When Trumansburg educators and STEAM Collaborators Paul Wiech and Rachel Paparone were putting together their plans for the Capstone Project initiative last summer, the goal was simple.
“The vision in STEAM is ‘Creation, Learning, Joy’ and Capstone Projects give our learners the time, support, creative space and accountability to engage in an area they are interested in or passionate about,” Paul said.
For those who haven’t heard, T’burg high schoolers can launch their own Capstone Project in the STEAM wing and work at it at their own pace throughout the school year when spending time in the “The Zone.”
“We created ‘The Capstone Project Proposal’ which helps our learners start to develop their ideas,” he elaborated. “They then present their proposal to their colleagues, work through the STEAM feedback cycle and go back and improve their prototype. The final step is to sit down and fill in any blanks that they see.”
While Capstone Projects spur education, creativity, and ultimately fun, they also let students and teachers bond over a shared, dynamic experience that is vastly different from most classroom settings.
“Capstones allow me to know our learners better,” Rachel said. “Uncovering their outside interest is always exciting. Capstones can also be uncomfortable. Embracing the discomfort has been a great growth opportunity.”
Paul added: “The energy and chaos (controlled) on Capstone work days is amazing! Students in The Zone can grind for three hours and still want more time. Seeing their struggle, problem-solving and final creative work is inspiring. I always learn something on Capstone Days!”
There are several Capstone Projects running full steam (pun intended) ahead. Let's just say the results thus far are the kinda thing that would make your average adult feel like they should be doing more with their life — they are that impressive.
Lee Covell, junior: 2 original music albums with album art, album insert, French Rave Room, working with Ithaca College Broadcasting to get air play, Angry Mom's Records for possible distribution.
Billie Plumlee, junior: Stop-motion video short by May but extending to end of senior year. Awarded grant for stop-motion camera, design characters in clay, learning new software, writing script in French.
Nolan Scholes, junior: Mass production of fishing lures, includes carving original, creating molds, molding process, epoxy work, prototyping weight, painting, testing in Cayuga Lake, business plan, packaging
Jolene DeWitt, sophomore: Nature photography, learning camera, Adobe software, scheduling photo shoots, time outside of school, creating finished product
Beyonca Akers, junior: creating an app that helps students (incoming 9th graders this year) to gain an understanding of what is available in high school, needs to gather; videos, images, course descriptions, reviews.
Grace Sturdevant, junior: creating organic playdough, many prototypes, product testing with high schooler learners as well as elementary. Developing activities for use in elementary school.
Donny Schaff, senior: Learning how to carve from bulk log to final product. Creating a video series of his experience. Creating a business plan.
Julia Belleci, senior: Developing digital media skills, creating personal portfolio in Wix that she will use after graduation.
Brayden Hutt, sophomore: Maple Syrup Production Manager. Attends conferences, works with budgeting, grant writing, inventory, tapping, collection, boiling, packaging and educating fellow learners.
It’s safe to say the students are enjoying working on their Capstone Projects as much as Paul and Rachel enjoy watching them hone their respective skills.
“It gives us time to work on stuff that's not necessarily related to other classes, but we still have access to awesome resources,” junior Billie Plumlee said. “The challenge is that capstones are self-directed, so you have to come up with something that you can and want to do over a long period of time.”
Junior Beyonca Akers echoed those sentiments.
“I like that I can do things that I want to do, but the challenge is coming up with something that holds my interest that long,” she said.