The Senior Project Process is Underway

Cooper Chap and Will Nelligan ’16 presenting their dug out canoe

Senior Projects are an exciting opportunity for seniors because they are given a month off from regular classes at school to delve into an existing passion or an opportunity to learn something new. Instead of attending school daily, seniors spend 25 hours a week on their projects for a total of 100 hours. Students start their immersion into Senior Projects on May 8, 2017 and end with a presentation on June 2, 2017. Here is a link to the timeline for developing senior project proposals and for executing the project itself.   

The Projects are completely proposed by students and submitted to the Senior Project Committee for review. Students must propose a project that falls under one or more of the following categories: visual or performing arts, academics enrichment, apprenticeship and trade, health and well being, and community service. The review process is intended to ensure academic richness in each senior project and that a qualified supervisor is committed to helping the student(s) for each project. Students may need to spend time revising their proposal based on feedback from the committee in order to have optimal time spent during the 25 hours a week.

Teachers hope that by the time seniors finish their Waynflete journey, they feel in control of their own education and have the opportunity to create a lasting experience that stays with them for the rest of their lives. Examples of past projects that fit the criteria of a memorable experience are: volunteering at a local elementary school, hiking mountains or parts of the Appalachian Trail, learning a new instrument, building something from scratch (a canoe, a yurt, benches), researching something important to the individual, and many, many more.

Here is a link to a Senior Project Sampler from 2014.

Here is a link to an article written by Maya Hamilton ’16 about her experiences in a homestay program with a Rwandan family in Portland.