Course Options

Class of 2025 Options

Detailed course options for the Class of 2025 will be posted soon.  General information can be found below.

Timeline Selection

Students have multiple timelines to complete their Senior Seminar project.  Click on the title to see due dates.

• Senior Seminar Summer Institue (SSSI):

  • Proposal due in March of junior year

  • Project and coursework completed between June and August

  • Presentation in August

• Senior Seminar Early Present (SSEP):

  • Proposal due in March of junior year

  • Project work begins in June and should be completed before the start of school

  • Coursework completed during the first semester

  • Presentation in December

• Summer Start, April Present:

  • Proposal due in March of junior year

  • Project work begins in June

  • Coursework completed during the first three quarters

  • Presentation in April

• Regular Senior Seminar:

  • Proposal due in September of senior year

  • No work done over the summer

  • Project and coursework completed between September and March

  • Presentation in April

In-Class or Blended

Students may choose to attend class daily, or be in a blended section.  Blended sections meet less frequently, and students must actively access course material on Schoology.  Students will periodically meet in a class setting, but these classes are outside of the school day.  Blended classes during the school year meet before the school day.  

Regular or Honors

Students may elect to complete the Senior Seminar course for Honors Credit, and must indicate this in their proposal. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I choose a topic for my Senior Project?

The topic is the most important decision you will make concerning your Senior Project; testimonies from former students confirm that fact. This is a project that will require you to document a total of 100 hours of committed work. This significant amount of time can best be spent on some topic that you have a true interest in – even a passion for. While you are encouraged to seek the advice of your parents, friends and teachers, the decision needs to be yours.

2. Does my Senior Project need to involve service to the community or fundraising?

No. Again, your project should reflect a personal interest of yours. Most topics selected do not involve community service but do include areas of interest (to name just a few) in personal development, art, literature, drama, music, vocations, photography, or teaching. We usually will not approve projects that involve fundraising.

3. How much money do I need to spend on my Senior Project?

The short answer is as much or as little as you want. There have been projects that have cost thousands of dollars (building a race car) to projects that have cost nothing (translation of literary works). The cost of the project you are proposing must be a consideration for you. You are asked to address that issue in your proposal. However, your grade is not dependent on how much you spend.

4. How is my project graded?

Since the Senior Project is an independent study, every senior student will have different aspects to the project. In order to put a framework on all of the different topics proposed, there are certain criteria that each student must complete – proposal, work plan, research component, journals, portfolio, presentation, self assessment – that will pertain to the particular topic of the project. Beyond that, each project will be assessed by those aspects that you identify in your initial proposal.

5. What if I want to change or alter my project topic after I receive approval?

Sometimes, during the work of the project, interest or focus changes for you. That is OK. You need to communicate with your primary advisor the changes you propose, and upon approval from your primary advisor, you may amend your initial proposal.

6. Do I need to have a mentor for my project?

Yes. Your primary advisor will guide you through the process of the Senior Project but may not have the expertise you require in a specific field of study. Therefore, having a mentor is vitally important. You are encouraged to find a person with first hand knowledge in the particular area you intend to pursue. This may be a teacher but also may be someone from a college, industry, or business. You are asked to find someone other than a family member. This mentor will be contacted by your primary advisor for input into your final grade.

7. Does my project require a product?

There are certain topics that lend themselves to a distinct product more easily than others. Other products may be less concrete like a set of lesson plans or before, during, and after measurements for self development. Internship projects that involve 80 hours of involvement with the mentor require no product. In short, every project is considered on its own merits and, with the help of your primary advisor, the best product for your project can be determined.

8. How will I benefit from completing this project?

As with anything, what you receive from your project is in direct proportion to what you put in it. Upon completion of the Senior Project, students have acknowledged that without this opportunity, they may not have explored their topic. Students have developed a new interest, solidified (or eliminated) a career option, began a study that was continued in college, or created a portfolio of work that helped in college admissions or employment. One question you will be asked to answer in your self assessment speaks to a central goal of the Senior Project– How am I better prepared to handle a self-directed independent study that I may be asked to do either in college or my career?

9. How is my grade reported on my grade card?

A letter/number grade will be given quarterly and your grade is cumulative throughout the year. This will be used to calculate your GPA on your transcript.

10. How do I start?

Turn in a proposal! The requirements for the proposal (along with every other form, rubric and requirement) are on the portal. Make good use of the portal – it has everything you need for Senior Seminar – except an advisor!