Senior Project
Students of the Vail Distance Learning Program will be completing their Senior Project through Vail High School.
Students working on their Senior Exit Project should expect to attend the Senior Advisory Base Thursdays from 9:45 to 10:35 A.M. at Vail High School.
Planning on graduating this December 2009? See the important deadlines below to make sure you’re on track to graduate mid-year.
July: Students should have their Project Descriptions completed. Also, mentors should be chosen and the Letter of Intent signed and approved. Students should also have their Parent Consent signed and returned.
August: Students should have their Research Paper begun with a1st draft completed and peer reviewed with comments.
September: Students should have the 2nd and 3rd drafts of their Research Paper completed with all corrections made.
October 16, 2009: The final Research Paper should be completed and turned in. Then students begin the actual project and their hours are being logged.
November 25, 2009: Students need to have their Project completed along with the Portfolio. Both need to be turned in for grading.
December 7 - 11, 2009: The Senior Review Board will convene to hear student Presentations.
December 11th, 2009 – All VDLP coursework must be completed and turned into your teacher.
December 17th, 2009 – All VDLP finals must be completed.
Throughout the project, a detailed journal should be kept documenting the time you spend on your project, not including research and writing. You will need to start a portfolio of your project that will include photos, journal, mentor log, and all the parts of the project as stated in the Senior Project Handbook.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mr. Still at 520-879-1931 immediately.
Senior Project Graduation Requirement
The purpose of the Senior Project at Vail High School is to serve as a comprehensive, culminating project that helps seniors prepare for life after high school. Student presentations are made to members of the local business community and may serve as an opportunity for students to network, and build useful presentations skills needed in today’s marketplace. It is a graduation requirement for the Vail School District. Please see some sample senior exit projects (SEPs) on our website at VAILHS.net. Our standards are high: students must initiate an actual project (i.e., building or producing something) or serving in a leadership role in the community. Job shadowing and reporting on what someone else is doing is not considered a valid project. The entire project consists of three (3) main parts. Students must pass each part individually in order to receive credit for their Senior Exit Project.
The Research Paper
The research paper portion of the Senior Project is a seven to ten page paper with a variety of reference types including an interview with an expert in their field. The tentative due date for the paper is December 5, 2008 and is graded by graduate students at the University of Arizona.
The Portfolio
The portfolio portion is a comprehensive documentation of the actual project completed by the student. The tentative due date for the portfolio is March 27, 2009 and it is graded by the faculty and staff of Vail High School.
The Presentation
Finally, students have the opportunity to explain to others what their project was and what they learned from doing it. The presentations are tentatively scheduled for April 8, 2009 and are graded by teachers, parents and community members.
Click here for the Senior Exit Project handbook