Senior Project:  2020-2021

 

Senior Project:  2020-2021

 

Senior Project is an internship program to investigate a career.

DESCRIPTION:

This year each senior will have the opportunity to experience an unpaid internship for a desired career through Senior Project.  Students will work with faculty and staff to develop career-related internships that can be done BOTH IN-PERSON AND REMOTELY.  Due to COVID and the unexpectedness of the situation, those students interested in Senior Project will have to be more creative this year in finding internships that can be done both in-person and remotely.

Each student will have a mentor on the Dover-Sherborn staff, as well as, an internship supervisor at their placement. Students must be supervised at all times.

Admittance to this program is based upon a written proposal explaining the educational value, as well as, the feasibility of the internship. Senior Project proposals are subject to review and approval by the Headmaster. A written statement by a faculty sponsor is submitted in lieu of a grade. 

Participation in the Senior Project program requires punctuality, good attendance, responsible citizenship and satisfactory academic achievement.  Students must maintain a C or above, and not having outstanding incompletes to be eligible for participation in Senior Project. Teachers have final say over who is allowed to leave their classes to participate.  

Students MUST fulfill their Community Service obligation by the end of the first semester of senior year to be eligible for participation in Senior Project.” (Dover Sherborn Course of Studies)

Students must be in attendance at their Senior Project Placement during agreed days and hours.  Students may not use this time to take days off for travel, etc.

A student begins the process by submitting a one page draft of his or her idea in the fall/early winter. This year due to COVID, there will be additional components for the proposal so that if businesses/work places are remote, you do not need to scramble last minute to find another placement.

Internships may not include paid work or work for an immediate family member.  

In the spring, students make 20-minute multi-media presentations to an audience (possibly through Zoom) including mentors, parent/guardians, and faculty members. Presentations must be accompanied by a 3-5 page paper describing the area of study, the topics explored and the progress made.

How much time at Project/Attendance


The Project will run from April 26th, 2021 - May 26th, 2021 .   Students may not use this time to take days off for travel, etc. Students are to be at their placement (in-person or remote) every day when they are not in classes at the high school.  So, how many hours per week is that?  Depending on the student’s schedule, the number of hours does vary.

  1. If a student is completely signed out of their classes (no AP classes) and is not on a Dover Sherborn Spring sports’ team, they are expected to work 35 – 40 hours per week.  


  1. If a student is completely signed out of their classes (no AP classes) and is on a Dover Sherborn Spring sports’ team, they are expected to work from approximately 8:30 A. M. until 3:00 P.M. depending on the commute, approximately 30 hours per week. 


  1. If a student is taking AP classes, he/she will still need to attend this class(es) until the exam and then the student will work full-time.


  1. The student will give his/her placement mentor and in-school mentor a copy of their schedule in March.


  1. If you miss attending the placement because of illness or any other significant reason, your parents must call you in to the high school just as they would during the regular school year.  The student is responsible for contacting the placement mentor and his/her in-school mentor to notify them both of the absence.  If a student is failing to meet his or her attendance obligations, he or she will be removed from the senior project and returned to classes at the high school. 

 

This year, seniors participating in Senior Project will be starting their projects, if they are signed out to leave all their non-AP classes and provide all necessary paperwork by April 16, 2021 BEFORE 3PM.  Students may then begin their Senior Project on April 26, 2021 which is the first day back from April Break.

 

Seniors must have their community service hours completed and signed off on by the end of the FIRST SEMESTER.  You will not be eligible if this has not been done.  You also must meet attendance (absence/tardies) requirements.

 PROPOSAL:

Seniors who would like to participate in Senior Project must submit a typed full-page draft of their project proposal to Mrs. Bishop or Ms. Clancy-Kelley Senior Project Google Classroom by Monday, January 11th, 2021. Proposals must be formally written.   We use “rolling admissions” —early applications will be appreciated.  NO proposals will be accepted after Monday, January 11th, 2021.

To join the Senior Project Google Classroom:

Go into Google Classroom and select “join class”.  Enter in the class code: 2qby4ym 2qbyby4ym

In your proposal draft, you should address: 

 

  • What, specifically, you wish to experience.

  • Detailed explanation of how the internship relates to a career.

  • Due to COVID and the unexpectedness of the situation, you must include 2 plans:

    • Plan A (NORMAL) - what you will be doing, place of work, and days & times at placement.

    • Plan B (FULL REMOTE)- what you will be doing remotely, how you will be connecting with placement remotely, and days & times working remotely.

  • Who will supervise your work?  You must identify both an internship placement mentor and an in-school mentor.   Remember that your internship mentor cannot be a family member.  Make sure you ask your mentors before you turn in your proposal.

  • Where you will work/study/research—you must be supervised at all times.

  • How much time you plan to use. As you look at your second semester schedule, include what classes you will ask to be released. 

  • If you participate in Spring athletics, please include this in your proposal for planning purposes.

  • A completed COVER Sheet, which can be found HERE.

  • Placement/Site Mentor Agreement Form, which can be found HERE.

  • Parent Acknowledgement Form, which can be found HERE.

Remember that you will need teacher approval for any class in which you plan to sign out.  Talk to your teachers, even those whom you will not have until next semester, about their policies and requirements related to Senior Project, so that you will have a realistic idea about what your availability will be.  

The topic should be one that you wish to investigate in depth. Make sure that your proposal is specific; you may want to frame it with a question.  Talk with teachers, counselors, your parents and others about your draft ideas.  It is strongly suggested that your project be closely related to an area you may wish to pursue as a career. 

You will be notified of the status of your acceptance by the end of January.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROCESS:

 

Starting at the beginning of the second semester:

 

  1. Student will communicate with the in-school mentor about every other week during 3rd term.  This can be done through email, in person or zoom.   These meetings will provide the opportunity for you to clarify your topic and your plan, so that you will be prepared to engage fully in your internship.   This communication is YOUR responsibility.  If you do not meet this part of your commitment, mentors will be instructed to contact Mrs. Bishop or Ms. Clancy-Kelley and you may be removed from the program.  

 

  1.  Your final proposal will be due by February 25, 2021 to Mrs. Bishop or Ms. Clancy-Kelley.  Final acceptance of your project will occur in individual meetings with Mrs. Bishop or Ms. Clancy-Kelley during mid-March.

 

  1. If your internship mentor works outside of the Dover Sherborn School District, he/she must complete the following forms by February 25, 2021 :

 

  • Confirmation of dates and hours of internship to  Mrs. Bishop or Ms. Clancy-Kelley 


  • Nondiscrimination form to  Mrs. Bishop or Ms. Clancy-Kelley 


  • CORI form with a copy of your driver’s license.  This goes to the Superintendent’s Office.  


***It is your responsibility to advise your mentor of this requirement.

 

4. You also must

  • Keep an ongoing journal or portfolio of your research and activities related to the project, and

  • Write a paper on your project that will be turned in by May 18, 2021. The paper must be at least 3 - 5 typed pages long. (double spaced, no more than 1 inch margins and no more that 11 pt. font) If you work with a partner, each partner must write his/her own paper.

  • Create a presentation...PowerPoint, media, etc. that can be done in-person and via Zoom.

  • Be prepared for an exit interview with Mrs. Bishop or Ms. Clancy-Kelley on May 26th, 2021

 PRESENTATIONS:


A required portion of your senior project is your presentation.  All presentations will take place/are due May 25th, 2021.  If these presentations are done in person, they will be held from 3:15PM-6PM.   You must stay the entire time to be the audience/evaluators for other students.

 

If the presentations are done in-person, you will be assigned a classroom in which to make your presentation.  Members of the audience in your classroom, as well as your faculty advisor, will complete an evaluation form about your presentation.  

Your presentation should last about 15 minutes and should include some visual component.  If you work with a partner, every member of the group must present a portion of the overall presentation, which will be at least 20 minutes long.

An evaluation rubric will be provided to guide you as you prepare your presentation.   You will stay in your room to participate as an audience member for the other seniors who are presenting in your assigned room. 


What does your in-school mentor do?

In general, the mentor will be helping the student in terms of:

  • Responsibility

  • Organization

  • Log/Journal of materials used to write the final paper.

  • Evidence of research and internship development.  


  1. During 3rd term

    1. Meet and assist the student regarding  – deadlines, etc, make final preparations for Senior Project

  2. During the 4th term the mentor will have

    1. Weekly meetings with in-school mentor

    2. Review the student’s weekly Log/Journal of materials used to write the final paper.

    3. Visits the student’s Project site, in person, at least once.

    4. Assist the student assemble/invite the committee (family & friends) to judge their presentation and review components of oral presentation.

    5. Read/ evaluate the student’s final Senior Project paper.

    6. Attend/evaluate the student’s presentation

    7. Directly supervise the student if they are in the high school building.  If a student is in the building between AP’s, then they need to be working in the back of the in-school mentor’s classroom, not in the library.


Review of Timeline and Components:


By January 11th, 2021

  • Students ask faculty/staff to be mentor

  • Cover Sheet and initial proposal submitted to Mrs. Bishop & Ms. Clancy

  • Placement/Site Mentor Agreement Form submitted to Mrs. Bishop & Ms. Clancy

  • Parent Acknowledgement Form submitted to Mrs. Bishop & Ms. Clancy

 

By the end of January students will be notified if their project has been approved or if they need to re-submit a new proposal.

 

By January 25th, 2021 - Community Service completed and documented.

 

By February 25th, 2021 -   Forms  due:

I.  Placement/Site mentor: 

A) CORI form and copy of driver’s license of placement mentor to the Superintendent’s Office

B)  Nondiscrimination form to Mrs. Bishop & Ms. Clancy

C) Confirmation of Placement form to Mrs. Bishop & Ms. Clancy

II. Parents (submit all to Mrs. Bishop & Ms. Clancy):

A) Permission form 

B) Release form 

III.  Students (submit all to Mrs. Bishop & Ms. Clancy):

A) Final proposal

B) Cover sheet with all information completed

C) Tentative class sign-out sheet

D) AP change form (if needed) to change the time of the student’s AP class.

E) Copy of student’s schedule (Aspen matrix form)

 

 

March through May ongoing – in-school mentor/student meetings on progress before and during project time, in-school mentor remind students to be checking Google classroom for updates and communications about paper & presentations.

 

March through May ongoing - in-school mentor Journal/portfolio review

 

April 16, 2021 - Sign out day for non-AP classes in order to begin Senior Project April 26th.

 

April 26, 2021 - Project work begins or as per individual plan.

 

April 26th thru May 25th – in-school mentor/student weekly meetings with student

 

April 26th thru May 25th – in-school mentor bi-weekly check-in with placement mentor

 

May 18, 2021 - Paper due to in-school mentor and Mrs. Bishop or Ms. Clancy

 

May 25, 2021 - Presentations from 3:30 – 6:30 / students’ last day at/on project.

 

May 26, 2021 – Students have Exit interviews with Ms. Clancy & Mrs. Bishop

 

 


Topics From Previous Projects:

 

Physical therapy

Marketing

Lawyers office

Veterinary

Education

Dermatology Office

Real Estate

Advertising

 

Locations where DS has contacts:

ttps://jri.org/services/health-and-housing/health/boston-glass

www.urbanoproject.org

https://bikesnotbombs.org/

Remember

 

  1. Community service must be complete by January, beginning of 2nd semester.

  2. You may not have earned a sixth tardy.

  3. You also must meet attendance (absence/tardies) requirements.

  4. You must be available on May 25th to make your presentation and May 26th for your exit interview.

  5. Your outside mentor must submit a CORI form and nondiscrimination form.

  6. Your internship mentor must not be a parent or family member.

  7. You may not be paid for your project work.

  8. You may not be in school unsupervised.