Every year at Avalon we ask our seniors to undertake a 300 hour project. We ask this at a time in their lives when many of their peers are just settling into a long and entertaining 'senior slide'. This can not happen at Avalon, as the kids are asked to be publicly accountable in the spring when they give 30 minute presentation on the accomplishments of the senior projects.
Each fall, when we bundle our senior class off to a small farm in Western Wisconsin to begin the senior project process on a retreat, we are met with skepticism and anxiety. The thought of identifying a topic on which to spend 300 plus hours is daunting indeed. But we've fine-tuned the process and are able to help most seniors find something that is relevant to their lives.
The winter passes with the seniors tucked into their research. Occasionally they come up for air to pull a prank, plan a prom, or contribute to the yearbook- but lots of time is spent with their heads down, making progress. Then comes spring- where each senior is expected to give a 30 minute public presentation.
Tonight I have several of my advisees presenting. Two of these young women have gone above and beyond in such a manner that it leaves me awed. Holly ended up spending 770 hours researching education reform. Her final 'deliverables' included a 45 page research paper that was built around the reading of 232 different sources. In this paper she lays out the history of the current educational system, the problems with this system, and then a blueprint for change. Along the way she brought tears to my eyes with her impassioned prose about the topic. Seriously. Tears over a research paper on education reform. I'm soft, but that took some talent. On top of that, she led the charge in a lobbying effort with the organization Education Evolving. The results of this effort was the passing of a bill that will increase the scope of PSEO opportunities and individualized learning in the state of Minnesota. Then there's Ruby- a soft spoken brilliant artist. She took on the task of studying folktales from around the world. Then she selected four tales from different corners of the globe, researched the artistic trends in those cultures, and sat down to the task of creating an illustrated retelling of the four stories. Her final product is of professional quality. She is quietly thrilled with the results.
Both of these young women put in double the time and effort required not because they were hoping to grab some low hanging 'extra credit' from me or any other teacher. They were not trying to please us- although please us they did- but they did this work because it was amazingly relevant to goals they have set for their futures, and beyond that, they loved what they were doing! Both girls had enough credit and standards to graduate in the spring. But they undertook the senior project challenge because they saw the worth of it. They saw how they could grow and learn through it. When is the last time an adult has had the glorious opportunity to dedicate 700 hours of intense work on something that enthralls us? What an opportunity!
It has truly been an honor to work with these two young women, and the rest of the Avalon Class of 2012 this past year. They have proven to me once again that our quiet little education revolution we are staging in St. Paul is worth the time and effort we all put in to it.
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