MENTOR EXEMPTED VILLAGE
SCHOOL DISTRICT
SENIOR PROJECT
MENTOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Adopted by the Mentor Exempted
Village
Board of Education June
10, 1991
Revised February 26, 2002
For
School Year 2002-2003
MENTOR EXEMPTED VILLAGE
SCHOOL DISTRICT
MENTOR, OHIO
SENIOR PROJECT
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Valerie Federico
Charleen Gawronski
Arthur Kless
Deborah Lucci
Edward Spondike
ADMINISTRATION
Dr. Robert Harvey, Superintendent
Dr. Jacqueline Hoynes, Superintendent Pro Tem.
John Schweitzer, Principal, Mentor High School
COMMITTEE
Linda Clements, Senior Project Coordinator
Greg Allen, Social Studies
Cathy Bontempo, Math
Monique Cicco, Foreign Language
Ron DeCaro, Social Studies
David Demko, Counselor
Ellen Geisler, English
Neil Grantz, Science
John Greene, Science
James Harmon, Counselor
Cynthia Langelier, Science
Gale Leonard, Career-Technical Coordinator
Daniel Litzinger, Counselor
Patricia Maynor, Counselor
Jane Mueller, Counselor
Terence Quigney, Counselor
Mary Jane Roberts, Social Studies
John Schweitzer, High School Principal
Linda Stuckey, English
Dr. Cynthia Tonia
Dr. Stephen Heller, Unit Principal
Mentor High
School Senior Project
Mission Statement
The Senior Project
Program is designed to provide qualified Seniors with the opportunity to explore
individual interests and career opportunities in an extended community partnership.
Goals of
the Program
The goals of
the Senior Project Program are the following:
To provide an
alternative educational experience beyond the classroom.
To enhance the
personal growth of the student in a way that is not possible within the traditional
school experience.
To provide the
student an opportunity to work collaboratively with community members.
To enhance the
student's ability to reflect meaningfully about their life goals.
TIMELINE -
SENIOR PROJECT – 2002-2003
September 2002
Faculty meeting - present senior project information
September 18, 2002
Pre-approval form available to students
October 10, 2002
All pre-approval forms returned to Unit 12 Office
October 25, 2002
Letter of invitation to senior project meeting to students and parents
November 14, 2002
Memo to Faculty Advisors regarding expectations
November 14, 2002
Meet with pre-approved students and parents, hand out packet and go
over expectations (7:30 A.M. Fine Arts Center)
February 2002
Faculty meeting to present proposal expectations
February 14, 2003
Project outline forms (Part 1 and 2, pages 17, 18, 19) due in senior
unit office - proficiency tests and grades reviewed.
Student-Faculty Advisor Agreement due to faculty advisor
February 25, 2003
Committee meets to review project approval (Wildwood)
Within two weeks
Project participants notified of project approval
One week later
Students with conditional approval resubmit project forms
Week of April 7, 2003 Letters
mailed to On-Site Coordinators
Send out Project Fair invitations to on-site coordinators and confirm
student participation
May 5, 2003
Meet with seniors to review checkout procedures & expectations
(Mods 3-4 A-Lecture)
May 5, 2003
Faculty Advisor check-out process packet sent
May 9, 2003
Senior Project final check-out day (begins at 12:00 P.M.)
May 12, 2003
First day of Senior Project participation
Week of May 27, 2003 Mandatory
meeting with Faculty Advisor. Rough draft of
Reflection Paper and sketch of exhibition project due to Faculty Advisor
May 30, 2003
Last day of Senior Project participation
June 2, 2003
Final Copy of Reflection Paper due to Faculty Advisor and Ms. Clements
June 2, 2003
Senior Project Exhibition - 4:30-6:00 p.m. in Student Center for Senior
Project participants, advisors, parents, On-Site Coordinators and other interested
personnel. Set up begins at 3:30 p.m.
SENIOR PROJECT
Welcome to the Senior Project. You are
pre-approved to participate in a very exciting opportunity to use, in a unique
way, the education you have experienced. The
Senior Project allows you to integrate your knowledge and skills and requires
you to demonstrate your integrity and responsibility.
As you read the notes below, please understand that all deadlines
are expectations of your responsibility and they must be met on time. Failure to meet expected deadlines may result
in removal from the project. You
may seek help from the unit principal, your counselor, or your faculty advisors,
but you must hand in all required work on time. You
must make and keep all appointments with faculty advisors, and you
must assure your attendance and effort at your project site. You will reap what you sow:
the more effort you put into this project, the more rewarding it will
be.
Good luck, and good learning.
PLEASE
NOTE:
1.
Read all parts of the packet carefully. Each
piece may contain additional instructions and requirements.
2.
Typing information is preferred, but you may print neatly if you do
not have access to a typewriter. Printing
must be in ink. Any
proposal which the committee cannot read will be rejected.
3.
Your proposal must list specific activities that have been agreed
upon between yourself and your on-site coordinator.
SENIOR PROJECT
The Senior Project Program is designed to provide
interested and able seniors with the opportunity to work on meaningful independent
projects of their own selections and design.
The Senior Project will occur during the last
three weeks of the school year. Seniors will
be exempt from the last three weeks of school including the exams. The grade each participating senior has upon leaving
the classroom will be the grade for the last grading period and the semester
final. Foreign language students who are using
the Home Study Program as their Senior Project will do their project at the
end of the third grading period for a duration of three weeks including spring
break. They are not responsible for work done during the time they are in
France or Spain. They do not have to take final
exams or attend school on final exam days.
STUDENT ELIGIBILITY
The committee's intent is to encourage as many
students as possible to participate in this project.
The eligibility criteria are not intended to discourage participation. However, the project is a privilege and not a right.
The student must adhere to the following criteria:
Be passing all courses, including courses finished
during the first semester, and the nine week grading period at the time of
departure. Students lose their eligibility
if they have failed the first nine weeks of a second semester class. The student must
also have passed all parts of the ninth grade proficiency test.
Meet all graduation requirements including passing
three and a half (3 1/2) credits as a senior.
Demonstrate good attendance.
An excessive number of unexcused absences WILL exclude a student from participation.
Demonstrate good citizenship during the three
years of high school.
An outline of the project must be submitted
by Friday, February 14, 2003. The participating
senior must complete all course requirements up to the point of departure
before the Senior Project is begun. Vocational
students are to have the option of participation. However,
they must still meet the vocational hour requirement of the various programs. Some may have enough hours "banked" to participate
fully, and others will have to attend their classes
half day and then participate in the project for the other half day.
Foreign language students will earn Senior Project
credit for their home stay experience in the native country as their Senior
Project. They will be required to come back to
school and finish the school year, complete their fourth quarter grades,
but will be exempt from the final exam. Foreign
language students must be passing all of their classes at the time they begin
their home stay experience. If this is not the
case, they may forfeit any monies on deposit at the time of departure.
Students may participate in only one
Senior Project.
PSEO students may participate in Senior Project. They have to realize that Mentor High School can
not excuse them from their college classes. PSEO
students must also maintain their full time student status each quarter.
PROJECT GUIDELINES
A. The project will
be implemented during the last three weeks of the school year.
B. A student may
not be supervised by a family member or relative. The on-site supervisor
may not be a family member or a relative.
C. A student may
not do a senior project in a previous or current place of employment unless
approved by the Senior Project Committee. A specific
explanation of how this experience will be different from the current working
experience will be required.
D. A student must
participate a minimum of five (5) hours per day or twenty-five (25) hours
per week. Any school sponsored activities cannot
be included in this total number of hours. (i.e., A.P. Tests, reviews, concerts,
etc.)
E. Students will
be permitted to participate in one Senior Project only.
F. If a student
is choosing a school setting, the student cannot choose Mentor High School
as a site. There should only be one student per
teacher for the elementary level and one student per teacher at the secondary
level. The signature of the building principal
as well as the on-site coordinator (classroom teacher) will be required for
approval.
G. A student will
not earn pay from his/her participation in Senior Project.
H. If students choose
to do their Senior Project at a college, they must be living at home.
I. Appropriateness
of project site may be determined by the Senior Project Committee. Students
should work together with their faculty advisor to review Part I and Part
II of the Senior Project Proposal.
The withdrawal of a participating student
can be made by the project coordinator and Unit Principal if the student
is not meeting the expectations of the program. The
student will be returned to school immediately without credit for the project,
and the student will fail all work missed during participation in the project. No make-up work will be permitted, and the student
must complete all course work from reentry into the class and take the final
exam.
The student must meet the requirements of the
project which include meeting with the faculty advisor once per week at the
mutually agreed upon time and agreeing to receive no compensation for project
work.
The student's advisor must be a certified employee
of Mentor High School.
Proof of project completion must be mutually
agreed upon by the advisor and student and submitted by June 2, 2003.
The student is responsible for all expenses
incurred in completing the project.
An honor cord will be awarded at the senior
awards assembly.
The school will not assume any liability incurred
through the participation in the project.
All students will be expected to prepare a final,
typed personal reflection paper on the project, minimum of 500 words or 2-3
pages, (3 copies needed). Completion of the project
will be either satisfactory or failed.
A Project Exhibition is planned for June
2, 2003 where students will
present their projects both orally and through their reflection paper to
community and school personnel. A photo journal
or product of the work experience must be included.
The student must be present!
SENIOR JOURNAL - KEEPING A JOURNAL
This journal is a form of communication between
you and your faculty advisor as well as a reflection on your experiences.
1. As
part of Senior Project, you are expected to keep a journal of daily activities
and reactions.
2. Write
in a form acceptable to your advisor.
3. Be
sure to include exact hours which you worked each day.
4. Write
some type of personal reaction or evaluation of what you did that day. Some ideas for your consideration:
• Did you like what you were doing? Why or why not?
• Why do you suppose you were asked
to do a certain activity?
• Did everything happen exactly
as you expected it to, or were there some surprises?
• How will you benefit from what
you are learning?
5. The
journal is NOT to be written
on the job, but after your day's work is done.
SENIOR REFLECTION
Your final evaluation of Senior Project should
include the following information and will be due no later than June 2,
2003, before 4:30 p.m. Please submit it
to Ms. Clements in A-19
You will be expected to use good composition
skills. Your reflection paper must be typed and
be a minimum of 500 words or 2-3 pages in length. You
will need three copies, one
to be turned in to the Senior Project Coordinator, Ms. Clements, one to your
faculty advisor and the other for your table display.
These are suggestions for your assessment:
1. Restate
your objectives (goals).
2. How did
you attempt to achieve your goals?
3. Do you
think that you succeeded? Explain why. If not, why?
4. What benefit
did you derive from this experience? What were
the negatives?
5. What specific
skills or procedures did you learn?
6. What abstract
qualities, i.e., self-reliance, self-discipline, self-motivation, compassion
for the ill and disabled, patience and understanding for the young, perseverance,
etc., did you learn or discover that you already had?
Explain how these qualities were exemplified in your work.
7. What changes
would you suggest in the concept of the Senior Project as a whole, if any? Consider additions or deletions.
DRAFT DUE TO YOUR FACULTY ADVISOR: WEEK OF MAY 26, 2003
SENIOR
PROJECT EXHIBITION
You are expected to attend the Senior Project Exhibition
on June 2nd from 4:30 until 6:00 p.m. in the Student Center.
In addition to the journal
and reflection paper, you will be expected to have prepared a demonstration/display
agreed on by you and your faculty advisor. Items
for display can be photos, products, videos (videos require your own equipment)
etc. (Set-up for the Exhibition will be from 3:30 to 4:30 in the Student
Center on June 3rd).
SENIOR: Give this form to your faculty advisor before
Senior Project final check-out day.
STUDENT-FACULTY ADVISOR AGREEMENT
TO:
(Faculty Advisor)
FROM:
(Student)
Upon agreement, I plan to make my weekly contact with my faculty advisor in the following manner:
Weekly letter / FAX (440) 974-5216
Appointment at your convenience
Student's Phone No.
On-Site Coordinator's Name
Location
Phone
Student should discuss this page with their faculty advisor. The faculty advisor keeps this page for their reference. This must be done before final checkout.
All certified staff members (teachers, media specialists, counselors, and administrators) may be available as faculty advisors. Advisors should limit their advisees to three to five (3-5) students.
SENIOR: This
page is to be given to your On-Site Coordinator at the same time you discuss
with him/her what his/her role will be. Be sure
that your On-Site Coordinator reads your written proposal and understands
the commitment.
TO:
On-Site Coordinator
FROM:
Senior Project Committee
The role of the On-Site Coordinator is essential
to the success of the Senior Project at Mentor High School. As responsible men and women in the community, you
will play an active part in the student's learning experience. In playing a dual role as a student's teacher and
sponsor, you will give the student a concept of the adult world.
As on-site co-ordinator, you will be asked to
accept the following responsibilities:
1.
To help the student organize his project and then indicate your approval
by signing the Student Proposal Form.
2.
To advise and guide the student on his/her project and sign a weekly
time sheet to indicate he/she has completed the required hours.
3.
To complete an evaluation form at the close of the project.
The following is additional information:
1.
Students are to participate a minimum of five (5) hours per day or
twenty-five (25) hours per week.
2.
Attendance and punctuality are important. Hours
must be made up.
3.
A student may NOT be
paid for his/her project work.
4.
No relative may be in a direct line of supervision for the student. The student may not do senior project at a relative's
place of business or at a place of business where he/she has been employed
previously.
5.
Each student will also choose a faculty advisor who will act as a
weekly consultant for the student.
6.
The student is bound by a carefully structured set of guidelines. Failure of the student to comply with these guidelines
could result in immediate recall to the school setting.
7.
The student will keep a journal and will write a final evaluation
of his project. These are NOT to be done during his/her working hours.
8.
You may wish to set up some type of informal contract with the student
for a mutual understanding of what will be expected during project time,
but do not feel that such action is mandatory.
We have asked each student to discuss with his/her
On-Site Coordinator the Mission Statement and Goals, as well as the aims
and objectives of the Senior Project as it operates at Mentor High School. The student should also give you a copy of his/her
Senior Project Proposal. If your student has
not done so, please ask him/her to clarify these items.
We trust that the student's project will be beneficial not only to him/her but also to you as the sponsor and that you will both gain a sense of satisfaction from participation in the project. Thank you for your interest in Senior Project. If you have any questions which we can answer, please call the Senior Project Coordinator, Ms. Linda Clements, at 440-974-5308.
Final Check-Out Approval
UNIT OFFICE ONLY
Counselor
FROM: Dr. Heller and Ms. Clements
SUBJECT: Check-out Procedure
** Check-out will begin
at 12:00 PM, Friday May 9, outside the Lower Learning Center alcove across
from the Unit 12 office.
** You cannot leave for
Senior Project unless this form is completed.
Student
Name:
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Subject |
Teachers Signature |
Pass 4th 9 Wks |