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SUMMARY
Each senior at Greenville Technical Charter High School completes a
Senior Project as a final exam and graduation requirement. During this
yearlong project, students research a topic of their choosing, write
a research paper, create a product, complete a portfolio, and present
their projects before a panel of community members.
Reasons for Practice
The Senior Project is an exhibition of mastery. It shows that a student
has done more than pass the required units for graduation. The students
are able to demonstrate what every graduate should know and be able
to do. It is a real-world, hands-on experience. It also allows students
an opportunity to demonstrate that they have fulfilled the program's
expectations. This project will show that they have the knowledge, skills,
and attitudes to become:
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Develop and maintain a sense of commitment to learning;
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Take responsibility for and pride in the quality
of performance and product;
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Participate in challenging experiences with perseverance;
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Establish and work toward personal goals;
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Access information from a variety of sources;
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Demonstrate responsible creativity and imagination.
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Work independently with confidence;
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Work effectively and responsibly with both peers
and adults;
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Demonstrate skills of decision-making, leadership,
and teamwork;
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Formulate, write and carry out a plan;
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Use technology as a tool.
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Analyze situations from multiple perspectives;
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Identify and solve complex problems using knowledge
from the humanities, mathematics, science and the arts;
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Form reasoned judgments.
Effective communicators who:
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Listen with a focused and inquisitive mind;
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Search for answers to questions;
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Express knowledge, ideas, and feelings effectively
through written and oral language;
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Interact with the community.
Length of Time in Effect
The Senior Project was written into the GTCHS charter as a graduation
requirement when the school began. It has been in structured in the
manner described since the 2002-2003 school year.
THE PURPOSE OF the Senior Project at Greenville Technical Charter High
School (GTCHS) is to engage each senior in a personalized learning experience.
It allows each senior an opportunity to demonstrate interdisciplinary
skills and knowledge while investigating a specialized area of interest
with the assistance of a mentor and a faculty coach.
An advisory committee made up of five teachers and an administrator
approves students' topics for the Senior Project and ensures that students
meet deadlines. Students also have a Senior Project Handbook, which
guides them through every step of the process. In finding the answer
to their "essential question," students document 40 hours
of research time, which is dedicated to the research paper, activity
logs, and a weekly journal. The three components of the project include:
The portfolio is an organized, professional-looking file that documents
the learning journey. It serves several other purposes as well:
- It provides evaluators with a firsthand look at the student's entire
Senior Project work and establishes a first impression of the student;
- It offers the student an overall perspective of his or her Senior
Project, allowing him or her to plan a purposeful and powerful presentation;
- It provides the student with items he or she can use in a college
search or the workforce (letters of introduction and/or recommendations,
a resume, documentation of having completed a long-term process, etc.);
- It allows the student a place to keep his or her work together and
organized.
The Product
This phase of the Senior Project requires students to produce a product
that applies the knowledge and skills they acquired in the research
phase. The product can be anything that represents a learning stretch
for the student, although the faculty coach must approve it. Students
may build or create something, although not all products are tangible.
A student might build a racecar, knit a garment, or cater a luncheon.
The product is a chance for the students to showcase their talents,
based on what they have learned from their research and from compiling
their portfolios.
Presentation
The fun part for seniors is showing off what they have done. Senior
presentations take place in May, during a celebration of senior accomplishments.
Dressed in their finest, seniors stand before a panel of judges from
the community to present a ten- to fifteen-minute speech about the research,
product, and experience of working on the Senior Project.
An interesting aspect of the Senior Project at GTCHS is that only the
initial meetings are held on campus. At that time, the coach explains
the project, reviews the handbook, and helps students create their letters
of intent and project proposals. After the advisory committee approves
the proposals, the class begins to meet online through WebCT. Students
must log on to a computer at least once a week and read the messages
posted by the coach. The students also help each other with their projects
through this new communication medium.
Plan and organize. Create a handbook with a timeline and guidelines.
Provide the students with information on how to research, document,
interview, and present. Create forms such as GTCHS's Parent Approval
Forms, Mentor Contracts, Mentor Evaluation, and Activity Logs. The coach
for the seniors needs to be committed to the project and willing to
work with seniors to keep them on track to ensure that Senior Project
is a successful learning experience.
WEB SITE LINKS
Greenville Technical Charter High School URL: http://www.GTCHS.org
CONTACT INFORMATION
Donna Yarborough
Senior Project Coordinator and Coach
Greenville Technical Charter High School
PO Box 5616
Greenville, SC 29606-5616
Telephone: 864-242-9964
E-mail: DonnaYarborough@GTCHS.org or GTCHS@aol.com
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