The biggest change to this Academy tradition will be the way the project is presented. Gone are the days when seniors lined the halls with their projects at tables. Now, the seniors conducting independent studies will present their projects to a panel of three teachers in a fifteen-minute period, including a question and answer segment.

Two panel teachers will be selected based on their expressed interest in a senior’s subject. The advisor will also serve on the team. For example, Academy’s golf coach, Mr. Yakscoe, might be asked to appear on multiple panels for projects involving golf. If students are in a group, they will have a single presentation; however, each member must upload a digital presentation of his or her work on the Senior Project Google Site.

Four project options include an on-campus class, community service, an internship, and independent study. No one has chosen the on-campus class option, while only a few students have gone on the community service route. The vast majority of the Class of 2016 will be conducting an independent study. Seventeen seniors are doing internships, so their “mentors” have written a part of their proposal to get the project approved. These ventures don’t require a panel discussion, but students still have to upload a digital presentation of their experiences.

Here are just some of the projects that seniors are doing:
Brie Abell:         Social Enterprise in Small Businesses (Internship)
Taylor Bates:    Working at a marketing company (Internship)
Miriam Knopp:  Learning German (Independent study)
Emad Pervez:   Shadowing an orthopedic surgeon (Internship)
Nida Pervez:     Self defense (Independent study)
Maddie Vaziri:  Visiting Ireland to research her ancestry (Independent study)