The Senior Essay Program is a new independent study that is designed to develop writing skills at a college-level. Through this study, advanced English and History students will have the opportunity to complete in-depth research on a topic of their choice.
The program is still in the trial stages. Seniors Jess Davis and Cameron Platt have been chosen to pioneer it.
Jess and Cameron will research their topics of choice, work closely with their advisors, and develop a 25 to 50-page essay over the next few months.
History teacher Ms. Martha Elliott will supervise Cameron’s project, and English teacher Dr. Charles Donelan will supervise Jess’ project.
“My essay will focus on the American Revolution and American Transcendentalism in order to explore how foundational American political thought and the political breakaway from Europe shaped the intellectual breakaway from Europe and the formation of a national identity [in terms of] the influence of nature – both literal and abstract,” said Cameron.
“I want to explore the different ways people incorporate dance into their lives. As I have started to pursue other passions that I have outside of dance and my academics have grown more challenging, I have struggled to find time to train as a dancer. Without the 15 hours of weekly training I was accustomed to, I could not maintain my advanced level technique… something that was very disheartening to me,” said Jess.
This project will provide an opportunity for students to write at an advanced level. High-achieving students will be invited to participate in next year’s program.
“This is a chance to challenge students on more than a high school level. We are trying to create a more rigorous program beyond high schoolers’ independent studies,” said Ms. Elliott.
Over time, a collection of students’ Senior Essays will be collected and bound. Until then, a ceremony will be held in June and the senior essays will be displayed in the library.