SHS Capstone Course
Student Overview
Mr. Faithfull, Room 230, bfaithfull@simsburyschools.net
About this Course
The SHS Capstone course is made up of two semesters to support you as you design and carry out a Capstone project of your choice, from start to wherever it takes you. What is your Capstone project about? You decide! Capstone is a chance to learn about just about ANYTHING, for a whole year, while earning school credit and hopefully making a meaningful contribution to a community that matters to you.
The Capstone project that you design and complete should…
Be interesting and meaningful to you personally
Connect to a community of others beyond our class
Showcase your personal strengths
Help you grow your Vision of a Graduate competencies
Represent a “learning stretch” for you
Be reasonable to complete within your Capstone year
SHS Capstone projects are usually one of three types:
Creative Work or Product
Capstones in this area focus on creativity, innovation, and design. You might invent, write, build, choreograph, or otherwise create something original to share with others.
Community Contribution
Community Contribution Capstone projects are perfect for people who like to network, organize, or make improvements for the greater good. As you design and carry out this type of project, you would work to better understand a community need, and identify/organize specific actions or events to address it.
Personal Interest
Sometimes students have interests that are somewhat unique to them, or want to improve themselves personally in some way. Breed rare lizards? Improve athletic performance? Learn to cook for yourself and others before you leave for college? Supported by the Capstone framework, you will find a way to help a wider audience connect with your unique personal interest.
Although taking on a year-long project can feel really intimidating at first, we will support each other through steps that will bring you closer to your goals. As we do this, you’ll increase your competence and confidence in your six Vision of a Graduate competencies that support success beyond high school.
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Course Structure
Your two semesters of SHS Capstone will take you through eight phases. Within each phase, you’ll complete tasks alone and/or with others to move your project forward. In the beginning, we will move through phases together so that we can support one another as we plan our projects. The first quarter of Capstone often feels more like a “class.” As the year goes on, though, you will have much more flexibility to complete your individual project in your own way, on your own schedule, as long as you continue to make progress. The eight phases of SHS Capstone are:
Completing a Capstone project requires a lot of support. Don’t be afraid to use your classmates as resources. You will also be encouraged to seek out a Faculty Advisor or Community Mentor with knowledge and/or skills related to your project.
Course Assessment and Grading
As you move through the Capstone phases in this course, you will have three types of assignments:
Phase Tasks--Each phase has a series of tasks to complete to move your project forward.
Tasks are weighted differently, using total points, depending on the amount of time and effort it will likely take to complete them. For example, small tasks might be 5 points, while larger tasks are 20.
When you complete a task successfully, you earn credit.
When you turn in a task that is completed unsatisfactorily, you receive partial credit and the task will be returned to you for improvement.
If tasks are incomplete, you will not receive credit for the task.
It’s often okay to complete a task late if you need more time. It is important to communicate why the task will be late, in advance, as you would to family, friends, or an employer.
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Reflections--Reflective thinking helps you connect actions you take and experiences you have to your goals and choices. During Capstone, you will often be asked to reflect using three questions:
What? A description of what you have done and experienced during your project work
So What? An explanation of the meaning (for you and others) of what you have done and experienced
Now What? An explanation of how what you’ve done and are doing related to your next steps, future
goals, or the “big picture”
Sometimes you’ll reflect in writing, and other times through speaking, as both are important forms of communication.
Progress Documentation--As you make progress and demonstrate growth during Capstone, it’s important to document your process to see how far you’ve come and share your journey with others. At the end of each phase, you will add to a Google Site to document your work.
Capstone Assessment
You might be wondering...what happens if my project doesn’t work out the way I thought it would? Will I still “pass” Capstone? While creating a “product” is definitely a Capstone goal, personal growth is just as important for this project, and for your future. Your Capstone learning and growth will be visible in three ways by the end of SHS Capstone 2:
“Product”--Each Capstone project, as proposed, is designed to create something original. Through the project design process, you will decide what you will create. The “product” is the end result of your learning, solving, making, and/or doing. It could be a thing, a portfolio, a performance, a series of podcasts, a community event, or anything else you propose and receive approval for.
Demonstration of Learning--Toward the end of SHS Capstone 2, all Capstone students at SHS will present their learning to an audience of students and adults outside of the Capstone class at the SHS Showcase demonstration of learning event. This presentation is not just an explanation of your “product”; it’s a description of the journey that led you to it. Successful demonstrations of learning help the audience to understand how you struggled, persevered, and grew through your project.
Final Reflection--For your final reflection, you will review your work from throughout the year, and consider feedback from your product and demonstration of learning. Then, you’ll summarize the most important take-aways from your Capstone year as a whole. It might amaze you how far you’ve come and what you can do!
In order to successfully complete a Capstone project, these three performance assessments must show your growth and competence in your Vision of a Graduate skills.
Academic Integrity
Part of maturing as a learner is understanding the importance of doing your own work and, when a good idea is not your own, giving credit where credit is due. As written in your SHS Student/Parent Handbook (p. 10):
“Honesty and integrity are among the most highly regarded and respected values of the Simsbury High School community. Students are expected to rely upon their own resources and efforts in order to complete coursework.”
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In order to uphold integrity, you must avoid:
Copying another person’s homework, class work, research paper, or test, or allowing another student to copy yours
Turning in someone else’s work as your own
Failing to cite or attribute materials or ideas to those who created them
Consequences for violating the academic integrity policy are:
The student may receive a zero for any work that violates the SHS academic integrity policy
Parents/guardians and the School Counseling department will be notified
The student may jeopardize eligibility for awards and recognition offered by Simsbury High School, including National Honor Society
The student may face disciplinary consequences including, but not limited to, suspension
Seek people and other resources to support you in your work, but avoid taking credit for something that belongs to or was created by someone else.
Capstone and Self-Direction
Once your Capstone project is planned and approved, you have a great deal of flexibility to complete it in the way the project requires. For some students, this is liberating! For others, it’s a dangerous zone of procrastination. If you are the type of person who often feels yourself slipping into a pattern of putting off important tasks, falling behind, and/or feeling bad about it, here are some tips and strategies that can help.
Capstone Behavioral Expectations
A strong classroom community is important for Capstone success. In order to support one another, it is important that we follow the tenets of the Trojan Code, acting respectfully, responsibly, and honorably in our own behavior, our interactions with one another, and our interactions with the larger community.
On the following page is a reminder of the Trojan Code behavioral expectations for a variety of settings. Remember, Capstone happens within and beyond the classroom! If you’re concerned about expectations, please just ask!
Extra Help
If, at any time, you’re worried that you’re falling behind and you don’t know what to do, please let Mr. Faithfull know. Sooner is better than later! Throughout the course of this year, it is likely that every student will feel lost, unsure of what to do, or need a revised plan. That’s part of the learning process! Your peers and teachers are here to help.