• BLIND BROOK HIGH SCHOOL

    SENIOR OPTIONS

     

     

    • Mission Statement

     

    Senior Options will be a culminating activity available to all eligible high school seniors.  It will enable students to enhance their education by encouraging them to utilize their knowledge and skill in an area of personal interest outside of the traditional school setting.

     

    Senior Options will be:

     

    • Enriching
    • Making connections between school and work
    • A real-world experience
    • Enabling students to pursue interests in a particular field

     

    • Program Description

     

    Senior Options is an off-campus experience that fulfills the mission statement.  Students must secure their own off-campus placement and supervisor.  They will choose and pursue an area of interest and complete either an internship, community service, an independent project, or an internship/independent project combination.  Students will not be able to receive monetary compensation nor be supervised by a family member.  Students will receive school credit for successful participation and completion of this program.

     

    • Program Dates

     

    The start-up date of this program is during the week of May 3, 2021 (dependent on AP exams).  The program will conclude on June 10, 2021.

     

    • Program Requirements

     

    Students are required to submit their Senior Options placement to the Senior Options Coordinator (Mrs. Decker) by Monday, March 8, 2021.  Students need to submit their placement location, site supervisor’s name and phone number. This should be completed on the Senior Options Internship Permission Form or the Senior Options Independent Project Form.  Both can be found on the school’s web site. 

     

    Students are required to spend a minimum of 25 hours per week in their chosen option off campus.  They must keep a record of the time spent and a daily journal, which serves as a record of their activities and reactions to them. These entries might include observations, criticisms, explanations or evaluations of their experiences, which they share with the Senior Options Mentor. Students are required to meet with the Senior Options Mentor (teacher assigned) once a week. 

     

    For Internship and Community Service, students will be expected to make initial contact with an agency, business or institution to determine its willingness to sponsor the students.  In consultation with the on-site supervisor, students will compile a list of duties and responsibilities to be completed during Senior Options.  The list will be submitted to the Sr. Options Coordinator by Monday, March 8, 2021. 

     

    For Independent and Internship/Independent Combinations, students will be required to develop a proposal in consultation with a coach.  A coach is the person who will guide you throughout the duration of the project.  It will be someone other than the Sr. Options Coordinator or Mentor.  This proposal must include the goals and objectives of the project, a description of the project, and how students expect to accomplish this project.  You will work with your Coach in conjunction with your Mentor.

     

    Please Note:  If the Community Service component is chosen, the hours completed during Senior Options must be in addition to the required hours of community service. 

     

    • Components

     

    The four components of Senior Options are:

     

    • Internship

     

    Students engage in a supervised, unpaid experience outside the high school.  Internship students will be expected to assume a daily workload, spending 25 hours per week on site. 

     

    • Community Service

     

    Students will engage in meaningful work in a not-for-profit community organization (exclusive of the community service requirement).

     

    • Independent Projects

     

    Students will design projects that emerge out of personal interest and/or expertise.  These can be literary, studio, performance, research or laboratory based.  Students must select an off-campus supervisor with an interest or expertise in the field.

     

    • Internship/Independent Project Combination

     

    Students will engage in work experience outside the high school at a site where students can design and implement projects of their own.  Students will produce a tangible work such as an exhibition of photographs, a painting, a film, or a set of computer programs that reflect at least 100 hours of achievement.  Students must select an off-campus coach with an interest or expertise in the field.

     

    • Student Assessment

                                                                                                                             

    Assessments will include:

     

    • Weekly meetings with the mentor
    • Daily journal entries reviewed weekly by the mentor
    • A daily log sheet to be initialed by the off-campus supervisor
    • A supervisor evaluation sheet
    • A final demonstration that is preapproved by the mentor and will be presented at a round-table discussion at the conclusion of Senior Options.
    • A four-page reflection paper.