Support

Each student is required to engage the assistance of important adults with various parts of the senior project: the faculty advisor (to be assigned by the school); the outside mentor (to be identified by the student); and other adults as needed, such as the senior project coordinator, a parent, a family friend, or other associates.

Faculty Advisor: The faculty advisor is a key figure in the support of the senior during the project, conducting mandatory meetings as scheduled by the coordinator and principal and outlined in this handbook.  The faculty advisor’s role is to meet with the student and offer advice, guidance, and feedback on the development of the project through discussions based on the work the student has completed in his/her senior project notebook prior to each meeting.  The advisor also contacts the outside mentor by phone twice during the project: once before the placement period, to confirm placement and to answer any questions the outside mentor might have; and once during the placement to confirm the student is at the placement and to discuss with the outside mentor the student’s experience.  The advisor will contact parent and project coordinator as situations warrant.  The advisor is encouraged to visit the student placement, if possible, during the experiential learning phase.  Additionally, the faculty advisor will collect necessary forms and documents.  At the end of each marking period, the faculty advisor will grade the student based on the project rubrics.

Outside Mentor: Students will be expected to engage an outside mentor for the experiential learning phase of their project.  The outside mentor will be a resource in a particular area of interest related to the student’s essential question, and/or will provide facilities or other support for the completion of the project.  Resourcefulness, independence, and the ability to learn are traits measured by this project; therefore, it is important that seniors demonstrate the ability to identify, locate, contact, an outside mentor, and use specific skills developed during the project to ensure learning.  Like the faculty advisor, the outside facilitator should see his/her role as a mentor rather than as a supervisor.  The outside mentor will be asked to submit feedback that identifies the student’s willingness to learn and a signed log sheet that identifies the 70 hours logged by the student.

Senior Project Coordinator: The senior project coordinator oversees the project. The coordinator conducts activities that support the advisor, the senior, and the development of the project.  The coordinator establishes all scheduling and logistics.  Questions that cannot be answered by the advisor can be directed to the coordinator.