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Class of 2018 Senior Project Presentations

By Jennifer Sapio, High School Humanities

This year, we had the opportunity to witness seventeen young men and women achieve a milestone in their academic and personal development, as they stood in front of peers, teachers, family, and friends to present the work that culminated in their senior projects. As diverse and unique as this senior class, the projects ranged from creative and artistic to industrial and practical, and everywhere in between.

Clara Battle’s fearless leadership started off the project presentations on Monday evening, April 2nd. She explained how Irish dancing had been a formative part of her early development, and she shared a lovely dance that she had designed and choreographed herself. Aidan Cormier’s project, “Learning Python,” was a sophisticated technical project focused on mastering a difficult computer language. For Connor Horton’s project, he explored the problem of the disappearing bee population, and he proposed a practical solution by constructing several bee hotels for personal use. Connor experimented with different shapes and materials, ultimately building “The Buzz Inn,” which will be a home for thousands of local bees in his backyard. Emma Olson’s presentation ended the first evening with a lovely vocal and instrumental performance of her own original music and lyrics, as she demonstrated her new-found skills of fingerpicking and playing the guitar for her project entitled “Major Developments and Minor Setbacks.”

On Tuesday, April 3rd, we heard from two students, Scarlett McCann and Anaia Hernandez Reyes, about their research and productivity for their senior projects. Scarlett developed a hypothesis about the quality of books versus their movie adaptations, which she tested by looking at several case studies, including Jaws, Misery, and Percy Jackson. For Anaia’s project, she spent countless hours studying for classes and exams in order to become an Emergency Medical Technician, a process which she explained and illustrated for us using pictures from her training scenarios.

Wednesday evening, April 4th, we heard from five accomplished young men and women. Michelle Bondi demonstrated how art is a living and dynamic form of expression with her project titled “Live Canvas.” Many thanks go to her friend and fellow senior, Andrew Bell, for volunteering his skin for Michelle’s demonstration. Benjamin Ravet’s project required an immense amount of knowledge in computer software, hardware, and technical skills. His project, “Mining Bitcoin,” used computer programs solving algorithms to build blocks to add to a digital blockchain in order to earn money. Ben demystified a complicated process for the audience although he admitted his earnings may not have covered the cost of electricity he used. Olivia Marek’s presentation, “From Injury to Energy: The Chakras,” charted her journey from an original senior project idea, through lives swerves and hiccups, and finally to a deep and poignant experience with the body’s energy and healing. Goodwin Bell shared with the audience his experience learning computer-aided design technology for a project he called “Digital Dust.” He created a lovely image of the Austin Waldorf School logo, as well as a rendering of an attic, complete with wood textures and light sources and shadows which added to the composition of the piece. Perhaps Goodwin will continue his work on these skills in college and in his professional life beyond. Julieta Turincio’s project was a self-improvement challenge, and she shared how reading, eating right for her, and exercising has given her a new perspective on how to “Love Thyself.” Particularly inspiring was her original poetry that she shared onstage, a lyric about self-acceptance.

On Thursday, April 5th, Aliya Petri commenced the presentations with her description of the process of completing her first novel, a presentation which she titled “A World into Words.” Aliya read a section from her sci-fi novel about a young girl who is kidnapped, and we look forward to reading her work in print in the near future! Andrew Bell’s senior project took him across the country to tour a number of his family’s companies, allowing him to see the process of design, fabrication, and installation of industrial elements essential to the functioning of these commercial factories. Andrew’s presentation was delivered with a sense of humor that was light and refreshing to the audience. Mac Brenner’s project involved learning to scuba dive and engaging in service dives during the summer before his senior year. His presentation was a thoughtful and informed description of essential equipment for diving, which a friend modeled on stage, as well as a narrative about his travels and some of his favorite experiences under the sea.

On the final day of senior project presentations, Hung Tran delivered a heartfelt presentation about his senior project, a memoir that he wrote based on his experience as an international student living with a number of families at the Austin Waldorf School. He shared specific anecdotes from his time here, as well as virtues and values that he learned, along with some entertaining accompanying photographs as well. Laura Smith’s project was an illustrated short story about a boy named Anwar who faces life’s challenges and learns to see the light. Laura presented her work very professionally, and the thoughtfulness with which she brought the material was evident and moving to all those present.

Overall, the work represented by the senior projects amounted to hundreds and hundreds of hours of committed time, energy, and labor. It was a privilege witnessing how these students’ passion and interests had blossomed into productive and practical applications, and/or powerful understandings that will stay with these students, we’re confident, for years to come. Many thanks are in order for the stalwart leadership of the Class Advisors, Dr. Deb Mann and Mr. Bob Brockett, as well as to the parents, teachers, and mentors of this year’s class of seniors. Great work, Class of 2018! Congratulations, and good luck wherever your paths take you next year and beyond.