The Daily Bulletin rolls around after school every day, bringing with it a slew of application links, testing dates and, sometimes, Senior Capstone surveys. These surveys are just one small element of the entire process a class of seniors takes to create and present a project on a topic of their choice. While it was once proposed as a potential graduation requirement, the program has now been left as an elective for over a decade. Regardless of its status as an optional course, Senior Capstone is a vital aspect of a student’s personal development and future readiness. Making the class mandatory would thus guarantee that all graduates have the skills they need to thrive.
For many, the idea of choosing a major and career can be daunting. A Capstone project encourages all students to explore what it would be like to work in a field they are interested in. Jonas Ings (III) comments, “Students can often find what they are truly passionate about and what they will want to study in college or do in their career.”
Unlike typical school projects, Senior Capstone is independent, granting students the freedom to explore personal interests. This builds independence and time management skills, since students have to monitor themselves to ensure they stay on track. This independence also allows students to explore niche fields that may not have other opportunities available. If one is not sure about whether they should pursue a career in a certain field, Capstone is a method to test if it is a good fit for them.
In the event that one is set on a specific career, pursuing a Capstone project would allow them to explore that field. Seren Banner-Goodspeed (IV) remarks, “I think Capstone is a very important class to take for many reasons. It gives students a chance to explore something they’re actually interested in, take their hobby a step further and [learn] how their passion could be used in the future.”
A Senior Capstone project could also assist with college preparation, teaching students valuable organizational and executive functioning skills. Boston Latin School Capstone teacher Ms. Kathleen Bateman explains, “Students […] should sign up for the course because we can support them in the executive function skills they need to set their own schedules and manage their own projects.”
Several colleges and universities also require graduates to complete a similar project, typically called a senior thesis. For this reason, completing a Capstone in high school, where students can receive more personalized attention and mentorship, would be very beneficial for the many students who will be required to complete a similar course later on, though with less guidance.
Making Capstone mandatory would also ensure that all BLS students are better prepared to enter the workforce. Since many Capstone projects involve surveys and interviews, students would become confident in taking initiative and reaching out to strangers. This would benefit them in their future careers, where they would inevitably be required to contact someone unfamiliar to them or take the lead on a project.
Despite its benefits, some argue that Capstone is too time-consuming because it is a year-long project that requires significant in-class and out-of-school commitment in an already-stressful senior year. This time frame, however, would help students learn to commit to a project and not give up on their passions. The ability to choose their project topic would provide motivation, encouraging students to spend more time on the project.
Capstone student Manuela Rios Castañeda (I) explains, “I really like[d] […] that I would have a whole school year to do something that I really wanted to do, because you don’t get that many choices in your classes until the end. This was one of the classes where I could really do whatever I wanted.”
A mandatory Senior Capstone project would ultimately allow every student to retain a lasting memento from their high school experience. The completion of a long and complex project — all on their own — would represent the culmination of their learning at BLS, showing students just how far they have come.