03.979 Learning about others means working with different 00:01:03.979 --> 00:01:06.260 kinds of people, understanding new perspectives, 00:01:06.599 --> 00:01:10.120 and building real teamwork skills. At the same 00:01:10.120 --> 00:01:12.599 time, learning about themselves helps students 00:01:12.599 --> 00:01:15.099 figure out what they're good at, where they struggle, 00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:18.439 and even what they're passionate about. In the 00:01:18.439 --> 00:01:21.019 end, the capstone is less about the final product 00:01:21.019 --> 00:01:23.760 and more about becoming a better, more self -aware 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:27.000 person. And that's the quote of the day. Now 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:29.640 on to some headline news. Thank you for our quote 00:01:29.640 --> 00:01:32.159 of the day, celebrating our episode on capstone. 00:01:32.489 --> 00:01:34.510 Here are three capstone -like projects across 00:01:34.510 --> 00:01:37.930 the world. First off, in March 2025, the World 00:01:37.930 --> 00:01:40.609 Bank launched a new project in Djibouti, Africa 00:01:40.609 --> 00:01:43.109 to strengthen communities and support vulnerable 00:01:43.109 --> 00:01:46.250 groups. The initiative focuses on providing grants 00:01:46.250 --> 00:01:49.189 and low -to -zero interest loans for projects 00:01:49.189 --> 00:01:52.150 that boost economic growth and reduce poverty. 00:01:52.590 --> 00:01:55.209 This approach aims to empower local communities 00:01:55.209 --> 00:01:58.069 by enhancing their capacity to manage development 00:01:58.069 --> 00:02:01.549 projects and improve living conditions. Next 00:02:01.549 --> 00:02:04.269 up, in India's Dong district, local communities 00:02:04.269 --> 00:02:06.409 have initiated various small -scale development 00:02:06.409 --> 00:02:08.830 projects to alleviate poverty. These efforts 00:02:08.830 --> 00:02:11.590 include carpentry training workshops, village 00:02:11.590 --> 00:02:14.330 green bank schemes, and hostels for young school 00:02:14.330 --> 00:02:17.330 children. These projects aim to provide sustainable 00:02:17.330 --> 00:02:20.349 livelihoods and improve education for impoverished 00:02:20.349 --> 00:02:23.289 families in the region. Finally, in Senegal, 00:02:23.449 --> 00:02:26.409 also in Africa, community members in Dakar have 00:02:26.409 --> 00:02:29.189 undertaken small -scale projects to combat poverty. 00:02:29.490 --> 00:02:32.030 During the rainy season, they work together to 00:02:32.030 --> 00:02:34.469 prevent flooding in their area. And in the dry 00:02:34.469 --> 00:02:36.669 season, they produce soaps to generate income. 00:02:36.949 --> 00:02:39.569 These initiatives not only provide economic benefits, 00:02:39.750 --> 00:02:42.449 but also strengthen social cohesion within the 00:02:42.449 --> 00:02:44.930 community. And that ends our news for this episode. 00:02:55.789 --> 00:02:57.610 Thank you for the quote in the headline news. 00:02:58.030 --> 00:03:00.669 What's a capstone project? Maybe you've never 00:03:00.669 --> 00:03:03.050 had to do one yet. Well, in this first segment, 00:03:03.110 --> 00:03:05.250 we'll be talking with Mr. Mike, who leads the 00:03:05.250 --> 00:03:08.590 capstone project initiative here at ICS. And 00:03:08.590 --> 00:03:10.870 we'll also be talking with several students about 00:03:10.870 --> 00:03:13.030 their experience in doing their capstone projects. 00:03:13.669 --> 00:03:16.270 To go back to my question, what is a capstone 00:03:16.270 --> 00:03:19.009 project? In a nutshell, a capstone project is 00:03:19.009 --> 00:03:22.430 a big final assignment you usually do in your 00:03:22.430 --> 00:03:24.469 last year of high school, college, or at the 00:03:24.469 --> 00:03:27.909 end of a specific learning program. Okay, to 00:03:27.909 --> 00:03:29.969 get us started, I want to welcome Mr. Mike to 00:03:29.969 --> 00:03:32.810 the show. Hello and welcome back. Glad you can 00:03:32.810 --> 00:03:35.150 join us again to talk about this very important 00:03:35.150 --> 00:03:38.110 project. So to begin, could you please introduce 00:03:38.110 --> 00:03:41.129 yourself and give us a brief explanation of this 00:03:41.129 --> 00:03:43.830 thing called the capstone project and its intended 00:03:43.830 --> 00:03:48.000 purpose? Glad to be here. Always enjoy the podcast. 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:51.879 Yeah, so my name is Mike Holden and I'm the service 00:03:51.879 --> 00:03:54.740 learning coordinator here at ICS. I've been at 00:03:54.740 --> 00:03:59.319 ICS since 2014 and I also lived in Malaysia and 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:02.080 Indonesia. So the Capstone Service Project, what 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:05.819 is this? Well, yeah, so this is a student community 00:04:05.819 --> 00:04:09.580 service project where students identify a real 00:04:09.580 --> 00:04:13.860 social problem. They implement an authentic solution, 00:04:13.979 --> 00:04:16.860 and then they present their project. And so you 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:19.519 also asked kind of about intended purpose. So 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:21.740 I think that's kind of about the whys. And so 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:25.620 there are actually a lot of whys, and we explored 00:04:25.620 --> 00:04:27.459 these actually in our first workshop together. 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:30.319 But a couple of the key whys I think from maybe 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:33.240 a school perspective is that ICS really values 00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:37.209 making a difference. It's kind of core of being 00:04:37.209 --> 00:04:39.509 a responsible citizen and a follower of Christ. 00:04:39.589 --> 00:04:42.189 And so it's connected very closely with the mission 00:04:42.189 --> 00:04:46.470 of ICS. And then historically, even before I 00:04:46.470 --> 00:04:50.290 came to ICS, the school board wanted a clear 00:04:50.290 --> 00:04:54.069 way for us to have students demonstrate those 00:04:54.069 --> 00:04:57.569 expected school -wide learning results. So that's 00:04:57.569 --> 00:05:01.379 a pretty core element of the project. I think 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:03.180 there's also a lot of, like, learning and stretching 00:05:03.180 --> 00:05:06.420 that students do. And it is a bold experience. 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:08.300 And students are going to learn and grow and 00:05:08.300 --> 00:05:12.160 be stretched as they, yeah, go through the process 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:14.660 and the struggles and the highs and lows of that. 00:05:15.079 --> 00:05:18.000 And I think another good why for students is 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:19.980 it really does help you to stand out with universities 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:24.360 or even future jobs. Yeah, capstone, you know. 00:05:24.660 --> 00:05:27.240 Can't say it's my favorite thing to do, but it's 00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:31.759 definitely useful. essential skills that will 00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:33.439 stay with you in life you know like for example 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:36.420 building discipline creating leadership skills 00:05:36.420 --> 00:05:39.839 and connecting networking public speaking and 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:42.660 learning how to gather information and see how 00:05:42.660 --> 00:05:46.160 what the majority wants now from the perspective 00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:48.740 of the capstone project coordinator what are 00:05:48.740 --> 00:05:50.319 some of the biggest challenges for recording 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:53.220 such a big and long -term project for around 00:05:53.220 --> 00:05:56.899 100 students alternatively for the perspective 00:05:56.899 --> 00:05:59.360 for students What would you say are some of the 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:02.540 biggest challenges for students? Yeah, nice, 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:04.500 Frank. Yeah, I think you've captured some of 00:06:04.500 --> 00:06:07.319 those like great underlining lessons that students 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:09.860 get. Well, you talked about 100 students and 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:12.939 really it's actually more like 200 students because 00:06:12.939 --> 00:06:15.680 I've got about 100 juniors and 100 seniors all 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:19.259 going through the phases of the project. So, 00:06:19.300 --> 00:06:21.040 yeah, I think one of the challenges that I face 00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:24.480 is just trying to keep 200 people on pace with 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:26.379 all the different things they have going on in 00:06:26.379 --> 00:06:29.689 their lives. So it means I get to encourage students 00:06:29.689 --> 00:06:33.170 and motivate them. And everybody requires, yeah, 00:06:33.269 --> 00:06:36.069 a little different nudges. And honestly, Frank, 00:06:36.189 --> 00:06:39.029 I really hate being the bad guy. So that's definitely 00:06:39.029 --> 00:06:42.189 one of the challenges that I have. Also not having 00:06:42.189 --> 00:06:46.189 like a dedicated time to meet with students every 00:06:46.189 --> 00:06:48.550 week or every other day like you have for class. 00:06:48.930 --> 00:06:50.949 I think that's difficult. Like when I was teaching 00:06:50.949 --> 00:06:53.230 before, you know, a student was missing an assignment 00:06:53.230 --> 00:06:55.550 or needed more help. And I'd see him every other 00:06:55.550 --> 00:06:59.009 day or so. So I think kind of not having that 00:06:59.009 --> 00:07:02.970 consistent face -to -face time is a little bit 00:07:02.970 --> 00:07:06.850 challenging. A fun challenge that I get is that 00:07:06.850 --> 00:07:10.449 because every project is a little bit different 00:07:10.449 --> 00:07:12.410 and unique, so I get to try to think through 00:07:12.410 --> 00:07:16.209 those projects and try to support students individually 00:07:16.209 --> 00:07:19.990 with their community and kind of their specific 00:07:19.990 --> 00:07:26.259 projects in mind. I think for students, Capstone 00:07:26.259 --> 00:07:30.879 is, yeah, it's a big project. And so it's just 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:33.759 another element that they are working through 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:36.800 in an already like packed schedule. So it might 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:39.779 be exam time or AP time. And then this is also 00:07:39.779 --> 00:07:41.420 something that's on their plate, which is tricky, 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:44.000 right? So it's tricky to balance those classes, 00:07:44.259 --> 00:07:48.290 extracurriculars, ROTC for some. family stuff, 00:07:48.449 --> 00:07:50.410 other things going on. It can just be a lot, 00:07:50.430 --> 00:07:52.709 right? And so this is a big thing that's already 00:07:52.709 --> 00:07:57.029 going on in a packed schedule. I think another 00:07:57.029 --> 00:08:01.089 challenge for students is starting. So that can 00:08:01.089 --> 00:08:03.350 be pretty tough, right? So it pushes you out 00:08:03.350 --> 00:08:05.329 of your comfort zone right at the beginning. 00:08:05.569 --> 00:08:09.889 And so if you haven't had a lot of personal community 00:08:09.889 --> 00:08:12.430 service experiences and developed relationships 00:08:12.430 --> 00:08:16.620 with an organization or different people, And 00:08:16.620 --> 00:08:18.300 it can be pretty tough, and it requires you to 00:08:18.300 --> 00:08:20.620 kind of do that cold call process. And so it's 00:08:20.620 --> 00:08:23.819 like, hi, I'm a student, and I'm interested in 00:08:23.819 --> 00:08:25.500 serving here. And I feel like that can be really 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:28.180 intimidating for a lot of students, right? And 00:08:28.180 --> 00:08:33.139 it's challenging. So I think, again, it's a big 00:08:33.139 --> 00:08:37.120 project. And so for many students, they've never 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:41.759 undertaken anything this big before. And so there's 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:43.620 a lot of learning and growing that takes place. 00:08:44.250 --> 00:08:47.190 And some students have more support to help them 00:08:47.190 --> 00:08:49.129 than others, which is also another challenge. 00:08:49.909 --> 00:08:52.590 Yeah, thank you for that. I would say that trying 00:08:52.590 --> 00:08:54.490 to help each student through the process, even 00:08:54.490 --> 00:08:56.870 when the students are not always in the same 00:08:56.870 --> 00:08:59.230 place in the process, would be a huge challenge. 00:08:59.509 --> 00:09:01.809 So you have some students who are starting early 00:09:01.809 --> 00:09:04.649 and are like ahead of the game and other students 00:09:04.649 --> 00:09:06.710 who kind of wait to the last minute. I would 00:09:06.710 --> 00:09:08.929 see that as a huge challenge as far as someone 00:09:08.929 --> 00:09:11.529 who's trying to help them along the way. The 00:09:11.529 --> 00:09:13.759 other thing I think. which is kind of cool to 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:15.879 point out, and I think you alluded to this, was 00:09:15.879 --> 00:09:18.419 the idea that the students are learning things 00:09:18.419 --> 00:09:20.740 and even some things they're learning, they're 00:09:20.740 --> 00:09:23.100 not even know that they're learning them along 00:09:23.100 --> 00:09:25.500 the process, like the soft skills needed, the 00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:27.480 like approaching a stranger, talking to them 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:30.480 about a potential problem or issue they'd like 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:33.240 to like be involved with. And just some of those 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:37.139 soft skill things that we tend to learn going 00:09:37.139 --> 00:09:40.539 through that process, I think are super helpful. 00:09:41.470 --> 00:09:45.429 Moving on. Let's see. If you were to give advice 00:09:45.429 --> 00:09:48.509 for students who are starting or in the process 00:09:48.509 --> 00:09:51.210 of completing their capstone project, what would 00:09:51.210 --> 00:09:53.970 your advice be? This is our last question. We 00:09:53.970 --> 00:09:57.330 always like to ask for advice from our guests. 00:09:57.409 --> 00:09:59.610 So what would that advice be for those students 00:09:59.610 --> 00:10:03.370 who are just starting or also in the process 00:10:03.370 --> 00:10:06.929 of completing their capstone? Good question. 00:10:07.090 --> 00:10:10.169 All right. So some. My advice, I would say number 00:10:10.169 --> 00:10:16.309 one, timing. So start and stay on track and kind 00:10:16.309 --> 00:10:18.450 of knock it out quickly. I think for a lot of 00:10:18.450 --> 00:10:20.549 students, it feels like it takes a long time 00:10:20.549 --> 00:10:23.870 or when it takes a long time that it really feels 00:10:23.870 --> 00:10:26.850 like it drags and it feels more burdensome. So 00:10:26.850 --> 00:10:30.710 ride that momentum, get started and get going 00:10:30.710 --> 00:10:34.169 on it. And yeah, try to keep up with your timing 00:10:34.169 --> 00:10:37.139 and your schedule. I think another thing would 00:10:37.139 --> 00:10:41.360 be like flexibility. So just being patient with 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:44.559 yourself and recognize that it's very likely 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:47.720 that things will not happen exactly the way you 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:50.559 think it's going to. So be ready to pivot and 00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:54.299 be flexible in that. Kind of along with that 00:10:54.299 --> 00:10:57.679 would be maybe your attitude. So there are going 00:10:57.679 --> 00:10:59.240 to be some highs and there are going to be some 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:02.889 lows. There's days when you're going to be excited 00:11:02.889 --> 00:11:04.470 and I don't know, things like your fundraising 00:11:04.470 --> 00:11:06.590 is all coming in and you're like super excited 00:11:06.590 --> 00:11:08.610 about that. And then there's other days that 00:11:08.610 --> 00:11:11.250 are going to just be like difficult and challenging. 00:11:11.350 --> 00:11:14.190 You just don't want to work on it. You got it. 00:11:14.230 --> 00:11:17.429 And so like making the choice to stay positive 00:11:17.429 --> 00:11:21.789 can really help you in that process. Maybe another 00:11:21.789 --> 00:11:24.909 one would be. and kind of relate to that is focus 00:11:24.909 --> 00:11:27.049 on the people that you're serving rather than 00:11:27.049 --> 00:11:29.049 yourself. I know this is really difficult, but 00:11:29.049 --> 00:11:31.289 I also know for me personally, this helps me. 00:11:31.730 --> 00:11:34.710 So I know when I'm like really not wanting to 00:11:34.710 --> 00:11:37.289 do some task or I'm kind of feeling grumpy about 00:11:37.289 --> 00:11:40.309 something, then I'm often focused on myself. 00:11:40.929 --> 00:11:43.889 And if I can make the choice to think about the 00:11:43.889 --> 00:11:47.210 people that I want to help, then that helps me 00:11:47.210 --> 00:11:49.149 to have a better attitude and gives me kind of 00:11:49.149 --> 00:11:51.830 the energy to take the next step and to make 00:11:51.830 --> 00:11:56.320 some progress on it. And maybe one last key essential 00:11:56.320 --> 00:12:00.740 piece of advice. I would say, listen to this 00:12:00.740 --> 00:12:04.259 podcast because there are so many great episodes. 00:12:04.299 --> 00:12:06.480 You can learn about all kinds of ways to do a 00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:10.419 great project. I mean, recently, Mr. Tim's episode 00:12:10.419 --> 00:12:13.299 were super amazing. Or you had the episode about 00:12:13.299 --> 00:12:16.340 ideas to execution. That was like jammed, packed, 00:12:16.580 --> 00:12:20.399 full of amazing advice for Capstone. So listen 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:23.720 to the podcast, guys. All right. Yes. Thank you 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:27.179 for that plug for the podcast. And just like 00:12:27.179 --> 00:12:29.740 Mr. Mike was saying, as we kind of end this segment 00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:34.600 with Mr. Mike, the idea that these skills that 00:12:34.600 --> 00:12:36.139 you learn going through the Capstone Project, 00:12:36.340 --> 00:12:38.820 the Capstone Project brings the student into 00:12:38.820 --> 00:12:42.559 real world examples, real world circumstances 00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:45.679 where they have to do things to adapt, to be 00:12:45.679 --> 00:12:50.379 flexible. They're meeting with. people that they 00:12:50.379 --> 00:12:53.179 have to kind of like work around and so it really 00:12:53.179 --> 00:12:56.100 gets them out of the classroom puts them in to 00:12:56.100 --> 00:12:59.000 the real world and it allows them to learn in 00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:02.480 ways that they just wouldn't otherwise so it's 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:04.460 such a helpful project and I know students are 00:13:04.460 --> 00:13:07.559 scared to do it and I'm very nervous and it stresses 00:13:07.559 --> 00:13:10.139 them out a lot but the skills that they learn 00:13:11.610 --> 00:13:13.929 You will use those in university. You'll use 00:13:13.929 --> 00:13:16.669 those in life, your first career, your job. You 00:13:16.669 --> 00:13:18.629 can use them in your own neighborhoods when you're 00:13:18.629 --> 00:13:20.649 talking with your neighbors. All right. Thank 00:13:20.649 --> 00:13:22.830 you, Mr. Mike, for sharing about the importance 00:13:22.830 --> 00:13:25.590 of this project. It's good that students are 00:13:25.590 --> 00:13:27.830 introduced to this type of project in high school 00:13:27.830 --> 00:13:30.629 as it can really set the foundation of how to 00:13:30.629 --> 00:13:33.129 approach solving real world problems and working 00:13:33.129 --> 00:13:36.580 with people in a very practical way. Alright, 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:38.919 we welcome several students to the studio who 00:13:38.919 --> 00:13:41.159 will share some of their own personal experience 00:13:41.159 --> 00:13:43.740 with this type of project -based learning activity. 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:47.860 Next, Mia will help us and get us started. Hello, 00:13:47.940 --> 00:13:49.840 and welcome to the podcast. Could you please 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:51.700 introduce yourself and let us know what you'll 00:13:51.700 --> 00:13:55.100 be doing after you graduate? Well, hello. So, 00:13:55.159 --> 00:13:57.539 my name is Micah Chernai, and I'll be going to 00:13:57.539 --> 00:14:00.000 St. Louis Misery in America, and I'm likely going 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:02.960 to pursue a degree in literature. Hi, my name 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:06.000 is Esther and I will be going to college to major 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:10.139 in child development in California. All right. 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:13.139 So we are on the topic of capstone for this segment. 00:14:13.200 --> 00:14:15.840 So our next question for both of you is, what 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:17.940 did you do for your capstone project? And was 00:14:17.940 --> 00:14:19.919 that something you were passionate about or was 00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:23.580 it more of a strategic decision? Basically, I 00:14:23.580 --> 00:14:25.879 designed a merchandise line for a nonprofit organization 00:14:25.879 --> 00:14:29.080 as a way to add another source of revenue. And 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:31.980 I would say I had a mix of passion and strategy 00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:34.200 just because it's a necessary thing for graduation. 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:37.600 And but it's still related to graphic design. 00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:40.320 And I really do enjoy art. So I still had that 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:43.950 passion with the project. For my capstone, I 00:14:43.950 --> 00:14:46.850 painted a mural at the Agape Youth Center to 00:14:46.850 --> 00:14:49.409 really ignite hope and strength within the children 00:14:49.409 --> 00:14:52.210 there. And since I enjoy doing art, I decided 00:14:52.210 --> 00:14:54.649 to use my artistic skills to bless the youth 00:14:54.649 --> 00:14:57.289 center. So I guess you could say that it was 00:14:57.289 --> 00:14:59.870 something I was really passionate about. Yeah, 00:14:59.889 --> 00:15:02.389 it's really cool how you guys both like art and 00:15:02.389 --> 00:15:04.529 did incorporate art into your capstone projects. 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:09.720 you know, sort of making merchandise and painting, 00:15:09.879 --> 00:15:12.600 how long did your capstone projects take from 00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:17.379 start to finish? I believe it took about like 00:15:17.379 --> 00:15:21.720 24 .5 hours. Don't quote me exactly on that. 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:25.159 But it was about in that range -ish. And I say 00:15:25.159 --> 00:15:27.679 like a third of it was interacting directly with 00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:29.600 my community and just getting to know them. And 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:31.159 like, what are you guys like? What do you guys 00:15:31.159 --> 00:15:33.240 think of this too? Like having meetings and stuff. 00:15:33.539 --> 00:15:35.799 And the rest of it was just like the actual action 00:15:35.799 --> 00:15:39.200 of like designing work. Um, for my project, it 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:42.700 took around 21 hours within a span of like four 00:15:42.700 --> 00:15:48.000 days. That's a lot of time. So since you guys, 00:15:48.019 --> 00:15:50.779 you know, took like 20 plus hours for your capstone 00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:53.980 projects, what was the most time consuming part 00:15:53.980 --> 00:15:58.399 of the project for you? Time consuming? Uh, I 00:15:58.399 --> 00:16:01.059 think I would say like, because what I had to 00:16:01.059 --> 00:16:03.370 do was like, I had to design something that would 00:16:03.370 --> 00:16:05.429 be able to sell that'd be appealing to people 00:16:05.429 --> 00:16:08.649 in general and so what i did was i made my friends 00:16:08.649 --> 00:16:11.049 sit down and force them to look at all my work 00:16:11.049 --> 00:16:13.190 it's like what do you guys think like do you 00:16:13.190 --> 00:16:15.990 guys like this like is this appealing would you 00:16:15.990 --> 00:16:19.070 buy this please tell me help and i would just 00:16:19.070 --> 00:16:20.789 like go through the process over and over again 00:16:20.789 --> 00:16:24.370 like hey you're my new test subject now and i 00:16:24.370 --> 00:16:25.870 would just like experiment and see like okay 00:16:25.870 --> 00:16:27.809 i'll just this i'll try that i'll talk to this 00:16:27.809 --> 00:16:29.830 person and see if different demographics would 00:16:29.830 --> 00:16:33.049 be interested slightly different like Is it slightly 00:16:33.049 --> 00:16:36.129 more appealing? You got to tell me. So just doing 00:16:36.129 --> 00:16:38.389 it over and over again. That's a lot of time. 00:16:39.549 --> 00:16:42.870 For me, both the essay part and the action part 00:16:42.870 --> 00:16:46.350 were equally time consuming. But I would say 00:16:46.350 --> 00:16:49.070 that since the action was more straightforward, 00:16:49.470 --> 00:16:52.330 it was easier to do. All right. And what were 00:16:52.330 --> 00:16:54.549 some challenges that you faced while doing your 00:16:54.549 --> 00:16:57.750 capstone? Because I worked with a nonprofit organization, 00:16:58.049 --> 00:17:00.450 but it's essentially just like a small business. 00:17:00.730 --> 00:17:03.779 But like. And being in that, like, an actual 00:17:03.779 --> 00:17:06.000 office setting is, like, I can be in an academic 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:07.759 setting. I can talk to teachers and staff and 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:09.440 other students, like, pretty fine. I have no 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:11.200 problems with that. But being in the office, 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:13.519 like, there's a weird, like, it's different enough 00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:15.980 for, like, this is strange. Being professional, 00:17:16.140 --> 00:17:18.200 like, it's, like, these are actual adults that 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:19.839 do things and don't, like, care about students 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:22.420 as much. Like, I'm just kind of, hello, I'm a 00:17:22.420 --> 00:17:25.619 student. Please talk to me. It's, like, I had 00:17:25.619 --> 00:17:28.160 to be, learn to be much more, like, okay, I'm 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:30.200 in office. Got to act professional, like, in 00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:33.019 a different, like, more. genuine real life experience 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:35.420 so that was like i think i was able to it's not 00:17:35.420 --> 00:17:37.640 super hard but just that that was a like initial 00:17:37.640 --> 00:17:40.160 like weird challenge i had to get over with but 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:44.400 yeah um i would say not managing my time well 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:47.960 enough and honestly it was just hard starting 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:52.180 the project yeah i feel you esther so now that 00:17:52.180 --> 00:17:54.000 you've completed your capstone what would you 00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:57.180 say was the most rewarding part of it it's finishing 00:17:57.180 --> 00:18:00.859 i think like both sides are like the Being able 00:18:00.859 --> 00:18:03.259 to see all my work, like, as a whole, like, the 00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:04.859 whole span of it, and just, like, being able 00:18:04.859 --> 00:18:07.640 to be proud of what I did, like, wow, I did that 00:18:07.640 --> 00:18:11.759 somehow, some way. It's, like, it's very, like, 00:18:11.859 --> 00:18:14.660 it's just nice to see you finishing, like, your 00:18:14.660 --> 00:18:17.119 own work, and you made yourself. But also, after 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:20.400 the capsule speech, I was like, yes! And, like, 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:22.880 it felt like chains had, like, got ripped off 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:25.400 from me, like, I'm free. But also, but yeah, 00:18:25.559 --> 00:18:29.200 it was just nice. I would say, of course, completing 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:35.619 Capstone. It was very freedom inducing, but also 00:18:35.619 --> 00:18:39.799 honestly just being someone that can make a positive 00:18:39.799 --> 00:18:44.380 impact for my community. All right. And what 00:18:44.380 --> 00:18:46.420 advice would you give to students starting their 00:18:46.420 --> 00:18:49.859 Capstone projects, especially the juniors? Hey, 00:18:49.880 --> 00:18:54.450 juniors. I think. Like this advice gets repeated 00:18:54.450 --> 00:18:56.349 a lot already. I'll just be very brief about 00:18:56.349 --> 00:18:59.250 it. Just like start early for any underclassmen. 00:18:59.269 --> 00:19:01.589 If you can start as soon as possible, that would 00:19:01.589 --> 00:19:03.349 be. But like that's already been said so many 00:19:03.349 --> 00:19:05.650 times. And I think it's redundant. So I think 00:19:05.650 --> 00:19:08.910 more useful would just be like talk to the people 00:19:08.910 --> 00:19:11.950 here. A benefit, a major benefit of ICS, I would 00:19:11.950 --> 00:19:13.849 say, is just the community that we have here. 00:19:13.970 --> 00:19:16.670 And just everyone is just so willing to help 00:19:16.670 --> 00:19:19.349 you out if you just ask. Just like ask and you 00:19:19.349 --> 00:19:22.180 shall receive. please talk to teachers or staff 00:19:22.180 --> 00:19:25.319 or even other students and families. They are 00:19:25.319 --> 00:19:28.319 willing to help you. I didn't know what I was 00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:30.740 doing at all in the start. And just talking, 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:33.599 getting a better picture, it helps so much. Talk 00:19:33.599 --> 00:19:37.339 to people. I would say to start early as well, 00:19:37.539 --> 00:19:41.980 like everyone says. But also not to stress too 00:19:41.980 --> 00:19:48.339 much if you don't. I didn't really do a lot in 00:19:48.339 --> 00:19:51.710 the beginning. It's not as hard as it seems, 00:19:51.730 --> 00:19:54.970 so just don't stress too much. All right. Thank 00:19:54.970 --> 00:19:57.029 you guys so much for joining us and offering 00:19:57.029 --> 00:19:59.670 some advice to others as they take on this big 00:19:59.670 --> 00:20:01.569 last assignment of their high school career. 00:20:01.829 --> 00:20:04.769 OK, so we have two more students in the studio 00:20:04.769 --> 00:20:07.650 to talk about their capstone project. So we welcome 00:20:07.650 --> 00:20:10.569 Joseph and Elsa. So hello, guys, and welcome 00:20:10.569 --> 00:20:13.109 to the podcast. First off, could you please introduce 00:20:13.109 --> 00:20:14.950 yourself and let us know what you'll be doing 00:20:14.950 --> 00:20:17.920 after you graduate? Hi guys, I'm Elsa and I'll 00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:20.779 be studying biomedicine and technology in Taiwan. 00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:23.859 Hi guys, I'm Joseph. I'll be studying finance 00:20:23.859 --> 00:20:27.440 and estate. All right, really cool majors there. 00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:30.400 So now regarding your capstone project, what 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:32.519 did you do for capstone and what was something 00:20:32.519 --> 00:20:34.900 that you were passionate about? Like, was it 00:20:34.900 --> 00:20:37.920 something more strategic or did you like actually, 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:39.740 you know, really like it and was just really 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:43.460 passionate about it? So I built an aquaponic 00:20:43.460 --> 00:20:45.880 farm to increase vegetable intake education. 00:20:46.539 --> 00:20:49.839 It was more of a strategic decision and my passion 00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:51.819 combined because I knew the project was going 00:20:51.819 --> 00:20:55.420 to take a long time. But in order to finish it, 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:58.200 I also had to keep on going as like my interest 00:20:58.200 --> 00:21:00.359 in biotechnology that allowed me to persevere. 00:21:01.079 --> 00:21:03.440 Thank you. I've been around because I used to 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:05.400 do community service there and I want to make 00:21:05.400 --> 00:21:07.980 a lasting impact on the community that I used 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:11.019 to serve on. So what ramp was it? Like, what 00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:13.440 did you build it for? And like, you know, what 00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:16.799 was it? It was for disabled people. Wheelchairs? 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:19.900 Yeah, and also for people moving heavy objects. 00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:22.559 Oh, okay. All right. All right. Thank you. So 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:24.819 how long did your capstone project take from 00:21:24.819 --> 00:21:28.700 start to finish? On my paper, I said 58 hours, 00:21:28.759 --> 00:21:31.799 but the entire process from start to finish was 00:21:31.799 --> 00:21:35.339 in the span of two years. What? Yeah. It was 00:21:35.339 --> 00:21:38.009 a really big plot. Two years. It was a really 00:21:38.009 --> 00:21:43.410 good project. Oh. Yes. Okay, Joseph. Joseph. 00:21:44.170 --> 00:21:47.049 It was definitely a lot less than that. It was 00:21:47.049 --> 00:21:49.549 15 hours and a half on paper. Yeah, we should 00:21:49.549 --> 00:21:54.289 let you start first before else. Okay, so now 00:21:54.289 --> 00:21:56.349 that we're on the topic of time, what was the 00:21:56.349 --> 00:21:58.309 most time -consuming part of the project for 00:21:58.309 --> 00:22:02.190 you? Honestly, the community service hours I 00:22:02.190 --> 00:22:05.309 put were not completely accurate because I stayed 00:22:05.309 --> 00:22:08.390 overnight for a couple of days in order to fully 00:22:08.390 --> 00:22:11.789 understand my community and the pain point. So 00:22:11.789 --> 00:22:14.230 I think the most time -consuming part was actually 00:22:14.230 --> 00:22:16.269 getting to know the people in my community. Yeah, 00:22:16.269 --> 00:22:19.230 for sure. I'll say it was the booting process. 00:22:19.390 --> 00:22:21.910 It took around 10 hours to put the ramp in there 00:22:21.910 --> 00:22:24.690 and drive completely. All right, that's a lot 00:22:24.690 --> 00:22:27.140 of... A lot of hard things that you guys did 00:22:27.140 --> 00:22:29.700 in a very small amount of time. So props to you 00:22:29.700 --> 00:22:32.740 guys. So, you know, on top of that, what were 00:22:32.740 --> 00:22:34.920 some challenges that you faced while doing your 00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:38.680 capstone project? Some challenges I faced were 00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:42.079 mostly language barrier because the workers there 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:43.759 could not really understand each other. We had 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:46.740 Chinese and Thai workers that didn't understand 00:22:46.740 --> 00:22:49.880 each other. And another challenge was that the 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:53.039 aquaponic company took too long to respond back. 00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:56.880 I was there was like a span of like two months 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:59.160 where I had no idea what to do because they didn't 00:22:59.160 --> 00:23:02.599 reply. And another challenge I faced was that 00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:04.839 everyone had different opinions on the project. 00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:06.740 Some people thought it shouldn't be professionally 00:23:06.740 --> 00:23:09.460 built and some people thought that it would be 00:23:09.460 --> 00:23:11.900 better to have it professionally built. So I 00:23:11.900 --> 00:23:14.380 took a long time presenting my reasons on why 00:23:14.380 --> 00:23:16.180 I thought it should be professionally built. 00:23:16.339 --> 00:23:21.859 Yeah. For me, it was like weather issues. that 00:23:21.859 --> 00:23:23.980 i've faced because since like it's a construction 00:23:23.980 --> 00:23:27.599 project if it's raining it will be really hard 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:31.259 to put the project especially when i was about 00:23:31.259 --> 00:23:33.619 to start it it was the raining season so i have 00:23:33.619 --> 00:23:36.880 to wait to around august which capstone was almost 00:23:36.880 --> 00:23:39.680 due to like start the project and finish it was 00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:42.599 it like concrete construction set yeah it was 00:23:42.599 --> 00:23:47.019 like a concrete oh yeah okay i see So now that 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:49.079 you guys are done with your capstones, what would 00:23:49.079 --> 00:23:51.759 you say was the most rewarding part of completing 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:55.720 it? I have multiple things that I feel like was 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:58.420 really rewarding. One of the reasons was that 00:23:58.420 --> 00:24:00.740 the vegetables actually turned out really good. 00:24:01.369 --> 00:24:04.009 Originally, I was scared that the system wouldn't 00:24:04.009 --> 00:24:06.390 be completed by the time I finished my presentation, 00:24:06.650 --> 00:24:09.630 but it actually did. And another thing was that 00:24:09.630 --> 00:24:12.009 people are consistently helping with the system 00:24:12.009 --> 00:24:15.769 after seeing how successful it was. And I got 00:24:15.769 --> 00:24:17.490 notified the other day that the kids are eating 00:24:17.490 --> 00:24:19.690 more vegetables now, and their feedback about 00:24:19.690 --> 00:24:21.670 the taste was really positive, which is a really 00:24:21.670 --> 00:24:24.430 good thing. Did you get to eat the veggies? Yes. 00:24:24.450 --> 00:24:28.700 Yes, I did. Was it good? It was so good. It was 00:24:28.700 --> 00:24:31.039 really crunchy. I even had like a display on 00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:36.240 my presentation place. Joseph? I feel like it 00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:39.299 was just when I went back and I saw people using 00:24:39.299 --> 00:24:41.859 the ramp and it felt really rewarding because 00:24:41.859 --> 00:24:45.920 it made those disabled people more like they 00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:49.019 had more access to the community. That's really 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:53.059 nice. So what advice would you guys give to students 00:24:53.059 --> 00:24:55.200 starting their capstone projects like you guys 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:58.259 were like a year ago? I think the biggest thing 00:24:58.259 --> 00:25:02.539 I would advise kids to do is to actually finish 00:25:02.539 --> 00:25:05.039 your paper earlier. Because during that time, 00:25:05.099 --> 00:25:08.680 we have college apps. Especially if you're applying 00:25:08.680 --> 00:25:12.380 to American universities, then you would have 00:25:12.380 --> 00:25:15.059 to balance the time to finish your paper and 00:25:15.059 --> 00:25:18.759 also submit these applications. So finish your 00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:21.799 paper first and you'll have a lot of time to 00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:26.710 relax. I feel like just not. to stress about 00:25:26.710 --> 00:25:29.109 it like it might seem really like intimidating 00:25:29.109 --> 00:25:32.549 at first but like for sure like i i did 15 hours 00:25:32.549 --> 00:25:34.809 of work and like i i still somehow passed this 00:25:34.809 --> 00:25:37.809 project so i feel like if you follow mr mike's 00:25:37.809 --> 00:25:41.569 instruction and uh listen to his uh all of his 00:25:41.569 --> 00:25:44.490 like the after school sessions did you yeah i 00:25:44.490 --> 00:25:46.890 did oh really and that's why i passed it you 00:25:46.890 --> 00:25:50.589 know i was right behind you so like if i just 00:25:50.589 --> 00:25:53.359 listen to him uh I think you're going to pass 00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:55.619 the project. It's actually, I don't think it's 00:25:55.619 --> 00:26:02.359 that hard of a project to pass. Yeah, for sure. 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:05.299 All right, so thank you guys so much for joining 00:26:05.299 --> 00:26:08.559 us and offering some advice to the underclassmen 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:11.460 as they take on this big, really last assignment 00:26:11.460 --> 00:26:14.119 of their high school career. So yeah, thank you, 00:26:14.119 --> 00:26:16.630 Joseph and Elsa. All right, you heard it here. 00:26:16.670 --> 00:26:19.490 The Capstone Project is not just a final assignment 00:26:19.490 --> 00:26:21.710 for the sake of creating busy work for students 00:26:21.710 --> 00:26:24.609 before they graduate. No, it's an important project 00:26:24.609 --> 00:26:26.990 that challenges the students in so many good 00:26:26.990 --> 00:26:30.170 ways. Critical thinking, problem solving, executive 00:26:30.170 --> 00:26:32.609 functioning development, leadership, and last 00:26:32.609 --> 00:26:35.509 but not least, compassion towards something outside 00:26:35.509 --> 00:26:38.349 of themselves. Okay, that concludes our first 00:26:38.349 --> 00:26:40.630 segment. We'll be right back for our second segment 00:26:40.630 --> 00:26:49.660 right after this short PSA announcement. Ugh, 00:26:49.920 --> 00:26:52.779 I have to do personal community service. Hey, 00:26:52.819 --> 00:26:55.140 don't worry. It's going to be fun. And you can 00:26:55.140 --> 00:26:58.480 help people or our planet. But I don't even know 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:02.099 what to do. There's so many cool places and things 00:27:02.099 --> 00:27:04.740 to explore. You can work with kids, elderly, 00:27:05.059 --> 00:27:09.579 animals, disabled, refugees and migrants, the 00:27:09.579 --> 00:27:12.579 environment, rural communities. There's so many. 00:27:12.680 --> 00:27:15.660 Just pick one and give it a try. Okay, okay. 00:27:15.720 --> 00:27:19.289 But where do I even find these places? Well, 00:27:19.329 --> 00:27:20.970 I would say like talk to your friends about what 00:27:20.970 --> 00:27:23.190 they've done. Maybe research some of the places 00:27:23.190 --> 00:27:27.130 near your home. Check with the posters outside 00:27:27.130 --> 00:27:29.630 of Mr. Mike's office or even talk to him at lunch 00:27:29.630 --> 00:27:31.289 or break. Get a couple of your friends together 00:27:31.289 --> 00:27:33.789 and volunteer as a group. Remember, PCS is about 00:27:33.789 --> 00:27:36.710 serving and learning. Commit your all to who 00:27:36.710 --> 00:27:38.990 you're serving and learn about yourself and the 00:27:38.990 --> 00:27:53.210 world. Jump in and serve. And we are back with 00:27:53.210 --> 00:27:55.410 our second segment, and we will continue with 00:27:55.410 --> 00:27:57.710 part nine of our story, Legends of the Yucatan. 00:27:58.029 --> 00:28:01.509 Part nine is titled The Safe House. If you missed 00:28:01.509 --> 00:28:03.329 parts one through eight, you can get caught up 00:28:03.329 --> 00:28:07.230 by listening to episodes 87 through 94. Legends 00:28:07.230 --> 00:28:09.450 of the Yucatan is a sequel to our season two 00:28:09.450 --> 00:28:12.230 story, The Secrets of El Dorado. We released 00:28:12.230 --> 00:28:16.329 last year during episodes 55 through 64 in audio 00:28:16.329 --> 00:28:19.349 narration. It's also available in book form as 00:28:19.349 --> 00:28:22.750 a downloadable PDF from our website, or in paperback 00:28:22.750 --> 00:28:26.269 version on Amazon .com. Just visit studentsincorporated 00:28:26.269 --> 00:28:30.130 .com to find out more. Okay, now moving on, Camden 00:28:30.130 --> 00:28:32.529 will give us a quick recap before we jump into 00:28:32.529 --> 00:28:37.650 Part 9. Recapping Part 8, The Passengers. Carlos 00:28:37.650 --> 00:28:39.809 was caught with the jade jar, and Miranda hopes 00:28:39.809 --> 00:28:43.410 to return it to the original place. The bus accidentally 00:28:43.410 --> 00:28:46.049 picks up Maria and Renata on the way back to 00:28:46.049 --> 00:28:49.509 Merida. Hawthorne forms a plan to get them to 00:28:49.509 --> 00:28:52.470 tell where the golden mask is. And without further 00:28:52.470 --> 00:28:55.210 ado, let's jump back into our story, where we 00:28:55.210 --> 00:28:57.289 join our eclectic group of characters in their 00:28:57.289 --> 00:29:05.490 continuing adventure. As the group returned to 00:29:05.490 --> 00:29:07.789 their hotel in Merida and got settled back into 00:29:07.789 --> 00:29:09.849 their different hotel rooms after a long day, 00:29:10.369 --> 00:29:12.710 Hawthorne waited down on the main floor for David, 00:29:12.849 --> 00:29:15.269 Miranda, and David's brother to return from their 00:29:15.269 --> 00:29:18.170 little side errand. He knew his idea was a long 00:29:18.170 --> 00:29:21.230 shot. The idea of David and Miranda getting the 00:29:21.230 --> 00:29:23.890 location of the golden mask from the two bus 00:29:23.890 --> 00:29:26.950 passengers before the police arrested them and 00:29:26.950 --> 00:29:29.650 hauled them off. He also knew that if David and 00:29:29.650 --> 00:29:31.849 Miranda did not get the location of the golden 00:29:31.849 --> 00:29:34.369 mask, they would miss their chance of recovering 00:29:34.369 --> 00:29:36.950 it and returning it to its rightful place once 00:29:36.950 --> 00:29:39.450 again. The rightful place being the secret and 00:29:39.450 --> 00:29:42.730 sacred Mayan treasure room inside El Castillo 00:29:42.730 --> 00:29:45.630 where David had originally discovered it. Hawthorne 00:29:45.630 --> 00:29:48.309 didn't consider himself superstitious, but he 00:29:48.309 --> 00:29:50.910 did wonder if there was any merit to the idea 00:29:50.910 --> 00:29:53.869 that whoever held the gold mask would find bad 00:29:53.869 --> 00:29:57.109 luck, or be cursed in some way, until it was 00:29:57.109 --> 00:29:59.730 returned to the place it was found. There had 00:29:59.730 --> 00:30:02.750 just been a lot of unusual and weird things happening 00:30:02.750 --> 00:30:05.150 over the last half week, things that were related 00:30:05.150 --> 00:30:08.170 to the gold mask and the jade jar. Maybe the 00:30:08.170 --> 00:30:10.660 legends are true. The legends of the Yucatan, 00:30:10.819 --> 00:30:13.759 as Hawthorne remembered, were rooted in ancient 00:30:13.759 --> 00:30:17.160 Mayan culture and regional folklore, where sacred 00:30:17.160 --> 00:30:19.779 artifacts were believed to not just hold historical 00:30:19.779 --> 00:30:23.349 value, but spiritual power as well. According 00:30:23.349 --> 00:30:25.490 to the legends, artifacts that were gifts to 00:30:25.490 --> 00:30:28.029 powerful leaders or were crafted by the high 00:30:28.029 --> 00:30:30.750 priests were meant to remain in their ceremonial 00:30:30.750 --> 00:30:33.569 resting place to maintain harmony between the 00:30:33.569 --> 00:30:35.789 human world and the spiritual world. When these 00:30:35.789 --> 00:30:38.230 artifacts were stolen, the balance was broken. 00:30:38.609 --> 00:30:41.450 Misfortune and unrest followed every new possessor, 00:30:41.450 --> 00:30:44.130 as if the artifacts carried a curse for anyone 00:30:44.130 --> 00:30:47.440 who dared to claim that it was theirs. The legend 00:30:47.440 --> 00:30:49.960 serves as a warning passed down through generations 00:30:49.960 --> 00:30:53.039 that some treasures belong to the earth and disturbing 00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:56.359 them invites consequences. It's a tale of reverence 00:30:56.359 --> 00:30:59.019 and consequence and the unseen power of history 00:30:59.019 --> 00:31:01.400 that still echoes across the Yucatan Peninsula. 00:31:01.880 --> 00:31:04.420 Hawthorne had long ago rejected the notion and 00:31:04.420 --> 00:31:08.099 practice of finders keepers when it came to antiquities 00:31:08.099 --> 00:31:11.259 and artifacts. The practice of if you find it. 00:31:11.559 --> 00:31:14.079 you get to keep it, was unethical and in some 00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:17.339 cases immoral. Yet this practice was still being 00:31:17.339 --> 00:31:19.700 employed by private treasure hunters, freelance 00:31:19.700 --> 00:31:22.819 archaeologists, and of course grave robbers. 00:31:23.299 --> 00:31:26.359 Hawthorne despised the intentions of these groups. 00:31:26.539 --> 00:31:28.880 They were greedy and they lacked ethical and 00:31:28.880 --> 00:31:31.559 moral standards. This was just another example 00:31:31.559 --> 00:31:34.380 that power and money made people do dumb and 00:31:34.380 --> 00:31:37.039 stupid things, and usually at the expense of 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:39.940 others. The three criminals who were picked up 00:31:39.940 --> 00:31:42.859 and arrested today found that out, and the cartel 00:31:42.859 --> 00:31:45.319 member who lost his life in the cenote for a 00:31:45.319 --> 00:31:48.940 few old coins found that out as well. As Hawthorne 00:31:48.940 --> 00:31:51.420 looks down at his watch, checking the time, David 00:31:51.420 --> 00:31:53.960 and Miranda enter the hotel's front doors and 00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:58.079 walk over to where Hawthorne is seated. As David 00:31:58.079 --> 00:32:01.220 approaches Professor Hawthorne, he says, Well, 00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:03.900 we have good news and bad news. What do you want 00:32:03.900 --> 00:32:06.369 to hear first? Hawthorne thinks for a moment 00:32:06.369 --> 00:32:08.769 and then replies, I'd like to hear the bad news 00:32:08.769 --> 00:32:11.309 first since I can end my day with the good news. 00:32:11.670 --> 00:32:14.589 Miranda adds, I like that logic. David, give 00:32:14.589 --> 00:32:16.369 him the bad news first and then the good news. 00:32:16.670 --> 00:32:19.509 David continues, we have a potential location 00:32:19.509 --> 00:32:21.849 of where the golden mask is hiding and according 00:32:21.849 --> 00:32:25.369 to my GPS, it's about 20 minutes from here. Hawthorne 00:32:25.369 --> 00:32:28.069 then says, okay, what's the bad news then? My 00:32:28.069 --> 00:32:30.130 brother disappeared while we were at the bus 00:32:30.130 --> 00:32:32.650 depot. He must have just slipped away into the 00:32:32.650 --> 00:32:34.690 crowd when we were busy talking with our two 00:32:34.690 --> 00:32:37.730 passengers, who, by the way, were promptly arrested 00:32:37.730 --> 00:32:39.849 a few minutes after they had purchased their 00:32:39.849 --> 00:32:42.990 bus tickets back to Mexico City. David continues, 00:32:43.309 --> 00:32:45.910 We were able to get a potential location of where 00:32:45.910 --> 00:32:47.990 they hid the golden mask from the younger one. 00:32:48.380 --> 00:32:50.400 I think she was quite scared and surprised to 00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:52.920 get picked up by the police. Miranda then adds, 00:32:53.079 --> 00:32:55.319 and I think we owe it to her to notify the people 00:32:55.319 --> 00:32:57.559 in Mexico City and tell them that she helped 00:32:57.559 --> 00:32:59.700 free your brother from the cartel. Maybe they'll 00:32:59.700 --> 00:33:02.319 go light on her criminal charges. Hawthorne then 00:33:02.319 --> 00:33:04.640 says, well, with your brother not sticking around, 00:33:04.779 --> 00:33:07.400 that might be easier said than done. And chances 00:33:07.400 --> 00:33:09.660 are, if your brother was the driver, he also 00:33:09.660 --> 00:33:11.720 knows the location where the golden mask was 00:33:11.720 --> 00:33:14.859 hidden. Timing is everything right now, David 00:33:14.859 --> 00:33:17.500 adds. My brother is very resourceful and he could 00:33:17.500 --> 00:33:19.759 very well be planning to go get the golden mask 00:33:19.759 --> 00:33:22.880 for himself now. I'm going to book a taxi to 00:33:22.880 --> 00:33:25.119 take us to the location right now. I know it's 00:33:25.119 --> 00:33:27.819 late, but we need to try to recover that mask 00:33:27.819 --> 00:33:31.079 before anybody else does, even my brother. Miranda 00:33:31.079 --> 00:33:33.819 says, I'm going with you. Me too, Hawthorne said. 00:33:33.940 --> 00:33:36.099 You could use the help once we get there. Having 00:33:36.099 --> 00:33:38.140 three of us, we could split up and look for the 00:33:38.140 --> 00:33:40.920 thing. It'll probably be dark once we get there, 00:33:40.980 --> 00:33:43.980 so we'll need to keep that in mind as well. Hawthorne 00:33:43.980 --> 00:33:46.039 watches as David goes to the front desk clerk 00:33:46.039 --> 00:33:48.279 of the hotel and asks her to call a local taxi 00:33:48.279 --> 00:33:50.779 for hire for the three of them. He overhears 00:33:50.779 --> 00:33:53.140 David telling the clerk to inform the taxi driver 00:33:53.140 --> 00:33:56.059 they need to go to Hacienda Tabek off Route 180. 00:33:56.339 --> 00:33:58.720 About 10 minutes later, the taxi arrived at the 00:33:58.720 --> 00:34:01.539 hotel. Hawthorne, David, and Miranda got into 00:34:01.539 --> 00:34:03.660 the taxi, then confirmed with the driver their 00:34:03.660 --> 00:34:06.809 destination. Hawthorne overheard the driver tell 00:34:06.809 --> 00:34:09.030 David, who was sitting in the passenger seat 00:34:09.030 --> 00:34:11.570 up front, that the name Tebek comes from the 00:34:11.570 --> 00:34:14.130 Mayan language meaning the place of oak trees. 00:34:14.469 --> 00:34:17.030 The driver seemed to know a lot about the place 00:34:17.030 --> 00:34:19.030 as he was giving David a lot of information. 00:34:19.429 --> 00:34:21.530 Hawthorne could pick up most of it in Spanish 00:34:21.530 --> 00:34:24.090 and what he didn't understand Miranda would translate 00:34:24.090 --> 00:34:26.489 for him. The driver explained that Tebek was 00:34:26.489 --> 00:34:29.449 a small poor town that had less than 500 people 00:34:29.449 --> 00:34:32.050 still living there. Some of the residents produced 00:34:32.050 --> 00:34:34.590 eggs and honey, which they took to Merida to 00:34:34.590 --> 00:34:36.849 sell in the markets and supermarkets. The quality 00:34:36.849 --> 00:34:38.989 of the eggs and honey were well known in the 00:34:38.989 --> 00:34:41.449 area. Tourists would sometimes venture out that 00:34:41.449 --> 00:34:44.409 way and visit the old estate of Hacienda Tebeck. 00:34:44.530 --> 00:34:47.250 This estate or plantation included a larger two 00:34:47.250 --> 00:34:49.590 -level sprawling structure, an old church, and 00:34:49.590 --> 00:34:51.730 several other older plantation outbuildings. 00:34:51.889 --> 00:34:54.030 As Hawthorne was listening, he thought to himself, 00:34:54.329 --> 00:34:56.570 searching for the mask might take longer than 00:34:56.570 --> 00:34:59.469 what we had expected. With about 10 minutes to 00:34:59.469 --> 00:35:01.909 go before reaching the town of Tebek, they exited 00:35:01.909 --> 00:35:04.449 Route 180, southwest of Merida, and got onto 00:35:04.449 --> 00:35:07.230 an old, rough, and bumpy road. Great, Miranda 00:35:07.230 --> 00:35:09.429 said quietly. I hope we don't get car sick on 00:35:09.429 --> 00:35:11.849 this road. David heard her say this and then 00:35:11.849 --> 00:35:14.849 responded, you and me both. He then continued, 00:35:15.070 --> 00:35:17.570 I know nothing about this place. I assume we 00:35:17.570 --> 00:35:20.989 can get onto the property of the Hacienda? David 00:35:20.989 --> 00:35:23.190 said this as sort of a question and statement 00:35:23.190 --> 00:35:25.309 at the same time, hoping the driver would know. 00:35:26.159 --> 00:35:28.320 The sun had already started to go down and it 00:35:28.320 --> 00:35:30.840 was dusk. The evening's light would be dimming 00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:32.880 soon and David knew they would be searching much 00:35:32.880 --> 00:35:35.340 of the sprawling area in the dark, which wasn't 00:35:35.340 --> 00:35:38.219 ideal. However, timing was everything right now. 00:35:38.400 --> 00:35:40.579 As the car was bouncing closer and closer to 00:35:40.579 --> 00:35:43.139 the front gate of the Hacienda estate in Quebec, 00:35:43.360 --> 00:35:45.500 the headlights of the taxi illuminated the front 00:35:45.500 --> 00:35:48.400 gate to the sprawling estate. The gate was wide 00:35:48.400 --> 00:35:50.639 open and the grass was overgrown, well, in the 00:35:50.639 --> 00:35:53.420 places that there was still grass. Most of the 00:35:53.420 --> 00:35:56.349 open area was either dirt or weeds. The estate 00:35:56.349 --> 00:35:58.849 did not live up to its name, and there only seemed 00:35:58.849 --> 00:36:01.469 to be two or three oak trees still standing on 00:36:01.469 --> 00:36:03.750 the property, or at least that's what they could 00:36:03.750 --> 00:36:06.409 see from the car. Hawthorne overheard the taxi 00:36:06.409 --> 00:36:08.730 driver say something about the plantation and 00:36:08.730 --> 00:36:11.489 that it was not really a priority of the townspeople 00:36:11.489 --> 00:36:13.789 to keep up with the maintenance of the grounds 00:36:13.789 --> 00:36:16.480 or buildings anymore. The taxi came to a stop 00:36:16.480 --> 00:36:18.739 right outside the front gate and the driver asked 00:36:18.739 --> 00:36:21.159 if he should wait for them. David responded with 00:36:21.159 --> 00:36:23.360 a yes and then said something about him and his 00:36:23.360 --> 00:36:25.980 friends not being there that long. So the taxi 00:36:25.980 --> 00:36:28.300 driver positioned the car facing back out the 00:36:28.300 --> 00:36:31.059 way they came in so when the three of them, Hawthorne, 00:36:31.099 --> 00:36:33.639 David, and Miranda, came back, they could then 00:36:33.639 --> 00:36:35.980 leave immediately without having to turn around. 00:36:36.829 --> 00:36:39.250 Hawthorne noticed the driver do this after they 00:36:39.250 --> 00:36:41.449 had gotten out of the car and thought to himself, 00:36:41.690 --> 00:36:44.150 I like the way this guy thinks. He positions 00:36:44.150 --> 00:36:46.849 himself as ready. There was still enough light 00:36:46.849 --> 00:36:48.750 outside for the three of them to walk through 00:36:48.750 --> 00:36:50.530 the property without having to use their phone 00:36:50.530 --> 00:36:52.630 lights yet. As the three of them were walking 00:36:52.630 --> 00:36:54.630 towards the first building, which was on the 00:36:54.630 --> 00:36:56.769 left side of the property, Miranda asked Professor 00:36:56.769 --> 00:36:59.070 Hawthorne, What did you tell Prof. Tommy before 00:36:59.070 --> 00:37:01.489 we left? Hawthorne replied, Well, to be honest 00:37:01.489 --> 00:37:04.219 with you, nothing. He then continues, He's an 00:37:04.219 --> 00:37:06.500 early to bed kind of guy and well, I didn't want 00:37:06.500 --> 00:37:08.900 to bother him as he went right to his room when 00:37:08.900 --> 00:37:11.980 we got back to the hotel and told all of us goodnight 00:37:11.980 --> 00:37:15.039 as he got in the elevator. Also, I think we can 00:37:15.039 --> 00:37:16.960 be in and out of here in less than 30 minutes. 00:37:17.159 --> 00:37:19.739 What I could tell from the internet is that most 00:37:19.739 --> 00:37:22.059 of the outbuildings don't provide enough cover 00:37:22.059 --> 00:37:24.880 and are in very poor condition to want to hide 00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:28.119 something as valuable as the mask. So if I was 00:37:28.119 --> 00:37:30.539 to guess, we should look closely at the old church 00:37:30.539 --> 00:37:33.380 and then the large main two -story Hacienda building. 00:37:33.739 --> 00:37:35.480 David answered back as they were approaching 00:37:35.480 --> 00:37:37.780 the front door of the old church and said, Those 00:37:37.780 --> 00:37:40.019 were my thoughts exactly. We can rule out this 00:37:40.019 --> 00:37:42.360 church building first, search it quickly, and 00:37:42.360 --> 00:37:44.440 spend most of our time in the main building across 00:37:44.440 --> 00:37:46.769 the way. Miranda immediately walked up to the 00:37:46.769 --> 00:37:49.030 front church building doors as David was still 00:37:49.030 --> 00:37:52.090 talking and yanked on them to open them and nothing. 00:37:52.250 --> 00:37:54.630 They were locked up tight, would not even budge. 00:37:54.690 --> 00:37:56.949 Miranda then said, maybe there's a back entrance 00:37:56.949 --> 00:37:59.230 that's open? She then proceeded to walk around 00:37:59.230 --> 00:38:01.070 the side of the old building towards the back 00:38:01.070 --> 00:38:03.409 as David and Hawthorne were following and talking 00:38:03.409 --> 00:38:05.469 to each other. Miranda was fine to take the lead. 00:38:05.590 --> 00:38:07.969 She actually liked it. In a very male -dominated 00:38:07.969 --> 00:38:09.869 culture, she often liked to bend the cultural 00:38:09.869 --> 00:38:12.769 norms in this way. Most people her age and younger 00:38:12.769 --> 00:38:14.449 didn't have a problem with gender roles changing. 00:38:14.570 --> 00:38:17.389 but the older generation sure did. As she rounded 00:38:17.389 --> 00:38:19.250 the corner of the back of the church building, 00:38:19.429 --> 00:38:21.630 she had gotten lost in a few of her own thoughts 00:38:21.630 --> 00:38:24.230 about how her desire to lead and be in charge 00:38:24.230 --> 00:38:27.210 often got her in trouble. She was also thankful 00:38:27.210 --> 00:38:29.670 this aspect of her did not bother David one bit. 00:38:29.769 --> 00:38:31.710 He had actually told her that that was one of 00:38:31.710 --> 00:38:34.110 the things that he appreciated about her. Miranda 00:38:34.110 --> 00:38:36.170 stopped for a moment, woke up from her daydream, 00:38:36.230 --> 00:38:38.210 and then grabbed the old wood latch on the back 00:38:38.210 --> 00:38:40.670 door of the church and nothing. It was locked 00:38:40.670 --> 00:38:42.960 as well. David walked up to the side of Miranda 00:38:42.960 --> 00:38:45.500 with his phone light on and pointed on the latch 00:38:45.500 --> 00:38:47.719 and door threshold to see if any of the dirt 00:38:47.719 --> 00:38:50.679 and dust had been disturbed. He then said, I 00:38:50.679 --> 00:38:52.480 don't think this door has been open for some 00:38:52.480 --> 00:38:55.320 time. The front doors were the same way. The 00:38:55.320 --> 00:38:57.719 dirt and dust had not been disturbed. Let's not 00:38:57.719 --> 00:38:59.659 waste any more time here and head straight over 00:38:59.659 --> 00:39:02.380 to the main Hacienda building. Hawthorne replies, 00:39:02.679 --> 00:39:04.659 yeah, probably a good assessment. Maybe once 00:39:04.659 --> 00:39:07.059 we gain entry to the other building we can divide 00:39:07.059 --> 00:39:09.400 and conquer since the building has multiple rooms 00:39:09.400 --> 00:39:12.940 on both the first and second floors. As the team 00:39:12.940 --> 00:39:15.420 walks across the flat and open middle dirt area 00:39:15.420 --> 00:39:17.980 of the estate, they notice that there are multiple 00:39:17.980 --> 00:39:20.219 car tracks in the dirt. They don't think much 00:39:20.219 --> 00:39:22.380 about it, but it does indicate that people had 00:39:22.380 --> 00:39:25.300 been there recently. They reach the other larger 00:39:25.300 --> 00:39:27.820 building structure which has two levels and looks 00:39:27.820 --> 00:39:30.780 like an old style hacienda. or long plantation 00:39:30.780 --> 00:39:33.719 house. The building footprint is a U -shape. 00:39:33.900 --> 00:39:36.960 Two wings of the hacienda flank the center section 00:39:36.960 --> 00:39:39.639 and create a courtyard area, which at some point 00:39:39.639 --> 00:39:42.059 in the time had a beautiful outdoor stone water 00:39:42.059 --> 00:39:44.880 feature and small pool. Much of the stone water 00:39:44.880 --> 00:39:46.960 feature structure was still there, but there 00:39:46.960 --> 00:39:50.280 was no water, only weeds and dirt. The building's 00:39:50.280 --> 00:39:52.679 ground floor had a long outdoor patio, which 00:39:52.679 --> 00:39:55.469 ran the length of each of the sections. The patio 00:39:55.469 --> 00:39:58.090 had numerous arches which fit the classic Mexican 00:39:58.090 --> 00:40:01.349 plantation architectural style from its time 00:40:01.349 --> 00:40:04.150 period. As the three of them entered into the 00:40:04.150 --> 00:40:06.230 courtyard, the daylight was almost gone by now. 00:40:06.610 --> 00:40:08.710 Hawthorne suggested that he go up and search 00:40:08.710 --> 00:40:10.989 the second level of the building while Miranda 00:40:10.989 --> 00:40:13.369 and David searched the ground level. Then, if 00:40:13.369 --> 00:40:15.909 either of them found something, a clue, or the 00:40:15.909 --> 00:40:18.090 actual golden mask itself, they were to meet 00:40:18.090 --> 00:40:20.429 back down in the courtyard and then head back 00:40:20.429 --> 00:40:23.360 to the waiting taxi car. They agreed and split 00:40:23.360 --> 00:40:25.980 ways, now armed with their phone lights and the 00:40:25.980 --> 00:40:28.380 determination to get in and get out as quickly 00:40:28.380 --> 00:40:31.239 as possible. David and Miranda stuck together 00:40:31.239 --> 00:40:33.519 and walked through the main arch area into the 00:40:33.519 --> 00:40:35.840 center building, first looking down the long 00:40:35.840 --> 00:40:38.840 porch area. The outdoor porch area was in poor 00:40:38.840 --> 00:40:41.440 condition. Broken old wood furniture and dirt 00:40:41.440 --> 00:40:44.320 covered sections of the concrete floor. Nothing 00:40:44.320 --> 00:40:47.099 to see there. So the two tried the front main 00:40:47.099 --> 00:40:49.699 door and, to their surprise, it was unlocked. 00:40:50.519 --> 00:40:53.059 David opened the door, and he and Miranda then 00:40:53.059 --> 00:40:55.659 stepped inside. Miranda looked at David and then 00:40:55.659 --> 00:40:57.860 said, Let's start in the central building first, 00:40:57.940 --> 00:40:59.760 then we can move to the side areas after that. 00:40:59.940 --> 00:41:02.059 Maybe they were lazy and stashed the mask here? 00:41:02.519 --> 00:41:04.860 We could only be so fortunate, David replied. 00:41:05.320 --> 00:41:08.219 Then he said, By the way, what do you do with 00:41:08.219 --> 00:41:11.030 the J -jar? As Miranda and David start searching 00:41:11.030 --> 00:41:12.869 the numerous empty rooms in the main center building 00:41:12.869 --> 00:41:14.869 on the ground floor, Miranda tells David what 00:41:14.869 --> 00:41:31.150 she did with the J -Jarge. She says, That makes 00:41:31.150 --> 00:41:39.079 sense, David replies. He then says, By this time, 00:41:39.099 --> 00:41:41.079 it was dark outside, only some light from the 00:41:41.079 --> 00:41:44.000 half moon. Inside the hacienda, it was quite 00:41:44.000 --> 00:41:46.039 dark, so David and Miranda were using their phone 00:41:46.039 --> 00:41:48.699 lights to search each room. As David and Miranda 00:41:48.699 --> 00:41:51.199 search the third room, right wing, David then 00:41:51.199 --> 00:41:53.780 says, I wonder if the professor is having any 00:41:53.780 --> 00:42:00.929 better luck than us. Hawthorne was having the 00:42:00.929 --> 00:42:03.329 same results as David and Miranda. Each room 00:42:03.329 --> 00:42:05.969 he searched was practically empty, besides the 00:42:05.969 --> 00:42:08.230 occasional broken piece of furniture and graffiti 00:42:08.230 --> 00:42:10.929 on the wall. Professor Hawthorne was moving quicker 00:42:10.929 --> 00:42:13.070 than David and Miranda. He was already searching 00:42:13.070 --> 00:42:15.530 the final wing on the second level, which is 00:42:15.530 --> 00:42:17.750 right above where David and Miranda were searching, 00:42:17.949 --> 00:42:20.530 down below him on the ground level. After another 00:42:20.530 --> 00:42:23.150 few minutes, Hawthorne had canvassed the entire 00:42:23.150 --> 00:42:26.250 second level and was empty -handed. There was 00:42:26.250 --> 00:42:28.389 virtually nothing in the old building on the 00:42:28.389 --> 00:42:30.960 second level. The taxi driver was right. The 00:42:30.960 --> 00:42:33.480 professor thought to himself, the local townspeople 00:42:33.480 --> 00:42:36.159 have really neglected this old historical site. 00:42:36.900 --> 00:42:38.800 Hawthorne came to the end of the second wing 00:42:38.800 --> 00:42:41.280 and found a flight of stairs that led back down 00:42:41.280 --> 00:42:43.440 to the ground floor. He knew that these stairs 00:42:43.440 --> 00:42:45.360 would take him back down to the ground floor 00:42:45.360 --> 00:42:47.639 in which he could then exit the hacienda and 00:42:47.639 --> 00:42:50.760 go back out into the courtyard and wait for David 00:42:50.760 --> 00:42:53.420 and Miranda. So he took the stairs down to the 00:42:53.420 --> 00:42:55.840 ground floor. turned the corner and ran right 00:42:55.840 --> 00:42:58.300 into David and Miranda, who were just about to 00:42:58.300 --> 00:43:00.800 enter the last room on the ground floor in that 00:43:00.800 --> 00:43:03.199 wing. Miranda got startled as she walked towards 00:43:03.199 --> 00:43:05.400 the last room and then almost ran into Professor 00:43:05.400 --> 00:43:07.639 Hawthorne as he turned the corner coming out 00:43:07.639 --> 00:43:09.599 of the stairwell. Hawthorne was standing right 00:43:09.599 --> 00:43:11.639 in front of Miranda with his face all lit up 00:43:11.639 --> 00:43:14.219 by Miranda's phone light. Miranda jumps and says, 00:43:14.559 --> 00:43:17.000 Whoa, Professor, you startled me. Sorry about 00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:19.539 that. Any luck on the second floor? No, nothing, 00:43:19.699 --> 00:43:22.159 the professor responds. He then asks, What about 00:43:22.159 --> 00:43:25.340 you guys? David replies as he walks through the 00:43:25.340 --> 00:43:27.579 middle of Hawthorne and Miranda and into the 00:43:27.579 --> 00:43:30.599 final room in this part of the Hacienda. He says, 00:43:30.719 --> 00:43:32.719 let me check this final room and then we can 00:43:32.719 --> 00:43:34.420 all check the other wing on the ground level. 00:43:34.800 --> 00:43:37.039 David walks into the room and quickly scans the 00:43:37.039 --> 00:43:39.059 room with his phone light, pointing it at each 00:43:39.059 --> 00:43:42.019 wall and around the floor. Bingo, David says. 00:43:42.420 --> 00:43:44.440 David looks down and sees a clearly outlined 00:43:44.440 --> 00:43:47.400 square section of the old wooden floor. He could 00:43:47.400 --> 00:43:49.239 tell it had been moved and put back recently 00:43:49.239 --> 00:43:51.480 because the dirt and dust on the floor had been 00:43:51.480 --> 00:43:54.639 disturbed. It did not have a handle and was set 00:43:54.639 --> 00:43:57.559 flush with the level of other floorboards. David 00:43:57.559 --> 00:43:59.980 reaches into his pocket to pull out his always 00:43:59.980 --> 00:44:02.659 -goes -with -me pocket knife and then remembers 00:44:02.659 --> 00:44:05.460 that he had to leave it back in Mexico City because 00:44:05.460 --> 00:44:07.880 they flew by commercial airplane to Merida instead 00:44:07.880 --> 00:44:10.610 of driving. By that time, Hawthorne and Miranda 00:44:10.610 --> 00:44:12.650 were standing over the same section of the floor 00:44:12.650 --> 00:44:15.050 looking down. Yep, Miranda says, that looks like 00:44:15.050 --> 00:44:17.469 a trap door. And it looks like it's been used 00:44:17.469 --> 00:44:20.690 recently, Hawthorne adds. David then says, we 00:44:20.690 --> 00:44:23.269 need to find something to pry it open. Help me 00:44:23.269 --> 00:44:25.570 look around here somewhere. The three of them 00:44:25.570 --> 00:44:27.590 then walk around the larger corner room looking 00:44:27.590 --> 00:44:30.389 for anything they could use to pry open the square 00:44:30.389 --> 00:44:32.829 wooden floor section to see what was inside. 00:44:33.369 --> 00:44:35.849 As Miranda is walking slowly with her phone light 00:44:35.849 --> 00:44:38.369 over by the back wall of the room, she then says, 00:44:38.530 --> 00:44:41.070 um, guys, what are the odds of us finding an 00:44:41.070 --> 00:44:43.610 old crowbar? Hawthorne was the first to respond. 00:44:43.650 --> 00:44:46.389 Well, I'd have to say about zero, but by the 00:44:46.389 --> 00:44:48.530 sound of your voice, I'm guessing that is exactly 00:44:48.530 --> 00:44:50.949 what you found over there. Miranda turns around 00:44:50.949 --> 00:44:53.170 and faces both David and Hawthorne with an old 00:44:53.170 --> 00:44:55.809 crowbar in her hands and says, I think these 00:44:55.809 --> 00:44:57.630 artifacts really want to be returned to their 00:44:57.630 --> 00:45:00.250 rightful place, and something or someone is helping 00:45:00.250 --> 00:45:03.019 us. David then says, what? Where did you find 00:45:03.019 --> 00:45:05.320 that? Miranda replies, it was just laying over 00:45:05.320 --> 00:45:07.619 there in the back corner of the room next to 00:45:07.619 --> 00:45:09.659 this old wooden chair. Miranda walks over to 00:45:09.659 --> 00:45:12.139 David who's now standing over the what looks 00:45:12.139 --> 00:45:14.340 like a trap door in the floor and hands him the 00:45:14.340 --> 00:45:17.059 crowbar. All three of them watch as David pries 00:45:17.059 --> 00:45:18.960 the old wooden square section of the floor up 00:45:18.960 --> 00:45:21.780 with the crowbar. Miranda, along with Hawthorne, 00:45:21.780 --> 00:45:24.059 hold their phone lights over David as he works 00:45:24.059 --> 00:45:26.239 to get the floor section up and then moves it 00:45:26.239 --> 00:45:28.119 out of the way. The hole in the floor is just 00:45:28.119 --> 00:45:30.380 large enough to fit a small person into it. Miranda 00:45:30.380 --> 00:45:32.760 knows it's got to be her since both Hawthorne 00:45:32.760 --> 00:45:35.260 and David are much broader than her. She says, 00:45:35.340 --> 00:45:37.659 watch out guys, let me shine the light into the 00:45:37.659 --> 00:45:40.420 hole. It's not very deep, maybe four feet, maybe 00:45:40.420 --> 00:45:43.559 less, but it does extend outward. I think it's 00:45:43.559 --> 00:45:45.719 a crawl space under this room. Miranda, without 00:45:45.719 --> 00:45:48.019 hesitation, then drops herself down straight 00:45:48.019 --> 00:45:50.639 into the crawl space and says, I'll be right 00:45:50.639 --> 00:45:53.019 back. David, along with Hawthorne, just stand 00:45:53.019 --> 00:45:55.519 there, hovering above the now -open trapdoor 00:45:55.519 --> 00:45:57.840 entrance. They are both just looking down to 00:45:57.840 --> 00:45:59.340 the hole in the floor with their phone lights 00:45:59.340 --> 00:46:02.300 on, hoping Miranda doesn't run into any snakes 00:46:02.300 --> 00:46:04.539 or rodents. All of a sudden, they hear a dragging 00:46:04.539 --> 00:46:06.820 sound and see Miranda's face look directly up 00:46:06.820 --> 00:46:09.219 toward both David and Professor Hawthorne. Miranda 00:46:09.219 --> 00:46:11.679 then says, Here, help me with this. It's heavy. 00:46:12.039 --> 00:46:14.179 She then lifts up one side of a larger black 00:46:14.179 --> 00:46:16.739 bag towards David and Hawthorne, who grab it 00:46:16.739 --> 00:46:18.940 and hoist it up and out of the hole in the floor. 00:46:19.280 --> 00:46:21.619 Miranda then grabs David's hand as he helps her 00:46:21.619 --> 00:46:23.960 get back out of the crawlspace. Miranda brushes 00:46:23.960 --> 00:46:26.579 off her clothes from the dirt and cobwebs, and 00:46:26.579 --> 00:46:29.019 then says with a smile, Well, Professor, what's 00:46:29.019 --> 00:46:31.119 in the bag? When David was helping Miranda back 00:46:31.119 --> 00:46:33.579 out of the small crawlspace, Hawthorne unzipped 00:46:33.579 --> 00:46:35.820 the bag and pulled open the sides to reveal an 00:46:35.820 --> 00:46:38.679 object wrapped in a large beach towel. Of all 00:46:38.679 --> 00:46:41.380 things, a beach towel that said, Welcome to Cancun. 00:46:41.599 --> 00:46:43.920 As David and Miranda watched, Hawthorne carefully 00:46:43.920 --> 00:46:46.820 pulled the beach towel sides off the object and 00:46:46.820 --> 00:46:50.179 behold, the golden mask of Chichen Itza stared 00:46:50.179 --> 00:46:53.079 right back at them, gleaming in the phone lights, 00:46:53.260 --> 00:46:55.699 almost glowing. All three of them stood there 00:46:55.699 --> 00:46:58.480 quietly just for a moment and looked at it. Hawthorne 00:46:58.480 --> 00:47:00.920 broke the silence and said, That sure is a magnificent 00:47:00.920 --> 00:47:03.630 piece of history. I think it's time we get out 00:47:03.630 --> 00:47:06.090 of here. David then said, my thoughts exactly. 00:47:06.389 --> 00:47:09.070 It sure looks a lot better now than where I found 00:47:09.070 --> 00:47:11.429 it in the pyramid. The museum did a great job 00:47:11.429 --> 00:47:13.869 cleaning and polishing it. Yeah, it's almost 00:47:13.869 --> 00:47:16.409 mesmerizing in a way. The mask seems to communicate 00:47:16.409 --> 00:47:18.409 to you when you are looking at it. I've never 00:47:18.409 --> 00:47:20.510 seen anything like it and up close like this. 00:47:20.690 --> 00:47:22.949 David reached down, wrapped the beach towel back 00:47:22.949 --> 00:47:24.889 around the mask, and then zipped up the black 00:47:24.889 --> 00:47:27.539 bag and said, I'll carry this out. Let's hope 00:47:27.539 --> 00:47:29.860 the taxi is still out there waiting for us. Hawthorne 00:47:29.860 --> 00:47:31.900 opened the side door, which led out to the courtyard. 00:47:32.099 --> 00:47:34.159 They stopped for a moment to get their bearings 00:47:34.159 --> 00:47:36.840 as the place was completely dark now. Hawthorne 00:47:36.840 --> 00:47:39.119 then said, the old church is up ahead on the 00:47:39.119 --> 00:47:41.199 right, so we'll need to walk back across the 00:47:41.199 --> 00:47:43.719 open dirt and weedy area toward the front gate 00:47:43.719 --> 00:47:46.019 where we entered. The front gate area is maybe 00:47:46.019 --> 00:47:48.900 a good 60 yards away in front of us. The professor 00:47:48.900 --> 00:47:51.159 started walking with Miranda and David behind 00:47:51.159 --> 00:47:54.059 him. Hawthorne knew the bag had to be heavy as 00:47:54.059 --> 00:47:56.219 he heard Miranda and David talking about it behind 00:47:56.219 --> 00:47:58.599 him. He also heard them making a plan to return 00:47:58.599 --> 00:48:01.159 the mask to El Castillo, the pyramid at first 00:48:01.159 --> 00:48:03.800 light, before the main grounds of Tizanitza opened 00:48:03.800 --> 00:48:05.820 to the tourists for that day. Hawthorne knew, 00:48:05.900 --> 00:48:08.360 as David did and Miranda did, that the quicker 00:48:08.360 --> 00:48:10.639 they could return the mask to its rightful place, 00:48:10.820 --> 00:48:12.679 the better. As the three approached the front 00:48:12.679 --> 00:48:14.900 gate, they saw that the taxi was still there, 00:48:14.960 --> 00:48:17.480 parked in the same location. The driver was sitting 00:48:17.480 --> 00:48:19.539 up front in the driver's seat, sound asleep. 00:48:19.800 --> 00:48:22.210 Hawthorne opened the front passenger. door, which 00:48:22.210 --> 00:48:24.769 awoke the driver. He sat straight up and then 00:48:24.769 --> 00:48:27.449 asked if it was time to go back to Merida. Miranda 00:48:27.449 --> 00:48:29.469 and David got in the back seat and put the large 00:48:29.469 --> 00:48:31.710 heavy black bag between them on the seat. They 00:48:31.710 --> 00:48:33.570 were determined not to let it out of their sight 00:48:33.570 --> 00:48:36.010 now that they had recovered it. Miranda could 00:48:36.010 --> 00:48:38.110 not believe that they had recovered both artifacts 00:48:38.110 --> 00:48:40.750 on the same day. As the taxi driver turned on 00:48:40.750 --> 00:48:43.389 the car, Miranda looked at David and said, the 00:48:43.389 --> 00:48:45.889 legends have to be true. David replied softly 00:48:45.889 --> 00:48:48.369 so as not to allow the driver to hear and says, 00:48:48.510 --> 00:48:50.650 well, we're only half done with our mission. 00:48:51.050 --> 00:48:53.269 As David and Miranda were talking, Hawthorne 00:48:53.269 --> 00:48:55.289 and the driver, looking out the front windshield, 00:48:55.489 --> 00:48:57.530 noticed headlights moving toward them on the 00:48:57.530 --> 00:49:00.130 same bumpy dirt road they had come in on about 00:49:00.130 --> 00:49:02.730 30 minutes earlier. Hawthorne knew this wasn't 00:49:02.730 --> 00:49:04.969 a normal thing, especially this late at night 00:49:04.969 --> 00:49:07.630 past dark. Hacienda Tebeck was not a tourist 00:49:07.630 --> 00:49:10.110 hotspot, plus the small town of Tebeck seemed 00:49:10.110 --> 00:49:12.190 to close up and shut down every night around 00:49:12.190 --> 00:49:15.349 dusk. It wasn't really a happening place. So 00:49:15.349 --> 00:49:17.849 this could possibly mean one of two things. Either 00:49:17.849 --> 00:49:20.070 this was David's brother coming to retrieve the 00:49:20.070 --> 00:49:23.280 mask, or it was the cartel. Either way, it would 00:49:23.280 --> 00:49:26.000 be good to avoid either one. Hawthorne reached 00:49:26.000 --> 00:49:28.159 over and stopped the taxi driver from turning 00:49:28.159 --> 00:49:31.039 on his headlights. Hawthorne was thankful the 00:49:31.039 --> 00:49:33.440 taxi car was an older vehicle, the kind where 00:49:33.440 --> 00:49:35.639 you had to manually turn on the headlights instead 00:49:35.639 --> 00:49:38.400 of them automatically turning on. By this time, 00:49:38.460 --> 00:49:41.059 David and Miranda had noticed as well. David, 00:49:41.159 --> 00:49:43.679 having the same thoughts as the professor, asked 00:49:43.679 --> 00:49:46.420 the taxi driver in Spanish to move his car out 00:49:46.420 --> 00:49:48.820 of sight. Miranda could hear the urgency in David's 00:49:48.820 --> 00:49:51.139 request and then added, please hurry. The taxi 00:49:51.139 --> 00:49:53.440 driver, without hesitation, pulled the car forward 00:49:53.440 --> 00:49:55.559 a bit, put it in reverse, and then backed up 00:49:55.559 --> 00:49:57.920 into some tall weeds off the side of the gate, 00:49:58.039 --> 00:50:00.199 making sure the front of the car was hidden from 00:50:00.199 --> 00:50:02.679 view. The weeds were tall enough to conceal most 00:50:02.679 --> 00:50:04.880 of the car. The darkness helped, so with their 00:50:04.880 --> 00:50:07.039 luck, this other car coming down the road would 00:50:07.039 --> 00:50:09.039 drive right by them as they entered into the 00:50:09.039 --> 00:50:11.840 Hacienda property. As the car got closer, they 00:50:11.840 --> 00:50:14.420 couldn't see very well because of the tall weeds 00:50:14.420 --> 00:50:16.579 and brush, but they could hear it getting closer 00:50:16.579 --> 00:50:19.199 and closer. Hawthorne and the others could also 00:50:19.199 --> 00:50:21.139 see through the weeds that the headlights of 00:50:21.139 --> 00:50:23.199 the car were now shining brighter and brighter 00:50:23.199 --> 00:50:26.900 on the front gate area, which was a mere 25 yards 00:50:26.900 --> 00:50:29.579 away from where they were parked. Hawthorne looked 00:50:29.579 --> 00:50:31.920 over at the driver who was just sitting there 00:50:31.920 --> 00:50:34.380 in silence, looking straight ahead with a concerned 00:50:34.380 --> 00:50:37.280 look on his face. Hawthorne noticed the man pull 00:50:37.280 --> 00:50:39.599 the sun visor down, look at a photo, probably 00:50:39.599 --> 00:50:42.039 of his family, and then make a cross gesture, 00:50:42.239 --> 00:50:44.380 forehead to chest, then shoulder to shoulder. 00:50:44.780 --> 00:50:47.480 Hawthorne knew the guy was a bit nervous. They 00:50:47.480 --> 00:50:50.199 waited there for what seemed like forever, then 00:50:50.199 --> 00:50:52.599 finally a truck, which they had thought was a 00:50:52.599 --> 00:50:54.760 car, drove by at a high rate of speed through 00:50:54.760 --> 00:50:57.019 the main gate and toward the courtyard of the 00:50:57.019 --> 00:50:59.840 hacienda. As soon as the pickup truck had passed, 00:51:00.059 --> 00:51:03.719 David said to the driver, Vamos, vamos. The driver 00:51:03.719 --> 00:51:05.679 knew enough not to draw attention to themselves 00:51:05.679 --> 00:51:08.340 leaving, so he kept the headlights off and slowly 00:51:08.340 --> 00:51:10.940 drove the car forward, out onto the dirt road. 00:51:11.119 --> 00:51:13.420 He pushed gently on the gas pedal, hoping the 00:51:13.420 --> 00:51:16.099 sound of the engine would be very soft. David 00:51:16.099 --> 00:51:18.300 reminded the driver not to touch the brakes either, 00:51:18.440 --> 00:51:20.840 as doing so would light up the back of the car's 00:51:20.840 --> 00:51:23.260 brake lights, which would surely be seen by the 00:51:23.260 --> 00:51:25.880 other vehicle, which was now parked in the Hacienda's 00:51:25.880 --> 00:51:28.550 courtyard. Lights on and music blaring. Both 00:51:28.550 --> 00:51:30.710 Miranda and David were faced in towards each 00:51:30.710 --> 00:51:32.769 other and were looking out the back window at 00:51:32.769 --> 00:51:35.550 the truck now parked at the hacienda. The taxi 00:51:35.550 --> 00:51:37.829 they were in was slowly moving and that's the 00:51:37.829 --> 00:51:39.789 way they needed to be moving until they made 00:51:39.789 --> 00:51:42.170 it back out to the highway. Miranda knew if they 00:51:42.170 --> 00:51:44.050 could go undetected, then they would be in the 00:51:44.050 --> 00:51:46.550 clear. As the taxi got further and further away 00:51:46.550 --> 00:51:49.150 from the hacienda's property, the truck got smaller 00:51:49.150 --> 00:51:51.869 and smaller. Miranda and David noticed that four 00:51:51.869 --> 00:51:54.030 or five guys had gotten out of the truck and 00:51:54.030 --> 00:51:56.349 two of them had what looked like assault weapons, 00:51:56.570 --> 00:51:59.809 long guns. David nudged Miranda and said quietly, 00:52:00.309 --> 00:52:02.369 that's not my brother. Those are cartel members 00:52:02.369 --> 00:52:04.289 and they are going to be mad as soon as they 00:52:04.289 --> 00:52:06.469 find their little treasure is gone. All of a 00:52:06.469 --> 00:52:08.789 sudden they hear a faint rat -a -tat -tat -tat 00:52:08.789 --> 00:52:12.869 -tat -tat echo into the night. David squints 00:52:12.869 --> 00:52:15.130 and looks toward the Hacienda property again, 00:52:15.250 --> 00:52:18.590 which is further away now. He notices, what seems 00:52:18.590 --> 00:52:20.989 like, one of the guys pointing his gun into the 00:52:20.989 --> 00:52:24.059 sky and squeezing off rounds into the sky. Hawthorne, 00:52:24.179 --> 00:52:26.079 the driver, and Miranda all hear the gunshots 00:52:26.079 --> 00:52:28.559 echoing off in the distance. Hawthorne turns 00:52:28.559 --> 00:52:30.760 in his seat and looks out the back of the car 00:52:30.760 --> 00:52:33.019 where they had just come from and asks, What 00:52:33.019 --> 00:52:34.719 do you think? Are they shooting into the air 00:52:34.719 --> 00:52:36.860 because they're mad their treasure is gone? Or 00:52:36.860 --> 00:52:39.079 are they signaling to more of their cronies? 00:52:39.300 --> 00:52:41.820 Neither David nor Miranda knew the answer to 00:52:41.820 --> 00:52:44.500 Hawthorne's question. So, they just sat there 00:52:44.500 --> 00:52:46.539 in silence looking out the back window of the 00:52:46.539 --> 00:52:48.820 car into the dark, making sure there was no one 00:52:48.820 --> 00:52:51.500 following them. However, David overheard the 00:52:51.500 --> 00:52:53.380 driver tell Hawthorne that the cartel members 00:52:53.380 --> 00:52:55.860 are signaling other potential cartel members 00:52:55.860 --> 00:52:58.599 in this area by firing their guns into the air 00:52:58.599 --> 00:53:00.860 using a certain trigger pattern. Miranda looked 00:53:00.860 --> 00:53:03.239 down at her phone GPS and said, another five 00:53:03.239 --> 00:53:05.579 minutes on this old road and then we'll be back 00:53:05.579 --> 00:53:08.460 on main route 180 heading back to Merida. Another 00:53:08.460 --> 00:53:10.559 burst of gunfire could be heard from a distance 00:53:10.559 --> 00:53:12.900 behind them, along with tracer bullets streaming 00:53:12.900 --> 00:53:15.019 straight up into the air like bottle rockets 00:53:15.019 --> 00:53:17.219 in the night. While Miranda thought to herself 00:53:17.219 --> 00:53:19.570 nervously, just another five minutes. and we'll 00:53:19.570 --> 00:53:21.550 be back on the main highway and head it towards 00:53:21.550 --> 00:53:36.449 safety. And that ends Part 9. Stay tuned for 00:53:36.449 --> 00:53:38.909 next week as we bring you Part 10, the final 00:53:38.909 --> 00:53:52.750 chapter of Legends of the Yucatan. And that brings 00:53:52.750 --> 00:53:56.010 us to the end of another inspiring episode. Huge 00:53:56.010 --> 00:53:58.369 thanks to Mr. Mike for breaking down the power 00:53:58.369 --> 00:54:01.650 and purpose of capstone projects and to the seniors 00:54:01.650 --> 00:54:03.869 who share their incredible journeys with us. 00:54:03.969 --> 00:54:06.610 Stay tuned for our next episode, which will be 00:54:06.610 --> 00:54:09.429 our season three finale and our final chapter 00:54:09.429 --> 00:54:12.489 in our ongoing adventure story, Legends of the 00:54:12.489 --> 00:54:15.599 Yucatan. And as always, this podcast will not 00:54:15.599 --> 00:54:17.780 be possible without the hard work and support 00:54:17.780 --> 00:54:20.340 of our international student production team. 00:54:20.460 --> 00:54:22.880 All music and sound effects are courtesy of Pixabay 00:54:22.880 --> 00:54:25.519 .com, a vibrant community of creatives sharing 00:54:25.519 --> 00:54:28.280 copyright -free images, videos, and music. And 00:54:28.280 --> 00:54:30.960 we are signing off until next time. We are Students 00:54:30.960 --> 00:54:33.619 Incorporated, because your voice matters.