Rocky River High senior Grace Czerniawski worked with Cleveland Public Theater for her senior project.

Senior Project caps off fourth year
By Ben Saylor
Rocky River
Published June 11, 2008

For some high school seniors, the last year of school means it’s time to kick back and enjoy one’s self; a commonly used term for this is “senioritis.”

Still, many seniors manage to fill their schedule with advanced placement classes, post secondary courses and other activities. At Rocky River High School, a group of students took on senioritis another way, via the Senior Project.

Now in its fourth year, the Senior Project was created after a committee at the high school conducted research into what sort of project should be created for seniors. The project that came out of that committee requires interested students to submit applications for what they would like to study. As part of their project, the students have to seek out a community sponsor for which he/she will spend at least 75 hours volunteering. Students are also assigned to an academic advisor at the high school for the project. Students keep diaries of their experiences, and are also required to make a presentation about their work, which many students chose to do using a PowerPoint presentation.

The Senior Project is a great way for students to research a subject he/she is passionate about, said high school principal Debbie Bernard. In this way, the project helps students determine what they would like to pursue upon graduating from high school, Bernard said.

“I think it’s a huge advantage to our kids,” Bernard told West Life.

The efforts of the 17 participating seniors culminated in this year’s Senior Project Symposium, which was held June 2 at the Rocky River High School Media Center. Students had trifold boards outlining their projects, as well as other materials. Emma Pavlik, who created an elaborate mural for the high school for her project, included conceptual sketches of her mural as part of her presentation. Pavlik recently painted a mural for the Teen Lounge of the Don Umerley Civic Center, making this her second mural in the city. She told West Life she is planning to attend Kent State University this fall. She added that she took more than the required 75 hours to complete her mural. 

Grace Czerniawski’s project was closely related to what she would like to pursue professionally: theater. Czerniawski worked with the Cleveland Public Theater for her project, where she got a taste of both the creative and business sides of theater. Czerniawski said she ended up working 108 hours at the theater, doing everything from helping the theater prepare for an audit to attending rehearsals. Yes, the hours were long, but Czerniawski said she was “having so much fun that it really didn’t matter.” She plans to attend Miami University in the fall to pursue theater.

Another student who had the opportunity to fulfill multiple roles was Clare Barry, who worked with the Avon restaurant Henry’s at the Barn. While at the restaurant, Barry said she “did something different every night,” whether it was bussing tables or working in the kitchen. She told West Life that while she had worked at a restaurant before, her Senior Project experience exposed her to both the culinary and business sides of the restaurant world. Barry said she’s pursuing business management at Cleveland State University in the fall, and will also be waitressing at Henry’s this summer.

For at least one student, the Senior Project resonated in a personal way. Michael Budinger worked with the American Cancer Society for his project. A cancer survivor himself, Budinger said he wanted to learn not only about how a nonprofit organization works, but also more about the organization working to cure the illness he has battled. Budinger admitted that he initially thought his work would involve “crunching numbers,” but soon found himself pleasantly surprised as he helped coordinate various activities for the ACS, working directly with sponsors and survivors. Budinger said that he worked between 95 and 100 hours for his project but only logged 78 because “some of it was just me having fun.” He plans to attend the University of Akron in the fall.

Project coordinator Candace Hecker told West Life that this year’s 17 participating seniors represents the largest number of students involved in the project since its inception. Each year, Hecker and fellow coordinator Joanne Ritschel speak with juniors about the project and then send home material about it over the summer. At the beginning of the school year, Hecker and Ritschel have an informational meeting for those interested, and interested students must submit a declaration of intent by January. Once the students are committed to a project, it becomes a graduation requirement for them, Hecker said.

Bernard said that with Rocky River’s Senior Project, the expectations are high, but that she has never been disappointed with the results.

“It was a great year, and we look forward to its continuing to grow,” Bernard said of the project.