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Choosing a Topic
Your Mentor
PLE Specifics
PLE Logs
The BRVGS Senior Capstone Project has been developed to give you the opportunity to study almost any topic of your interest, to learn from experts in that field of interest, and to serve your school and/or community as part of your learning experience. It is also designed to give you the opportunity to learn and practice skills for the “real-world” experiences that you will encounter beyond high school.
After reading the information below, please see your Senior Capstone advisor for an activity to assist you in choosing a topic.
The range of topics that you can choose from is almost unlimited. Prior students have taken on a wide range of interests, including such diverse subjects as:
Nanotechnology
Aviation
Music therapy
Rocket science
Drama production
Robotics
Cancer therapy
Dance
Topics are limited only by your ability to justify your area of study and related Community Service to your Senior Advisor and to the Proposal Review Committee. In addition, you always have the opportunity to seek assistance from your BRVGS Senior Advisor, Ms. Elliott, Ms. Outten, Ms. Bunovich or from any other teacher or adult who is willing.
Some things to think about when choosing a topic:
Your topic can start as a very broad subject (such as “Pediatric Medicine,” or “Art Therapy,” as in the examples above), or it can be very specific.
For most students, it will be very important to narrow down your topic in order to create a suitable professional learning experience, research question and community service experience.
If you don't already have a topic in mind, follow the "Steps For Choosing a Topic" below
Always consult with your Senior Advisor as you develop your topic.
Steps For Choosing a Topic
To decide on your specific topic, follow the steps below:
First, list between 3 to 5 general areas of interest to you. (Examples: “Music,” “Medicine,” “Architecture,” etc.)
Use the following questions to help guide you:
What do you like to do outside of school that you would like to learn more about?
What kinds of jobs or occupations would you like to have in the future?
What topics do you consider to be “important” in terms of social responsibility?
What activities or pursuits do you find to be personally rewarding?
What topics or subject would you like to know more about?
Next, narrow your topic to the top three choices, in order of choice, by considering the following filters:
Most interesting to you personally
Experts and resources are easily available
Extensive prior knowledge of the topic
Topic relates well to other commitments or activities
Opportunities for school/community service are readily available
Once you have narrowed your field of topics to your “top three,” you will probably want to decide on a very specific area of study within that topic. For example, if your chosen field is “medicine,” you will probably need to decide on a single topic within medicine; cancer research, for example, or sports medicine. You can run your area of interest back through the same filters listed above to determine that specific topic.
The process of securing a mentor(s) is very similar to that of searching for a job, and is meant to help you to practice and prepare for that kind of search. You should keep several things in mind as you begin your search:
Because the BRVGS project requires a "learning stretch," your mentor should not be someone with whom you have worked previously (except as approved by your advisor and the BRVGS Director). In addition, your mentor cannot be someone to whom you are related.
As you seek out and contact potential mentors, keep in mind that they are usually very busy people. Many people are happy to share their knowledge and experience as mentors, but contacting them usually requires "real-time" contact (face-to-face meetings or a telephone call), rather than just an email. An email can be a good starting point prior to phone or in-person contact, though - here is a Sample Email for initial contact with a mentor.
When contacting potential mentors, you should clearly explain you are requesting to job shadow them for at least 10 hours as well the need for an expert interview at some point. You will open more doors if you can describe up front how often, and for how many hours, you would hope to serve.
A letter of explanation of the BRVGS Professional Learning Experience can be found online at BRVGS Professional Learning Expectations. You can use this letter in its entirety, or you can copy and paste information from that letter into your own correspondences and/or emails.
It is highly recommended that you write (not email) personal notes of thanks to your mentors after your PLE. Many BRVGS graduates have formed lasting school and professional relationships with mentors, and those relationships can be critical to opening doors for other opportunities later in your schooling and career.
Once you have secured a mentor for your PLE, you will need to submit the "PLE Mentor Contact Form"
Your BRVGS Senior Professional Learning Experience is the in person time that you spend with an expert (your "mentor") in your topic, engaged in first-hand learning. You are required to spend a minimum of 10 hours (but keep in mind that you should serve at least 30 hours total for your professional learning experience plus your community service). Your Professional Learning Experience is a "starting point" for the overall project, in that you will use this opportunity to learn in person about your topic. Once your PLE is approved, this permission slip must be completed by your parent/guardian.
Here are some other important things to keep in mind regarding your internship:
Your PLE should be a "learning stretch" for you meaning it should be a new experience for you. With that in mind, PLEs may not be served with relatives. In addition, you PLE cannot be served with people and/or organizations with whom you have previously worked. Exceptions may be made for students who have clearly justified how this particular experience will be a learning stretch and have received permission from your advisor to proceed.
Students may not use any hours that are counted for other organizations (including BETA, NHS, HOSA, Key Club, Scouts, church organizations, etc), or for classes (such as Teacher Cadet or other school-based internship programs) for BRVGS PLE hours. Students also may not use any hours for which they have been paid for their service.
Students are responsible for finding and communicating with a mentor and for making all arrangements for your Professional Learning Experience. While your advisor and/or BRVGS staff may provide you with guidance, you are accountable for making initial contact with prospective mentors and for scheduling all hours for service.
Your Professional Learning Experience should be as much of a "hands-on" experience as possible. While this is not possible for all PLEs due to regulations in that field, students should still work with their mentor to make their PLE an "active learning" experience.
If a student has exhausted all local options for a mentor, they may present evidence of their search and request approval of a "distance professional learning experience" with a mentor who is in another location, too far away to serve with in person. In those circumstances, students will need to seek permission from their Senior Advisor and BRVGS by email.
All email and chat communications with mentors and others in relation to the professional learning experience must be done through the student's BRVGS email account.
In order to leave to serve professional learning time during the school day, a student must submit a detailed weekly plan to their advisor. Students may only leave their BRVGS class and school to visit with a mentor, to serve professional learning or community service hours, or for a related BRVGS activity, approved in advance by a parent/guardian and your BRVGS Senior Advisor.
Your mentor will be expected to complete an online Mentor Evaluation of you as soon as you have completed your professional learning experience.
As part of the documentation (and your overall grade), you will need to keep track of all hours spent on specific activities for your professional learning experience and community service. You will do this electronically by using the Log Form that is part of the Senior Website template website.
Important note: all hours listed for your professional learning and community service must be for approved activities only! If you submit hours for something that was not a part of your approved proposal and LOI, these hours will not be counted. In addition, you may not submit hours for any activities that count for another service requirement (such as for BETA, NHS, HOSA, Scouts, etc).
Knowingly submitting inaccurate hours or hours that that have been counted for another activity will be considered cheating.
Your hours will be verified when your evaluation is completed by your mentor.
To create your time log, follow these directions very carefully:
Go to your "Google Docs" page
Click on "New" in upper left hand corner
Click on "from template" at bottom of drop-down menu
Use the "Search" feature in the Template Gallery to find the ""BRVGS Senior Log" Template.
Click on "use this template" to copy the Log into your own Docs. Name the Doc "BRVGS Senior Log + your initials" ("BRVGS Senior Log MC", for example).
Once you have filled a Log page, start a new log by following the same directions, naming the new Doc "BRVGS Senior Log + your initials, followed by the number of the Log" ("BRVGS Senior Log MC 2", for example).
Share your logs with your advisor and set the sharing so that "anyone in BRVGS can VIEW this doc"
Embed your Log Docs into the "logs" page of your senior website (see the website page for more detailed instructions) as soon as each is created.
Keep track of dates, hours and activities on your log