BCHS senior projects will impact community

By Daniel L. Bamberg

For the last three years BCHS faculty have been actively involved in “High Schools that Work” training program.  HSTW was a program developed in 1987 to help states transform public high schools into places where students learn at a high level.  Since Principal Lee Van Fle

et and his faculty began this summer study course, many ideas from HSTW have been implemented into the daily routine.  Until this year however, one of the ideas that the school wasn’t putting into place were senior projects. 

This school year has been the inaugural year at BCHS for what HSTW experts explain is one of the key ideas in motivating students to concentrate on their futures and molding them into the communities many of them will continue to be a part of.

Under Van Fleet BCHS educator, Denise McMillan was given the responsibility of gearing teachers and students towards the concept of senior projects. 

Each senior is expected to conceive a project, which will either provide a service or a product to the school or community.  According to McMillan, the possibilities are limitless.  Each student is paired with a mentor, which is a teacher.  The mentor is to help their assigned students see their ideas through.

The students are to keep a portfolio detailing their project from conception to completion.  They are graded at the end of the school year and are allowed to use that grade in the class of their choosing.  The grade’s power is equivalent to that of a major test score.

McMillan suggested that even though this is the first year the program has been implemented, many students have responded enthusiastically and come up with big ideas.

Josh West decided to compose a scaled drawing of the old Bibb County Junior High Building, which burned down in 2008.  He used a photograph from a 1973 Bibbonia (year book) to measure his sketch precisely to the scale of the canvas.  The picture will be framed and hung in the High School upon completion.

Girls from the Career Tech cosmetology school are giving manicures and hair for the elderly.  Taylor Morton is forming a Christian themed social event and speaking engagement entitled “Converge Bibb.”  His idea is to bring Christians from every denomination and even some who aren’t exactly of the faith, under the same building for a positive community outreach.  Some students are doing displays for the Hospital and Nursery Home.

Ashton McDonald discovered that there wouldn’t be a Randolph Elementary School Fall Festival this year (an annual event that was to fall through due to many factors).  For her school project she decided to put the event on herself due to her love for kids and her desire to keep a tradition going.  It was a big success.

“I think these projects are important because you get to actually make a difference in whatever you want to do,” explained Ashton  “I think these projects are good for the community.  A lot of these have helped raise money for different organizations and have donated time to community activities.”

“The idea for the first year is to get the students involved in something they were already familiar with or interested in,” explained McMillan.  “This is a big undertaking and we want to slowly step our students and faculty to learning something totally new in a few years with this.  We are trying to get the community and the parents more involved with these students education.  The community and service oriented aspects of what these projects can bring is key.  We want our students to know when they leave here that the world doesn’t revolve around them.  We want them to go out in the world and make a difference.”

McMillan explained that there were some naysayers in the beginning (students who would risk the making a grade of 0 rather than undertaking a time consuming project).  She stated however that after meeting with these students and encouraging them.

While there are still a little more than 5 weeks remaining in the timeline of the 2011 projects, Denese McMillan explains that this year has been so successful and so rewarding that she, Van Fleet and much of the faculty are looking forward to next year’s project with hopes of even greater community involvement.

“Anyone who has a service they need performed or something they need completed should get in contact with us so we can line up some ideas for next year’s student projects,” McMillan suggested.  “We would love to have a wish list facing us every year.”

Look in the School News section, throughout the remainder of the school year for highlights of this year’s senior projects.

top right photo - BCHS Senior Josh West begins scaling his sketch of the old Bibb County Junior High School building.  This is Josh’s senior project.

left aligned photo - Josh West’s completed sketch of the Bibb County Junior High School Building. Josh used a 1973 Bibbonia (year book) as his model as he scaled every step to the size of the canvas.  The picture will be framed and hung inside the high school.