By Suzanne Gorman, Head of Downtown Campus
Next week brings the start of our Senior Project presentations! The Senior Project process extends over the better part of a year, with students completing proposals in the spring of their junior years, working on the projects from that summer on, and presenting their writing and research in the spring semester of senior year. Topics are always eclectic and wide-ranging; this year’s offerings include Training a Psychiatric Service Dog, Exploration of the Diverse and Varietal Regions of Tuscany, The Sound Design of Modern Movies, Environmental Education in Early Childhood, Adding Instruments to the Negro Spiritual “Wade in the Water,” Constructing a Writing System, A Taste of Somalia, A Modest Fashion Lookbook, An Art Show Inspired by Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Catholic Beliefs, and many other fascinating topics. Each senior is assigned an advisor to consult throughout the process and a grading committee of three, who read the written component, evaluate the research, and attend the presentation.
As noted in our Curriculum Guide, the Senior Project is intended to provide all St. Francis seniors with the opportunity to devote concentrated effort and time to a project focused on that which interests them most, to develop those independent research skills which are more and more being expected of college-bound students, to experience the tensions and rewards of a public presentation of their work, and to demonstrate that their years at St. Francis have culminated in the maturation of the integrated and confident intelligence which it is the School’s Mission to encourage and affirm.
Senior Project season is always an exciting one at St. Francis, as we see the students take a big step toward graduation!