2016 VSBA Annual Convention

Wakefield High School’s Senior Project program, which began in 1998, was designed by Wakefield staff and given special approval by the Arlington School Board as an additional graduation requirement for Wakefield seniors.  Thanks to the visionaries who recognized the importance of interactive, community-based experiences, Senior Project has evolved to address the real world needs of high school students who are increasingly immersed in a high stakes testing culture. Wakefield alumni consistently reflect that it was their Senior Projects, as well as some of their advanced classes, that prepared them with the thinking, problem solving and executive skills to succeed in college and in the workplace.  Wakefield students develop a project around a topic of their choice and spend the year executing and documenting the completion of five objectives. These objectives require that students incorporate a foundation in research, community involvement and consultation with an expert in the area of exploration into their final product. As a capstone project, Senior Project also requires students to utilize their research, writing and presentation skills to complete both an MLA formatted essay and a 25 minute, audio-visual presentation to an assessment panel.This presentation will provide an overview of Wakefield’s Senior Project program’s organization and implementation, as well as examples of student projects and success stories.