Capstone; A tell-all on a new schedule

Zoe Ham

March 26, 2025

It is the time of year when students have to choose classes for next year, and our juniors were introduced to a new addition to our schedule; capstone. When Juniors had to choose classes, they were told they were only going to have six classes to make room for capstone, instead of the eight that the other grades will be taking. Because Juniors were informed of this, there are still some questions on what it is the first Senior class will be doing.

Ms. Beaupre, College and Careers Counsellor at UHS and who is heading the capstone program, shed some light on what capstone is and what it could look like. She said that the goal is to create “an opportunity for 12th-grade students to dedicate time to a meaningful, self-directed experience/project aligned with their passions, academic interests, and postsecondary goals.” This project therefore has a vast number of possibilities. She also helped answer the question of when it will take place, which will be Fridays of Senior year.

One question students have is what this could look like? The answer is that it could vary. “Students may develop an experience from a broad range of categories, including research, internships, creative projects, service-learning, or entrepreneurship,” she continued. With this flexibility in choice, there does come some restraints. Projects must not only include 6-10 hours of work per week, but also need to be approved by a “Capstone Committee”.

This is all very exciting news for our Juniors, and some shared their thoughts on what the future of capstone holds. One student, Aura Kumar, said “I am excited for capstone because I think it will give us a lot of fun opportunities… and it will let us get actual experience in work or life” There is also hope that it will support students’ futures. “Yes, overall I think it might boost the college application… And I also think that being a part of it would make me happier for the future, so yeah I think it's something to look forward to,” said Handsome Denson, another Junior excited for capstone.

Overall, Capstone is something that Juniors should start looking forward to, and to make sure they are planning for, and is an exciting new addition to our school.