As a second semester senior, there is only one shining beacon of light motivating me not to sleep through my classes, well, at least not all of them. For me, that beacon is graduation. Though I know I’m not alone in my focused determination, I can’t help but think there should be something else to look forward to as the end of my high school career nears.
For many seniors in high schools around St. Louis and around the country, alternative means for excitement exists in the form of a senior project. At many schools, seniors are given a chance in May, after they have finished their schoolwork, to participate in a project outside of the curriculum. Though these projects are hardly uniform in their composition, varying from volunteer work, to internships, to research, they are the same in their purpose: to provide seniors with a unifying, eye-opening experience that welcomes them into the adult world.
By the end of their second semester, most seniors, whether rightly or not, feel they have little left to learn from high school. After all, they are about to be sent into a world with a few less people directing them down a set path and a great deal less safety nets. It seems fitting then, that seniors would have a chance to test the waters before jumping in head first.
Speaking from my own perspective, I’d love to have the chance, as seniors at John Burroughs and MICDS do, to achieve something on my own, free from the bubble that is Clayton High School, before I burst the bubble completely. Not only would this give me something to be proud of when I look back on my high school years, it would serve as a testament to all the knowledge and experience I accumulated during my time at Clayton.
A handful of lucky students at Clayton get the self-assurance that comes with such an achievement through participation in outside projects and programs. By making the senior project a cornerstone of the Clayton High experience, however, we would be ensuring that no student leaves high school without at least one individual outside project under their belt. Certainly, real world experience and a chance to demonstrate all that Clayton has endowed us with is an opportunity that should be available to everyone.
Understandably, Clayton has limitations that private schools like John Burroughs and MICDS do not. Nevertheless, the senior project does not have to be expansive, time consuming, or resource consuming. At Ladue, seniors are given the chance to participate in a service project together. Though this is certainly not the same as partaking in an internship or educational experience, it still provides students with a chance to step, at least for a moment, into the real world.
What’s more, the senior class has the opportunity to appreciate classmates who, for some, have been constant companions for 13 years. Especially at a school as small as Clayton, everyone can value and enjoy spending time with the familiar faces that have influenced and molded their education.
The senior project offers many benefits to students, benefits I feel are worth any effort and resources that must be put into implementing such a project at Clayton. As I prepare to leave Clayton behind, I hope that future Clayton seniors will leave with the same satisfied and fulfilled feeling I have. I also hope, however, that graduation isn’t the only event that colors their last few weeks.