2010 Senior Projects

“It was very cool to see how much progress they made and how much a little help meant to them”. With these words, class or 2010 members Carmen Brienza and Dennis Scanlon described their senior project experience of coaching a youth hockey team. Brienza’s and Scanlon’s youth hockey presentation was just one of more than 100 project topics that were presented in the Marcellus Senior High School large instruction room during the month of February. The youth hockey project presentation included both a power point and a video overview of the learning experience that encompassed several months of work on the part of Brienza and Scanlon. Senior project presentation time at Marcellus Senior High School is a time of excitement and hands-on experiential learning. Among the wide ranging topics presented this school year were:
Remodeling a bathroom
Sports photography
Robotics and technology
Assisting the war effort at home
Culinary arts
The American legal system
Building your own set of golf clubs
Physical therapy
Elementary education
Wind energy
Carving lacrosse sticks in the Native American tradition
Chess Club
Owning Your Own Business
Music and Mood
Welding and Fabricating
Art Therapy
In many cases senior projects also provide the opportunity to give back to the community through service learning experiences that raise money for worthy causes. Among the many charitable senior project experiences were Megan Tice’s trip to New Orleans to help build houses for Hurricane Katrina victims; Greg Ramsden’s and Stephen Brissette’s “Coaching for a Cure” basketball game which raised more than $1800 for the American Cancer Society; Francesca Tangredi’s volleyball extravaganza which raised more than $400 for the “Wayward Paws” organization; Nina Yevseyev’s holiday school supply drive for students in Russia; Zachary Garrison’s and Amanda DeSantis’ “Ageless Beauty” service learning experience at Bellevue Manor; Mary Whitehead’s and Katie LaRose’s “Make a Wish” project; Olivia Volcko’s and Amanda DeSantis’ service learning project “SPCA and Caring for Animals in Need of Homes”; Elizabeth Canne’s “Swim-a-thon project; and Samantha Anderson’s and Kaylee Taylor’s “Mock DWI” service learning project.

Matt Coon presented his senior project on February 4, 2010 as he examined the critical topic of “athletic funding vs. academic funding” in schools. Coon cited a research study in Texas whose findings indicated that “schools that spent more money on sports had lower SAT test scores”. Coon spoke to academic funding needs in the Marcellus Central School District (e.g. science equipment/supplies, funding for new courses, etc.) while at the same time outlining the benefits of athletic programs; life long health, leadership training, motivation. Throughout his presentation Coon stayed true to his opening thought, “the function of a school is to teach”. Class of 2010 member Kelly Ryan followed Coon as she introduced her topic, “As many of you know I am very interested in languages”. Ryan then shared the process she went through as she wrote and illustrated a French children’s book. Ryan’s book “Monsier Mystere”, which she read in both French and English to the audience, related a moral of acceptance through its 500+ words and 20+ illustrations. Dan Poorman, was next to take the podium as he took his senior peers through the sometimes stressful, sometimes exciting, and always fun challenge of writing a 300+ page novel and then adapting for the stage. Poorman described how he wrote the novel “The Grocery Plot” and then adapted the literary work to a 94 page, 2 act play. Poorman then produced, directed, and performed in “The Grocery Plot” dramatic play which was staged in the Aitchison Auditorium at Driver Middle School in the spring of 2009. Poorman’s project raised $1278 for the Marcellus Senior High School Drama Club and $1590 for the Nicole Piper Adams fund.

Senior projects have been a graduation requirement for seniors in the Marcellus Central School District for more than 15 years. The English department at Marcellus Senior High School incorporated the senior project requirement to ensure that graduating seniors are able to apply the skills and knowledge acquired during thirteen years of education. Seniors must research and log, interview/shadow, create surveys, and present orally. Seniors can work individually or in small groups.