Photo Courtesy Nancy Morris - Willapa Valley HS Brolin Mitchell fires up his portable barbecue built on a trailer.
MENLO - Federal recognition of the Chinook Tribe. The effect of ocean windmills on the environment. The use of body cameras by police. A Dungeon and Dragons table. A rolling barbecue. These are some of the Senior Projects from Willapa Valley seniors this year.
Last week all seniors completed their Senior Interviews as the last step in their Culminating Projects, a graduation requirement for every Willapa Valley senior.
Seniors in College in the High School Composition class or in Running Start, write an extended research paper, 10-12 pages in length about a current events topic. Senior English students complete a 25-hour hands-on project and write a short paper, five pages about a topic related to their projects. As the last step, each senior faces a panel of staff and community members to present their findings or display their work and to answer questions from the panel.
Willapa Valley students have been completing this type of Senior Project for more than 25 years, as it gives seniors a chance to focus on their interests, produce a product for a public audience, and then show off their presentation skills to a panel of interested adults.