Celebrating the Class of 2026’s Senior Readiness Journey
Seniors are currently hard at work putting the finishing touches on their Senior Readiness Projects, which they will present to panels of faculty on Friday, June 5th. While these projects are coming to a close this quarter, students have been developing and refining them since the start of the school year.
The first component of the project is the Senior Readiness Portfolio, a website students created to reflect on their growth throughout their time at Stevenson. Through these portfolios, students explored their strengths and challenges, the resources and strategies they’ve gained, and their plans for the future. They also reflected on their growth in each area of the Stevenson STACC℠ (Support, Thought, Adaptability, Communication, and Connection) and considered how they will carry these skills forward beyond high school. Portfolios included examples of student work from across their high school experience alongside thoughtful written reflections.
Students have also been working on their Passion Projects, long-term projects that they designed and carried out with the support of a faculty mentor. This year’s projects reflect an impressive range of creativity and individuality, including writing and performing original songs, filming mini-documentaries, curating and performing vocal concerts, writing and illustrating children’s books, designing houses, creating nail art collections, and much more.
One example of a student Passion Project is a Thrift Swap, which took place last Friday after school. Earlier this year, one senior conducted research on the problem of gentrification and fast fashion and how these factors impact people who rely on affordable clothing from thrift stores. To take action, she decided to organize a thrift swap to educate her fellow students about this issue and to provide an alternative venue for thrift-shopping open to all and with no exchange of money. Throughout the year, this senior made posters and gave announcements during community meetings to spread the word about her project, and many students and faculty donated clothing. She then organized and documented the significant number of donations she received and publicized the thrift swap event. On the day of the event, many students and faculty participated in the gym, where she had set up her thrift swap store. Afterwards, she donated the remaining clothes to a nonprofit she had researched in advance. This senior did a wonderful job of getting the community involved in her passion and organizing a meaningful event!
Another example of a student Passion Project was a CPR Workshop, which took place last Wednesday. A certified EMT, one senior is passionate about teaching CPR and first aid to others. She conducted research and found a program from FDNY in which trainers come to schools to teach students CPR, and she worked with the school administration to get approval, organize the event, and to apply for the program. This student recruited interest from other students, made posters, and created a sign-up sheet for students to join the event. She also created an informative handout to give to students after the presentation to reinforce their learning. On the day of the event, more than 25 students packed into the lobby for the workshop! The FDNY trainers were engaging and answered great questions from the students, and all students present had the opportunity to practice CPR on dummies. This senior did amazing work organizing this event and ensuring that many Stevenson students now know how to save a life!
It has been inspiring to see students turn their passions into meaningful action while building the skills and confidence that will support them beyond high school.
