Stirling Engine!!
Late into our 8th grade, Brandon, our friend Damien, and I worked on creating a stirling engine as part of an open-ended science project. Most of the other groups in the class created rather linear projects, but Brandon decided that he wanted to do something different, which we ended up doing. We went into the project with pretty high standards and expected to finish with a satisfying, effective product, but as our deadline got closer and closer, the three of us had to actually start working instead of spending our time watching videos or playing browser games in class. It's funny to watch the video because I'm genuinely impressed at how far we got given the amount of effort that we put into the project, but I couldn't expect anything less from Brandon in Middle School.
I'll never forget how defensive Brandon used to get when Mr. Rohrs challenged something that he said in class, or how he'd whip out the, "Actually...." every now and then.
I was lucky enough to get to know and become close with Brandon through Math and Science in 8th grade, and I've yet to encounter a Science class that I've enjoyed more than that one.
Attached is a video of us explaining how our project works. If you're interested in our 8th grader description, you're very welcome to watch the video, but it's more entertaining to view how much we changed from 8th grade to 9th grade, and onward.
Since you've passed, I've reflected and learnt so much about myself and the people around me. For that, I am eternally grateful. Yet, there's barely a day that goes by that I don't think about how I wish you were still around. Be it a boring class, or a quiet lunch, an eerie weekend night, or a sunny Saturday afternoon, you'll always be on my mind.
Love and miss you always,
Alexander Achcar