scott klepesch's List: Capstone Project

Chris Lehman talks about the Senior Capstone Project at SLA

"The Capstone Project at Science Leadership Academy is an opportunity for seniors to show the culmination of four years of intellectual growth towards an independent and self-directed learner who can contribute meaningfully to the community. It will enable students to focus their interests and curiosity into a coherent representation of how they think and what they believe as they leave high school. The capstone represents a synthesis of the SLA mission and vision as students attempt to answer the questions: “How do we learn?” “What can we create?” and “What does it mean to lead” through a self-selected and designed independent project. As with everything we do, it should embody the core values of inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation, and reflection. The final product will look different for each student, just as each student has a unique perspective and approach to learning."

The central idea: ‘Developing awareness and understanding of inequity empowers us to act’. Students will spend the next two months inquiring into this conceptual idea. It will provide the context within which they will find something they care deeply about to explore, culminating in the exhibition, where they will share their learning with parents and guests.

Phases of a capstone project

Example capstone project from High Tech High

Example of Capstone project on poverty

Listing of d. School Classes, Inspiration for Capstone project

"The concept of a Capstone project is older than, and certainly not unique to, the College of General Studies at Boston University. A final research project has historically been considered the culmination of a liberal arts education.

In addition to the historical and academic meanings of the term, there is an architectural sense to the word “capstone.” A capstone is the final block that is placed on top of a construction project to tie the whole structure together. Further, in the language of the building industry, each layer of brick is called a “course.” Therefore, it is appropriate to use the word “capstone” for our final project at the College, since it will be the final stage of your education here—the last course that caps two years of study."