An Essential Question, often referred to as an EQ, is the research question guiding a student’s Senior Exhibition project. This should be a controversial question without a single objective answer; instead, it is a question with significant research and expert opinion on both sides of the debate. Throughout the project, the student will look in depth at the background of the EQ and the different potential answers to the EQ, and will ultimately come to a conclusion about the best solution to the complex debate.

Over the majority of their senior year, each student completes a 15 to 30 page paper focused on an Essential Question chosen by that student. The Essential Question deals with a controversial and impactful issue in contemporary society.

The Senior Exhibition paper is divided into five smaller essays: the introduction, context, claim one, claim two, and conclusion. Each essay has a specific purpose and is written separately before compiling them all together in the full paper. Students write each piece of the paper one at a time with help and feedback from their mentor and humanities teacher. Students complete several rounds of revision and turn in comprehensive papers to their mentors three times throughout the year, the final time in February (this is also the final opportunity to pass the paper).

After completing the paper, seniors spend roughly six weeks creating presentations from their paper. The mandate of the presentation is to effectively argue the student’s answer to their Essential Question to a group of students, the mentor, and a community evaluator.

Mentor meetings provide students with one-on-one support from their faculty mentors throughout the project process. Students schedule these meetings with their mentors as assignments in their Humanities classes, and can also request additional meetings with their mentors as needed. Mentors act as personalized support to students at each step along the way, and also evaluate students' papers and presentations.