By: Ever Schmidt
As Seniors near the final deadline for their senior projects, students and staff are starting to view the projects. There are many graduating seniors, each with completely different and unique projects that fit them as a person.
With the senior project, GS students need to have goals such as learning to be resourceful, being able to share their learning and discovering their strengths and weaknesses. It can also help open areas for interests related to a career.
Senior projects are open to GS students’ creativity and what they are interested in, varying in complexity and size.
Senior Brenna Kohl’s project was a Community Eco Market held at the baseball field outside of Hutchinson Elementary; there were over 50 volunteer vendors selling anything eco-friendly.
“I had volunteer vendors that sold anything that was hand crafted, reused and refurbished items, homemade foods and desserts,” Kohl said. “It was pretty much anything that was eco-friendly or small business category.”
Brenna Kohl’s eco-friendly supplies laid out on a table.
Photo Courtesy: Brenna Kohl
The event took place on September 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Her project is nearly completed. She has done all her journal entries and just needs to finish the power point.
Senior Parker Sphon is making course videos with each teacher in the building to help provide a better description of both elective and required courses during scheduling, rather than the single sentence provided in the scheduling book.
“A common issue I’ve noticed throughout my time in high school is that the few sentences for course descriptions aren’t enough to tell you what the course is before signing up,” Sphon said. “I’ve had times where I signed up for a class and it was nothing like it was supposed to be, which is why I decided to do this for my senior project.”
He explained that he was using his own experience for his senior projects to help other students at GS through their years of picking classes. He explained it can be frustrating picking a class and not knowing exactly what students are signing up for.
Senior Emily Sproat welded a 2D lion’s head. She specifically did this because it is something to show her loyalty to GS and to all the staff that has helped her over the years.
“It was challenging because I had a lot of complications figuring out what I wanted to do for my senior project,” Sproat said. “But it was important to me because it taught me how to overcome challenges. I have to face those to succeed.”
Senior Elanor Swanson made her project about the food culture in Southwest Pennsylvania. She is going to school for anthropology, which is the study of what makes humans and how culture is made over time.
Photo Courtesy: Elanor Swanson
“I am writing a book on the food culture of Southwest Pennsylvania, I am also including some recipes that are staples in the area that have lived through to this day,” Swanson said. “I was originally inspired by doing Southwest Pennsylvania because my grandparents always talked about what kind of food they ate back in the day.”
Chemistry teacher Mrs. Jackie Yuhas and English teacher Mrs. Marla Nelson oversee the senior projects. They ensure the binders are set up to give to juniors to start their senior projects and help the seniors finish theirs.
“We work with administrators to check on final approvals and make sure everyone turns everything in,” Yuhas said. “We help seniors with their proposal or students who don’t have them that passed the deadline.”
Once spring arrives, Yuhas works to schedule dates, collect all of the binders and starts over again, preparing for next year’s students.
“Many students have found the career that they are in love with,” Yuhas said. “Students are also learning or are strengthening lifelong skills such as time management, communication, organization, self-motivation and self-confidence. The more the students put into the project, the more they get out of it.”
The Lions' Den 