In Camas School District (CSD), all students are required to complete their senior project and presentation to graduate. For the project, students need to find a professional mentor, log at least 20 project hours, and submit an online portfolio. In June, students will then present their project to a board of teachers, staff, and members of the Camas community.

As the school year comes to a close, it becomes time for incoming seniors to start generating ideas for their own projects in the fall. Senior projects can be internships, job shadowing, creative pursuits, or a variety of other things.

Because the spectrum of possibilities is so broad, students have the opportunity to pick something that is impactful to them rather than done out of convenience. 

“The most impressive projects are ones that students are excited about,” CHS Civics Teacher and Senior Project Coordinator Kristi Bridges said. “It’s about students liking [their project] and using it as an opportunity to explore something.”

Summer is a good time to start thinking of ideas, but most seniors do not need to begin their project until the fall, unless it is something specific to summer.

Senior projects can also serve as a learning experience that students can use in their future endeavors. For example, 2025 graduate Dalilah Cunningham gave music lessons to the high-need students at CHS and explored the benefits of music on people with mental or physical disabilities. She wants to pursue a career in special education, so her project taught her some skills she can use down the road.

“I learned different methods and problem-solving strategies when students get overstimulated and how to be prepared to prevent students from getting super overstimulated,” Cunningham said. 

Additionally, students can approach the project by taking inspiration from things around them and using them to make a difference. 2025 graduate Madison Hall has ducks at home, and she wrote a book on how to care for chickens, ducks, and geese. She then took to hatching and raising the ducklings from the project. 

Hall’s interest in the topic resulted in a much more enjoyable experience for her, and she felt that her enthusiasm for the topic helped her out a lot when she presented her project to her senior board. 

“[The board] really liked how interactive I was and that I was laughing,” Hall said. “They really liked how animated I was when I was talking.” 

Overall, students have the most success on their senior projects when they put effort into a topic that reflects learning about the subject and presents them with skills that can be applicable to life down the road.