The Culminating Project (or Senior Project) is both a district and state graduation requirement. This project includes an in-depth study of a topic of interest and a presentation on that topic. Students should view this project as an opportunity to:

• Explore a topic that the student feels passionate about or will connect to their future
• Study something that they have not had the chance to before
• Study a topic that they would like to explore in a more in-depth manner
• Serve the community
• Network in the community, outside of school and family via field advisors, businesses, agencies

Demonstrating the Student’s Abilities
The culminating project became a state requirement for graduation because it is a way to combine and demonstrate a student’s previous educational experiences in one concrete project. This project shows the student’s ability to:

• Understand and organize information from a variety of sources
• Interpret information meaningfully and communicate the meaning to others
• Set goals and manage their time
• Solve problems and make good decisions

Because this project needs to display each student’s individual learning, each student must develop his or her own project.

Support and Assistance
Students will receive assistance from teachers and mentors throughout the course of their project. Advisors and/or culminating project teachers will check in with each student to ensure that he or she is not falling behind schedule. Teachers will track each student’s progress and make the final approval of project assignments. In addition, each student will connect with a field expert, a community member over the age of 21 who has expertise in one or more of the major components of the student’s project. All of these people assist the student in the completion of their project.

Samples of Successful Projects
The culminating project is flexible and caters to the subject areas that interest each individual student. Here are a few samples of the types of projects that have been completed in the past:

• Design and write code for a Web site
• Take classes on manual photography from a local community center and create a photo portfolio work
• Create an original music composition for an ensemble and have it performed
• Research finance management, then develop a mock investment portfolio and investment plan
• Intern in a veterinary clinic and create a resource guide for cat owners on feline diseases
• Study gourmet cooking through a research and field experience, learning about design, preparation, and serving of traditional French cuisine
• Create a health and fitness plan that prepares you to run a marathon, then follow the plan and compete
• Rebuild a garage as part of a field experience

Senior Project - How Parents of Seniors Can Support Their Student
By logging on to WebGrader via the Parent Portal, project progress can be tracked by parents. Project assignments and due dates will be posted in WebGrader, and parents will be notified of late and missing assignments via WebNotes. Be sure to check the site regularly to monitor your student’s progress.

Students will be able to use WebGrader to download assignments and stay on schedule. A student’s WebGrader CP/SP class will contain:

• Downloadable documents and assignments
• Assignment due dates
• Assignment uploads via WebNotes (500Kb limit)
• WebNote notification of late and missing assignments

Please monitor project progress on WebGrader, watch for WebNotes, and view project comments in the detail report.