The Senior Project Program is a non-paid educational opportunity designed to introduce Seattle Academy 12th-grade students to real-world professional job experiences in a career field of their interest. Many have asked why we are still moving forward with Senior Projects, especially since seniors will just now be coming together. The answer to this question is multi-faceted and rooted in best practices. The decision hinged on the understanding that there is no “one-way” that will benefit all students. In order to make sure we are taking care of all students, we wanted to make sure that we provided several different options. An important note: All seniors have the choice to be on campus to conduct their senior project.
Option 1: There are students who have been planning their Senior Project since last spring in anticipation of the senior year. Students who are interested in still participating in the traditional senior project can do so. This experience can be remote or in-person depending on the comfort of individual families. If a company is offering an in-person experience, the decision to participate is a family decision. This project is student secured with support from the Senior Project Coordinator Rick DuPree.
Option 2: This option allows students to secure a group project with our on-going project partners. For these projects, a group of three to five students participate in a project that tackles an issue or special project of a company or organization. Groups that choose this option will have the opportunity to work from school.
Option 3: This option can be done as a group or as an individual. Any student who wants to take the opportunity to focus on an entrepreneurial endeavor can do so. In this lab space, students can use the six weeks to begin creating a business and work to bring it to fruition by having the space to research a market, create a business plan, and or launch a business. Mentors for this project can be pulled from several sources, including, but not limited to, faculty members, market leaders, and businesses.
Again, because we understand the impact that being remote has had, students have the option to come to campus and will be provided a workspace with their peers according to our return to campus policies. It is important for us to keep this as an option for students, rather than a requirement, as they explore project possibilities. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Rick DuPree or Stacie Cone.
Projects dates are Monday, April 26 - Friday, May 28, depending on what is permitted through public healthy guidance. Currently, the Project Presentation Night is scheduled for Tuesday, June 1, however, details are still being considered and more specific information will be available at a later date once the details are finalized.
- Program objective: The objective of the Senior Project Program is to provide Seattle Academy students with career exploration opportunities in alignment with our mission to “challenge students to question, imagine and create in order to contribute to a boldly changing world.”
- Unpaid Internship: The program meets the Fair Labor Standards Act. Seattle Academy also provides full liability insurance for all students participating in our program.
- Faculty Support: All students work directly with an adult faculty project advisor prior to the start of the program, at which time, all program expectations and goals are discussed.
