text: Something as simple as a required summer project can have lasting effects on students if they are allowed to design it themselves and are not confined by the boundaries instilled by their teacher. When a student is able to design the project them self, they are able to express passions they may otherwise have no way to express and will likely create a higher quality project because of their interest in a topic. Also, designing the project by one-self instills confidence, independence, and individuality which are valuable traits today in teenagers transitioning to adulthood. Although some believe that required summer projects should be teacher-designed, the benefits that result from allowing the project to be student-designed can potentially shape an individual to be ready to go out into the real world and make a difference. The face of Mars is not created by aliens or an alien artifact it is a natural landscape.