By: Katelyn Spicer
As juniors and seniors prepare for their long-awaited graduation, they also prepare for the CMS Graduation Project. This year, juniors will embark on a new version of the Graduation Project experience. There are now four components to the CMS Graduation Project: a research paper, a service learning experience, an oral presentation, and a portfolio.
In past years, it was required that students create some kind of relevant project to show what they had learned throughout their research experience. However, as of the 2014-2015 school year, it is now required that students complete a minimum of 15 hours of community service, in addition to their research, which has replaced the former product.
Along with this, a portfolio must be completed with logs, letters, reflective journal entries, and photographs to document the ongoing progress of the student’s research and how it has made an impact in the target area.
Many students have begun to worry that the new requirements will limit their topic selection. In contrast, Jennifer Goodson, an Ardrey Kell English teacher who has been aiding with the project for three years, finds the changes “an opportunity for students to be more creative with their outreach, and makes more sense of the project.” With this, Goodson offers ideas to make certain components of the requirements work for students. For example, if a student’s project is geared toward animals, but the student does not meet the age requirements to volunteer at shelters, the student has an opportunity to host his or her own event such as an animal food drive.
Overall the whole premise behind the new requirements is to find a way for students to become more active in their communities, and truly benefit from what they have learned.
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