Every year, students are required to create a presentation of some sort. These smaller projects lead up to the “Senior Project”. In this project, senior students have an option to do something involves skill-building, creating something that builds their skills; community involvement, volunteering to help their community; or job shadowing, following a mentor for a minimum of 24 hours. But this project hasn’t always been implemented into the Camas community. Currently, in Washington state, all seniors are required to complete this project in order to graduate. Previously, it used to be a test that the seniors would take to allow them to pass 12th grade. Nowadays, if the school removes the senior project they go back to taking the test, or students are required to create a portfolio.

Over the years, students have started to lose interest in the project altogether. “I’m worried about what the actual process will be for the Senior Project. I don’t know how hard it will be,” states junior Katie Lape

“A few years ago students had no problem, but I believe this generation has had a harder time.” Ms. Bridges explains.  Each year there are rumors that the next year’s seniors won’t have the project anymore, but in the end, the seniors always work to create a presentation that, hopefully, satisfies them and their many mentors.

With this project, the other people involved in grading the senior’s work are the senior English teachers, who guide the students while they create the assignment; administrators; the principal, Dr. Sejkora; Ms. Bridges; and the 500-plus mentors who are involved. When the students present their new project, it’s in front of many others who are a part of the boards. The board members volunteer; they are selected randomly for each student. Usually the senior does not know the board members very well.

As many have heard and seen, the person in charge of the senior projects, Ms. Bridges, has been coming around to all the junior English classes to explain what juniors need to do to prepare for the project next year. She wants to do this early for the juniors so they have time to prepare and possibly begin the project themselves.