Well, summer is in full swing and no summer at Down Home would be complete without featuring our SLOCA High School graduating senior class. Each year we love to showcase our seniors by sharing their Senior Projects. Read on as Paul McCullough introduces this year’s Senior Projects and then keep scrolling for a look at senior, Julia Wood’s, project.
An Introduction to Senior Projects by Paul McCullough, High School English Teacher
You may have heard that Shakespeare wrote King Lear under quarantine conditions and that Newton developed “my Calculus”… But have you heard about the Class of 2021’s Senior Projects?
That’s right: forging ahead during this socially distanced school year, 12 of our seniors have completed capstone research projects and filmed short presentations summarizing their work. These presentations are now available online for the extended SLOCA community to explore and enjoy.
Here are just a few titles that hint at the range of their erudition across the various liberal arts and sciences: “Think Like a Kid: Creativity in Children and Adults”; “On Aesthetics (a Conversation with Myself)”; “On Building an Effective Climbing Workout”; “A Glance through the Lens of Generation Z”; “Tashtego: the Underwater ROV”; “RuBisCO, the World’s First Enzyme”; “Recycling Trash: the Use of Common Tropes to Communicate Complex Morals and Meanings”; and many more.
We, the SLOCA faculty, feel so fortunate to have taught and learned from this group of seniors, many of whom have been with us since kindergarten. They deserve roses and fanfare and celebration. And while we could not convene the whole high school for in-person presentations as in years past, we are honored to share with you the fruits of their labor in a digital format. Feel free to post encouraging comments and questions to keep the conversation going.
If the past has taught us anything, it’s that things change, yet the work of learning and discovery and community continues. It’s a wonderful thing we get to be a part of here at SLOCA, now more than ever.
Julia Wood: Think Like a Kid: Creativity in Children Vs. Adults
Hey Everyone! I see you are interested in learning about my senior project, “Think Like a Kid: Creativity in Children Vs. Adults”. I first became interested in learning about creativity in children vs. adults when I noticed the difference in how we refer to creative skills in people depending on their age. We tend to think of kids as naturally creative, but as they grow up, we don’t anymore. Why is that? I noticed that people tend to think of ‘soft skills’ such as creativity as childish and not as important as other more ‘logical’ or ‘practical skills.’ I learned about all the ways that embracing creativity can increase your quality of life. In a section of my project, I went out to the streets and asked 30 people of different ages, educations, and careers, to see their views on this topic. In a later section, there is a second video where I asked several kids similar questions. Their answers were quite different. If you want the whole experience of my project, have a piece of scrap paper near and feel free to participate in a fun exercise! I hope this helps you to think like a kid 😉 have fun, Julia G. Wood.
Watch Julia’s Senior Project Presentation Here:
Thank you, Julia and Paul!
Check back each Wednesday this summer for more Senior Projects. And show our seniors some love by leaving encouraging comments below.
