MONROE, Conn. — Capstone Projects expose Masuk High School students to professions in a variety of fields, allowing them real world experience under the guidance of a mentor. The graduation requirement includes 20 hours of fieldwork, culminating in a presentation before panels of community judges.
Robert Burnaska, who served as a volunteer judge since Masuk’s Capstone program began in 2012, said it has been a rewarding experience. He was among the group of community judges watching the more-than-200 student presentations made in classrooms throughout the school on May 21.
“I think it’s a very constructive and positive thing for the students and, if I’m able to help out, I’m happy to do that,” Burnaska said. “I think as students get more experience with it and the teachers do, the presentations become more effective. They all learn from each other.”
John Sarra served as a Capstone judge for the second consecutive year.
“It was interesting,” he said of his first experience. “I’ve always been interested in education. I was a corporate trainer in consulting for various companies.”
Juniors are told about the Capstone in April, giving them the opportunity to jump on it by doing fieldwork over the summer. The students keep a journal and are also expected to integrate research into their presentations. They are encouraged to use Google slides to organize it into clear sections covering their personal growth, fieldwork, and elements of the Vision of the Graduate.
During the presentations, which are eight to 12 minutes long, students should try to speak rather than read, maintain eye contact with their audience, have audio and/or visual elements, and a recognizable intro and conclusion.
Judges score categories with exceeds expectations, meets expectations, nearly meets expectations and below expectations and points are tallied at the end. Sessions include a question and answer period and judges can write comments on the score sheets.
On May 21, teachers Ken Rider, Andy Townsend and Laurie Coville explained the process to new judges, and those who wanted a refresher, in the Masuk auditorium, where volunteers also watched a live Capstone presentation made by a student.
Lunch in the media center followed, before judges went to different classrooms to watch and score presentations.
Among the new community judges was John Hawley, a father of four children who graduated from Masuk before there was a Capstone requirement.
“I just thought being retired I could give back and help these seniors in this important process,” Hawley said. “I feel sympathetic to the kids, because I know how nervous I would be, so hopefully I can put a friendly face in the audience in front of them and make them comfortable.”
Dr. Stefanie Benson was also a first-time judge.
“I was a high school teacher for 15 years and transferred to higher education the last few years,” she said. “Anytime I have a chance to support students, I’ll jump on it. I have kids at Fawn Hollow, so it’s nice to get a taste of what this experience will be like.”
Every year a letter goes out seeking residents to volunteer to be community judges. For information, send an email to [email protected].
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