In Nancy Sizer's article "Reclaiming Senior Year" she challenges, "...self-respecting high schools...can change the emphasis of the course of study to the serious interests that the seniors are developing and the eventual work that they might be able to do" ( Independent School , Winter 2003, p.30). At Greenhill School in Addison, Texas, we have been attempting just that.
Sizer reminds us that high school seniors "are living in three time dimensions at once: with the record they have already assembled, the work they are doing in their final year, and the kind of work they imagine in the future" (27). This metastasizes in classic symptoms of senioritis:
They had expected a triumphant and sharply different year, but they weren't having it. They complained about the 'same old' routines, the stress they were under to compete with each other for a place in college, and the way adult gatekeepers honored the 'wrong' qualities. Even later, when they spoke excitedly about where they were going next, their voices were more critical of the present than confident about the future. (26)
Sizer also contends that many seniors grow dispirited by the manipulation involved in the college hunt..
During a thorough review of our upper school program over the past five years, we decided to reclaim senior year. As at many schools, seniors were alienating faculty and negatively influencing underclassmen. But, in re-visioning our senior year, we accentuated the important philosophical reasons for the change. We started our review with Ted Sizer's Picture of the Graduate exercise, leading to extensive discussion and a series of recommendations. While we did not want any changes to jeopardize students' college admission, we pondered how much we had confirmed the madness of the process. Given our emphasis on college placement, why were we surprised that students shut down once they received their notification? We also reconsidered our perception of senior year: just as preschool teachers emphasize stages of development, shouldn't we consider seniors' life situation? One student on the review panel, Della Sentilles '01, echoes Nancy Sizer's point: "Senior year in high school forces you to straddle two worlds: high school and college (both of which you are not really a part of), so high school classes can be somewhat boring, while college classes would be too challenging."
With this in mind, we asked ourselves, what should be the purpose of senior year? One more chance to fill our charges with wisdom? Should we expect eighteen-year-olds in the midst of a major transition to "do school" as they had for a dozen years? We responded by refocusing on senior year as our last opportunity to do something truly unique with our students. With many of the pressures removed, perhaps our students could thrive when asked to embody the more intangible aspects of education that we say we value. Our ultimate dream--they might even love school again.
Somewhat ironically, given the recent backlash against APs at some schools, we did not want to detract from our strong AP program. While we know the arguments against an over-emphasis on Advanced Placement, we continue to see some key benefits: students and faculty thrive on the challenge; the credits earned can save students money; APs are a practical reality of college admissions; and they help our seniors stay focused until May. We worry, however, about the number of AP courses students take, and we aim to ensure that a student enrolls in an AP course for the right educational reasons and not just transcript-building.
Ideally, seniors can be drawn to explore other curricular options than AP courses. To match their allure, we needed attractive alternatives. For many years Greenhill has offered mostly rather traditional senior electives within departments. We wanted to offer more interdisciplinary, flexible, and student-driven courses--in essence, a more appropriate culmination of a Greenhill education. To better meet our new vision of the senior year, teachers revamped existing courses and developed some exciting new ones. Anatomy and Physiology has evolved into Exercise Physiology, in which students use their scientific knowledge to design a personal fitness program that they follow for PE credit. In a Spanish Service Learning course, students serve as translators for local agencies and keep reflective journals. Students may study Latin American history in English or Spanish or both. A history elective focuses on in-depth study of contemporary issues, hoping to help students become more informed citizens. The Ways We Know covers cognitive science, explores theories of knowledge, and asks students to consider their education in a larger framework.
These courses also differ from the norm in other ways. Our modular schedule allows us to have classes of varying length and meeting frequency; in a six day cycle, one course may meet four times for an hour; and another, three times for an hour-and-a half. The pedagogy stresses more extensive research and outside preparation; furthermore, students lead significant portions of classes. Teachers experiment with more varied forms of assessment. Students dig deeply into narrower topics, and demonstrate their understanding in more authentic ways.
Response has been overly positive. On the front end, students and advisors have meaningful conversations about course selection; students struggle because they wish to take many of the courses and must choose. In a recent alumni survey, we asked how Greenhill best fulfills its mission and what stands out as distinct about the Greenhill experience. One person said, "The senior year options for classes are awesome." Another alum wrote, "The independence and freedom Greenhill gives its students, particularly with regard to course selection." Many cited these courses as perfect transitions to their college experiences.
In addition to revamped courses, we also wanted to encourage more students to participate in our existing senior year project that replaces the final month of classes. A senior develops, participates in, and helps to evaluate an experience unavailable during the regular school year and involving community service. The projects lead students beyond their normal scope of activities. Recent projects have included interning at various local schools, volunteering at shelters, assisting in production at a public radio station, and working at a professional theater. Michael Herndon, '02, worked with Greenhill's kindergarten classes. In his final journal, he writes,
I loved nothing more the past four weeks than just sitting down and chatting with one of the kids. Their sense of wonder is just amazing. It is impossible to describe the feeling that I have when I am up in front of fifteen six-year-olds and each one is staring right at me, soaking up every word I say. I think that it's a great feeling because I don't really think about saying the right thing or think about making a positive influence. But somehow I do, and I guess that's my gift. And I am glad that I was able to give back to the school that has had an effect on who I am today.
David Webster, '02, reflects about his production internship at KERA-FM:
They happily granted me this experience, coloring it with times of stress, and intermixing it with many moments of laughter. I am so happy to have been blessed with this truly intriguing, motivating, edifying, and beneficial internship, in a time when apathy and sluggishness tend to capture a senior's mind and life.
Michael echoes this thought:
I would recommend every senior to do a senior project...because each senior is going off, away from high school, and starting a new part of life. To have the opportunity to do anything you want to do and give back to the school or community instead of lounging around the upper school just seems logical to me.
Two years ago Greenhill instituted the Capstone Project. In one of these year-long independent projects, a senior can explore deeply an area of particular interest. Projects have ranged from traditional research projects to original jazz and classical compositions to start-up businesses--the possibilities are truly wide open. Once a student's proposal receives approval, he or she works closely with faculty and out-of-school mentors. A successful Capstone Project includes the submission of biweekly progress logs; satisfactory committee evaluations; work as a peer evaluator; an exhibition; and a final written component that must include some reflection on the Capstone experience. A committee consisting of the mentors, faculty representatives, chairs from any department in which a student desires credit, and a peer evaluator convenes to evaluate the project at the end of first trimester and upon completion.
We hoped to provide an opportunity in which a student would have to embody the skills and qualities we hope to foster. Jonathan Brajtbord, '02 studied societal perceptions versus the realities of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., and calls the project "the perfect way to end a high school career: it forces you to use many of the skills learned throughout the four years." Hillary Prince, '02, pursued her Capstone on the Chinese Cultural Revolution because "I realized this project would be a fantastic way for me not only to teach myself about China's past, but also to test my ability to work independently, perhaps to prepare myself for a collegiate level of responsibility."
The exhibition is a key facet of the Capstone Project. Jonathan and Seema Vora, '02, portrayed a mock debate between Malcolm X and King before the student body. After studying screenwriting, cinematography, and video editing, David Klein, '02, premiered a film based on John Updike's story "A&P"; and Ashley Rittenmeyer, '03, showed a documentary on substance abuse. Chris Berg, '03, wrote and produced a play on the Renaissance, then taught an acting class to gather a cast. They performed for the sixth grades of Greenhill and a local elementary school. Chris Dwyer, '02, presented his finding on allergies to a panel at Southwestern Medical School. During his session, the medical students embraced Chris as they might a colleague, asking his opinion, sharing their findings, suggesting articles. Afterwards, the group split into two camps and began giving Chris career advice. Reflecting on her exhibition, Hillary writes,
I loved teaching the eighth grade history classes about the Cultural Revolution. They were a well-behaved, enthusiastic audience that gave me something to think about by the end of the day. Knowing that I helped those kids understand something a little better gave me a great feeling, and seeing so many of them participate in the discussion not only excited me that I wasn't a complete failure as a teacher, but also demonstrated to me even more what Greenhill is all about.
Capstoners learn some large lessons both academic and personal. Jonathan writes,
Many students arrive to college never having written a paper longer than eight pages or undergoing the tedious task of research for a long paper; the Capstone project forces students to undergo this arduous and lengthy task with the guidance of a faculty sponsor who works closely with the student, before coming to college where the task is expected of you with little guidance and direction.
Chris Dwyer says that one of the hardest--and best--parts of his projects was getting stuck and having to figure out just what questions to ask. After studying Constitutional law and morality, Harry Gail, '02, writes:
I know much more now than when I began. I now understand areas of knowledge I before did not. I now enjoy the works of scholars whose work before I did not read. I now understand the magnificent amount of time and work that goes into the creation of a substantial piece of research writing.
And the lessons go far beyond the academic. Della wrote a collection of short stories. Now she says, "I came to see myself not just as a student, but perhaps as a writer. It allowed me to take all the lessons from the classroom and see how those lessons might fit into my life." Andrew Jordan, '02, wrote and staged an experimental play. A year later he writes:
In part because of my Capstone last year and the confidence it gave me, I directed a student-written short play this year in Cairo. It went quite well, and I hope to pursue directing next year at NYU...The acting world as a whole no longer seems like a void into which I will never be allowed to enter.
Faculty have responded enthusiastically to the Capstones. Jason Yaffe, history chair and mentor to two projects, says,
The whole project has clearly given students an opportunity to pursue very creative work--studies that combine their existing interests with ideas about their future. The culminating performances/products represent what the entire project is all about--viewing Ashley Rittenmeyer's substance abuse film yesterday gave me so much encouragement that, if we give students an opportunity to pursue independent work, and provide some level of structure, there's really no stopping them!
Jason calls his mentoring "yet another sign of the strong teacher-student working relationships that typify Greenhill. Sessions with my Capstone students have been rich and fruitful." A majority of upper school faculty have volunteered to serve on evaluation teams. Their commitment shines through in some of Jason's comments:
Another encouraging piece to the Capstone has been, in my opinion, the committee meetings. I have been amazed by the level of feedback my fellow colleagues have provided to students in order to help them. Those meetings take on the same seriousness of the senior thesis review I experienced in college; but the benefit of the Capstone sessions is that, because advice is passed along and discussion unfolds, there are later meetings and more time for the students to fine-tune their work.
Furthermore, the Capstone has helped stimulate provocative conversations among faculty about program and assessment. Teachers have noted the integrative approaches students consistently take to their projects, the range of the topics, and the creative methods students have developed to present their knowledge. Della's project epitomizes this. She studied psychology to help her portray the characters in her stories realistically; and then she produced paintings of key scenes, which enhanced the reading that served as her exhibition. Ultimately, both students and teachers have begun to look at ideas and problems in new ways.
We have not completely reclaimed senior year. Too many students still suffer from senioritis, and we wish more would pursue either senior or Capstone Projects. For those students who take advantage of the unique opportunities, senior year becomes something truly special. Della writes from college, "Anytime I talk about my Capstone to people at school, they are so jealous and equally impressed. I cannot imagine my senior year without it." Besides his Capstone, Andrew Jordan also completed a senior project:
The Capstone project counts for a huge amount of my pride in the school...Both [it] and the senior project represent what I feel gives Greenhill its punch. They prepare you for real things. They don't merely tell you, 'Read this and write something.' They can if you ask them to, but that's the beauty of it as well. You get what you put in, another lesson Greenhill is good at enforcing and nailing into students' brains.
Motivation, perseverance, confidence, pride, reflection--these are some of the qualities we crave to see in our graduates. Fostering them in meaningful, appropriate ways can help cure, and perhaps even eradicate senioritis.