Senior Projects
Ghidotti Senior Project Guide
Ghidotti Senior Project Guide![]()
Ghidotti Senior Project Guide
Successful completion of all phases of Senior Project is a graduation requirement. Students must complete the project within their senior year (this can include the summer before). Failure to complete the project will mean the student will not be eligible to graduate. If any one of the components of the Senior Project receives an unsatisfactory evaluation the student must redo the assignment. The GECHS Senior Project requires a minimum grade of a 70% overall to pass and every assignment must be completed.
Your Senior Project will be based on the career research you have completed over the last three years. You will choose a career of interest based on the research you have done in Career Choices, spend time in an internship/fieldwork, and create a tangible project. The following is a description of the different parts of this experience. You must be done by the middle of May as the Senior Boards will be the week before spring finals. You must complete a minimum of 30 hours.
Mentorship
The mentor provides you with the guidance you will need to complete your project. If you can complete a project without the help of a mentor, your project likely needs to be reworked. Students will find their own mentors. If you are having trouble finding someone, please let Ms. McFadden know asap. The mentor needs to have the following qualifications:
- Must be an expert in an appropriate profession for your project.
- All projects must involve time spent with the mentor to stretch the student beyond their current expertise in the project area.
- No relatives can be mentors.
- No employee of GECHS can be mentors.
- No mentors under the age of 21.
Internship/Fieldwork/Job Shadowing
The majority of your time will be spent in the career you’re interested in. This could be working in a lab, shadowing a police officer, working with a local business, shadowing in a classroom, working with our county, volunteering for an organization in your career field, completing extensive research into a topic, etc.
The Process Journal
The Process Journal is a reflection of your senior project. It is not only proof of your participation in your internship/fieldwork/job shadow, but is also a means for you to reflect upon the experience. The Process Journal will help you get a clear picture of how you spent your 30+ hours of internship/fieldwork/project as well as what knowledge you gained from the experience. It is expected that you will complete at least 10 of your hours by the end of the first semester - make a plan! I suggest adding your Senior Project to your planner and working on something related to the project every week. Document your hours in detail using a log (date, time spent, what you did, a reflection, and final signature from your mentor verifying your hours). Include evidence of your work. You will turn in your time log at the end of each quarter.
The Product: What will you do with what you’ve learned?
In order to fulfill this part of the Senior Project, you must conceptualize a personal, innovative, and tangible product that is relevant to the career you chose and your internship/fieldwork. You should consider who you might present your product to in our community.
Product Ideas: There are a multitude of projects you can complete to fulfill this requirement (some of them could even be combined). Remember, anything you do must be unpaid and should not be a project you are doing to fulfill a requirement for another class. You can conceptualize a totally unique project idea or follow one of these suggestions. Your product will need to be approved by your teacher.
WRITE SOMETHING
- A series of informative articles, interviewing people relevant to your career interest. (4-5 interviews)
- A research paper on an aspect of your career you want to learn more about. (6-10 pages)
- The first 6 chapters of that novel you’ve always wanted to write.
CREATE SOMETHING
- Design an outfit after doing deep research on fashion.
- Completely redesign your room to reflect interior design trends.
- Code a relevant computer program or game.
- Rebuild an engine
- Create a documentary
- Organize a community event
- Create a business plan —> put it into action if possible
LEARN SOMETHING - How would you show what you learned?
- Take a class (that you aren’t using to get your AA/AS this year) where you learn a skill related to your career. Ex. Learn CPR, get SCUBA certified
- Participate in a summer program (between your junior and senior year) related to your career.
- Work with one of your current instructors to delve more deeply into the subject you are studying.
- Obtain a certificate or license in something related to your career (ex. CNA license)
The Senior Boards: You will present your senior project to your peers, teachers, and community members. This portion will be completed in the last quarter of school. More information will be shared later about the format and all required information to include. Your presentation must be 10 - 15 minutes.
Other Assignments: There will be other assignments related to senior project which include, but are not limited to: an interview, a mini-research paper, research on an important person in your career of interest, journal entries, and a thank you letter.
Have questions? Email Ms. McFadden at mmcfaddenshopp@njuhsd.com.
