This year, 26 seniors took advantage of the senior project program to pursue an interest that they have for the final quarter of their Tabor Academy career.
According to Julie Crosby, the program director, this year’s projects were diverse. Topics included 3-D computer modeling, dress making, and fundraising for nonprofits. There was also epic poetry writing, surfboard making, photography, and comparative anatomy dissections, as well as designing and publishing a fashion magazine.
Additionally, many students pursued dance and arts performances that the Tabor community was able to see last week.
Each year, the projects are different and unique and Crosby noted that this year, “There was an increase in technical, computer or Internet based projects.” For example, Michael Tan created a drone to fly around campus and Will Lee launched a probe into space.
Last Friday, the entire Tabor community was able to watch presentations and was also able to attend nightly showings the week before.
Ellie Sullivan did comparative anatomy and dissected two animal hearts.
“I want to be a cardio thoracic surgeon,” said Sullivan, who did this project because of her interest in going to medical school.
Hye Rin Joo combined her interest in fashion with her skills in InDesign to create a fashion magazine entirely on her own called “Joology.”
“I interned at a fashion magazine last summer,” said Joo, who also works on the layout for the school paper. “For my project I wrote articles, took photos, and designed layout.”
Although she did much of this herself, the community was supportive and helpful in the process.
“I loved working with students, faculty, and a local store Serendipity by the Sea!” said Joo.
Samantha Davis shadowed Emi Burke, founder of the Message of Hope Foundation. Davis worked with the foundation, which provides “hope bags” to children who are sick in the hospital without anything to do.
Davis ran a “Hope Factory” at Tabor to create bags and supplies, and visited children in the hospital as well.
“I loved doing my senior project because it really opened my eyes up to realize how lucky we are to be here at school,” said Davis, who hopes to continue her involvement with the foundation in the future. “We are given so much and it’s so great to see the smile on kids’ faces when they receive a Happy Hope Bag. I will do anything to help this foundation!”
Crosby said she feels that “students certainly learn a lot about their topic, but the best independent learning they experience throughout this process is self-growth.”
The students who completed projects had to keep daily journals about their successes and challenges, which is demonstrative of the growth and accomplishments they achieve through the seven weeks of their project.
“[The process] is about facing challenges to their plans and creative ideas and finding ways to overcome those,” said Crosby. “They learn how to seek out resources on their own, how to preserve, how to be flexible all in order to reach a very personal goal.” She continued, “Many of them will tell you it’s the most difficult thing they’ve done while a student at Tabor, but also the most rewarding.”
By Julia O’Rourke
