Culminating Project Home Page

Purpose:

The project is designed to help students develop or improve a skill or performance; design or create a product, service, system or event; and investigate a career to better prepare them for further studies or employment after high school.

Students are encouraged to identify projects that match passions or interests, demonstrate stretches in their learning and connect to the community. Students may begin developing proposals in high school courses during the spring of their junior years. Students will be supported in all components of the Culminating Project as part of their high school curriculum.

Goals:

• To demonstrate and document a significant learning stretch beyond classroom experiences;
• To engage in work related to a personal interest or passion;
• To connect/benefit community through the work of the project;
• To complete a quality process, product and performance;
• To experience personal growth and reflection in preparation for the future; and
• To apply learning for transfer to life beyond graduation.

The Five Required Components:

1. Proposal
A plan that states the goals and rationale for the project with particular emphasis on the benefit of the project to self and community will be submitted and approved.

Purposes of the Proposal:

• To define and defend the student’s plan for his/her culminating project
• To obtain necessary permissions and commitments (e.g., parent, school advisor, community advisor, statement of integrity)
• Developing or improving a skill or performance
• Designing or creating a product, service, system or event
• Investigating a career

2.   Scholarly Paper

A research paper that meets the requirements of the Scholarly Paper Rubric (Rubric B) that will be completed during 10th, 11th or 12th grade.

Purpose of the Scholarly Paper:

• To demonstrate skills for scholarly writing, including use of formal English and accepted research style

3. Field Work

Students are to complete 20+ hours on a project that they have proposed. The project must benefit or connect to a community and the hours will be documented on the Project Time Log. Students will also be required to work in connection with a community advisor, who will verify the hours logged. Community Advisors are asked to complete a final evaluation form.

4.   Portfolio & Written Reflection
All stages of the project with a log of hours will be creatively documented in a portfolio format. A reflection paper with a minimum of 500 words will be submitted upon completion of the project.

Purposes of the Written Reflection:

• To demonstrate thoughtful introspection and analysis of the student’s personal learning stretch
• To describe what the student has learned about self and community through the project
• The Written Reflection is a component of the Portfolio

Purposes of the Portfolio:

• To document consistent, ongoing effort on the project
• To document involvement with community and community advisor
• To capture ongoing thoughts and ideas of the student
• To collect artifacts for display/presentation

5.  Presentation
Portfolios and projects will be presented to a panel of educators and community members for evaluation.

Purposes of the Presentation:

• To demonstrate a significant learning stretch beyond classroom experiences and to reflect on learning
• To demonstrate effective communication skills
• To synthesize and share the overall culminating project experience

Who will help students with their Projects?
Faculty will support and guide students through the project requirements. In addition, all students will select community advisors.

As an expert in a field related to the topic of the student's Culminating Project, the community advisor will guide, encourage, assist, and support students in planning and developing meaningful projects.

To recruit a community advisor, students should personalize the "Letter to Potential Community Advisor." Students should give the letter and a community advisor brochure to potential advisors. Each community advisor must be screened and approved by the District unless the parent/guardian completes a form to waive this process.