The senior project is an interesting time in every ThunderRidge student’s high school experience. For some, it’s an unnecessary challenge that they approach as a requirement to graduate, but for others it is a golden opportunity to learn a new skill and show off how they learned it. Some students have interesting projects and some original ideas that the school hasn’t seen yet. A lot of students will choose a topic they are interested in, but many may have no experience with their topic, which makes the learning aspect of the senior project very interesting.

A great example of an interesting and original senior project topic is Paxton Prichard’s idea. He is learning how to blacksmith, and he hopes to create a sword/knife out of metal for his final project. Paxton thinks the hardest part of the project will be creating an actual forge.

Another example of a project is Samuel Olds. Sam is learning a challenging solo on the bass guitar. His project is very intriguing because instead of just learning bass he is challenging himself to learn a full solo which he will perform. He already knows how to play bass, but the solo he is learning is very challenging for him. His project does unfortunately require him to carry a heavy bass guitar and amp around school on the day of senior boards, which, funnily enough, he thinks will be the most challenging part of the project.

Some students opt to do projects that may strengthen their understanding in helping the community. A good example of this is Spencer Forbush, who is doing his project on the process and effectiveness of drug rehabilitation. He is doing this project because he wants to help people who have struggled with addiction, and didn’t get the proper help they needed. Spencer has done research on the topic, and hopes to talk to someone who works at a real rehabilitation clinic.

Some projects require creating and publishing a book. Clara Gee is creating a cookbook full of gluten free recipes. She has learned that eating a full gluten free diet isn’t always healthy. She is worried about actually passing the senior project, which seems like a popular worry amongst seniors as the project (especially the research paper) requires a large amount of time and effort.

So what makes a good senior project? Typically, a good senior project has to be something interesting, something you want to learn about, and don’t know how to do, so there’s a good learning experience. Some of the best projects are also interesting to the general community, and incite interest in a new topic. Some projects may not be too good, such as doing a project you already know to take the easy way out. It’s hard to show a learning stretch doing something you already know how to do. Either way, the Senior Project, whether you love it or hate it, is a very good opportunity to learn a new skill.