Senior Projects

Though they may finish their classroom requirements early, seniors spend the month of May undertaking the culminating challenge of their PCD experience—the Senior Project. Each senior spends the month as an intern in a professional setting, working a minimum of 25 hours per week. The program comes to a close when all seniors return to campus at the end of May and give oral presentations on their projects to upper school students and faculty. 

Though Senior Projects officially take place at the end of the school year, preparation for them begins in the fall, when seniors identify projects that align with specific interests and/or skills. A research paper and professional mentor interviews complete the development phase prior to the start of field work in May. Each student works with a faculty advisor who oversees initial independent research as well as project progress once the internship begins.

The choice of Senior Project varies according to each student's interests. Some use the opportunity to look deeper into an intended field of study, while others explore something completely new. Regardless of focus, senior projects give students one more way of applying acquired knowledge and skills to real world situations, giving the experiences relevance and meaning that last long past the final presentation.
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