Final projects are independent research projects that every student in Phaedrus works on.  Each year, students start working mid September/beginning of October. Then once they find a topic, they begin to research- on their own- and write a 5-6 page paper with the goal to create an interesting detailed argument. Students will also interview a primary source who is an expert in a related field. After completing the paper, students will then prepare an hour-long presentation. Students have the freedom to choose what they would like to research - anything, no matter how outlandish it may seem, given it is something you are capable of creating a final project around!

Final Project Examples: 

• Nature vs Nurture of Twins Separated at Birth

• Placebo Effect

• Political Asylum 

• Women in Power and Leadership Roles

"As a Junior I was terrified of Final Projects, but it ended up being my favorite part of A-school. This led me to taking the role of Final Project in my senior year and I had such a fun time constructing my projects." - Charlie Kehr (2022-2024)

Every Wednesday, a Phaedrite brings in a guest speaker to talk about something that they're passionate about, their career, or a subject relevant to what we are learning in class. Wednesday is such a great way to see how everything we learn in Phaedrus applies to the real world as possible careers. 

We've had a wide variety of speakers come in such as, an FBI agent, the Senior Vice President of News and Enterprise at CNN, a sports broadcaster and  a family-friend to teach the group how to make dumplings. 

"Wednesday experience is an engaging part of our program that I really enjoy. Coming into Phaedrus and hearing stories of those in or out of the Edgemont community has helped me think about what I could do in the future." - Abby Rivera (2022-2024) 

For two days out of the eight day cycle, Phaedrites meet with the EHS school psychologists, Kelly, Mitch and Michelle, in both a big group that includes all students in the program or a smaller, Advisory group of 10-13 Phaedrus students. The main goal of Thursday is to create a safe space where Phaedrites can all be their own true selves and support one another. Phaedrites engage in lots of group-building exercises and active learning opportunities. Advisory groups are facilitated by each psychologist, during which discussions are fueled by prompts, personal inquiry and listening to one another with empathy.

"Since participating in Thursday meetings I have found that it gives the students a chance to express their true feelings to small groups and to the peers around them without the pressure of talking in a large group. Don't think however that large group meetings are bad. They allow us to get a sense of what is going on in Phaedrus and address it then and there" - Reid Sandler (2023-2025)

Internships take place every Friday from 1:30 - 3:00 pm. Internships are an important part of Phaedrus as it gets the students out of the classroom and into real world experiences. For juniors, their goal is to serve the community. Seniors find internships that could help them lead to their future career. 

Internship Examples:

• Greenville & Seely Elementary Schools

• The JCK Foundation

• ThePod by CocoaCompassion

• Greenburgh Public Library 

• Unice Nail Spa

"Interning with the ICAP class has been a great experience overall. Being able to work with the staff to create new experiences for the kids has been wonderful" - Arjun Arya (2023-2025)

The semester-long classes, Final Project, and internship/community service components of Phaedrus all have written narratives that describe and evaluate the student’s performance in that given program. Students are evaluated based on their own potential and abilities. Students will also be given formative evaluations throughout the year based on their progress in the program as a whole. 

"These evaluations describe the student more than a letter grade ever could. They highlight the students work ethic, role, and abilities in each of their classes in Phaedrus. Evaluations serve as a feedback mechanism to give valuable information about the student. Phaedrus evaluations focus on qualitative feedback rather than quantitative." - Harley Pfeffer (2023-2025)

Phaedrus is run by our two wonderful teachers, Pam Raines and Cory Karpf. They both put great dedication into the program. They make sure each and every student is able to thrive in their own way and together as a group. 

"Pam and Cory are the two most caring people who put their all Into the program. The relationship I have with Pam and Cory and my two years in Phædrus I will forever be thankful for." - Maddy Frain (2021-2023)

Every student in Phaedrus is assigned at least one job. Jobs allow Phaedrites to take on leadership roles and this helps to keep everyone responsible. Jobs allow Phaedrus to be more student-run.