The Haystack

The student news site of Wheat Ridge High School

The student news site of Wheat Ridge High School

The Haystack

The student news site of Wheat Ridge High School

The Haystack

Senior Conquers 2014 Capstone

untitled222 editBy Virginia Coopercapstone

As the year comes closer to an end, it means seniors get to prepare to say their final goodbye to Capstone.

The yearlong project appeared daunting at first, but most seniors left the night on April 22 feeling like they had conquered all.

Around five years ago, both English teachers Angela Pera and Alison Murphy were judges for Capstone night at Legacy High School; after agreeing that the night would unify and be a formative assessment for all levels of English, they decided to bring it here to the Farm.

Every year rumors spread throughout the hall that Capstone will be terminated, but every year it returns victoriously and has proven to be a success in the eyes of the English department, the Wheat Ridge community, and, for the most part, seniors as well. Senior Jenna Tannaccio says, “At first it seemed like something I wasn’t going to enjoy, but after I presented I was happy with all the hard work I put into it and glad I had the chance to show it off.”

The night was held around the school with a panel of three to four judges in each room, and students had the chance to showcase their Capstone topic for a fifteen to twenty minute slot. Seniors had to prepare a PowerPoint along with their research paper from earlier in the year and share their product. The work load might have sounded like an impossible task for seniors at first, but as senior Erika Porras proved, “I didn’t find Capstone as intimidating as seniors before me made it seem. I actually had fun developing my own topic and I was excited to present on Capstone night.”

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The biggest challenge seniors encountered was choosing a topic they would want to research and enjoy for the year. English teacher Matthew Couch shared his little piece of wisdom emphasizing that, “A student spent the entire year studying tea because he loves tea; and imagine that, he had one of the best presentations. If you love something, use it!”

Despite the challenges of choosing a topic, Capstone seemed to turn out as a success. Alison Murphy agreed saying, “It’s always heartwarming to see students leave the presentation rooms with a sense of pride and accomplishment.” As we say our goodbye to Capstone now, it will always stay around to fill seniors with a sense of accomplishment as they end their high school career.

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