Masuk Free Press

Sheppard..Does Capstone Prepare Students-or Overwhelm them? 

Whether exciting or stressful, the Capstone project is on many seniors’ minds throughout the year. The question is, are all the assignments and the presentation itself worth it? Are the hours of fieldwork, written parts and the presentation itself worth the seniors’ time? On top of the stressful senior year, some think it can be too much, while others think it is a good insight into future careers. Whether a positive or negative experience, all seniors are expected to complete this project before graduation, making it one of the final major requirements of high school. 

Per Masuk high school’s rules, each senior has to complete at least 20 hours of fieldwork, a video/pictures of the fieldwork, and six written assignments that includes: a letter of intent, fieldwork journals, an annotated bibliography, a thank you letter and a reflection paper. Once that’s completed, you must present to a panel of judges. “The Capstone project builds a bridge between the skills you learn in the classroom and the real world,” said Mr. Townsend. In Masuk, this is an important fraction of a student’s high school career. With students’ futures in mind, this project was created to help students navigate what to do in the years to come and to gain confidence in the real world. For many students, this project gives them an opportunity to reach outside of the average classroom and get the chance to experience real world jobs. They’re able to get hands-on experience and to feel what working in that specific field is like. 

For the future, some students believe that the Capstone prepares them for their careers. “ I think Capstone is worth it because it gives you a base for what you want to study in college and

allows you to explore other fields if needed,” said Grace Ely. Some might go into the project thinking they will pursue a career in a specific field, but end up changing their career path due to this experience. “The capstone is definitely worth it, because, although it felt like a lot in the moment, in reality, it helped guide me towards what I truly wanted to do for my career and the rest of my life, which wasn’t what I chose for the project,” said DJ Lynch. 

Other students think of Capstone as an extreme load of work that has to be done on top of their senior year. “Capstone isn’t worth it because it is an addition to a huge workload for seniors. And I’ve heard that other schools will let their seniors out earlier to complete their capstone, and if anything, I think that’s better with the workload,” said Grace Sheppard. Some find it difficult due to balancing sports, school and home life. “Balancing my school, sports and Capstone project was the hardest part. I needed to find time to do my fieldwork, and I was very busy with school, so it was a challenge,” said Emma Troesser. For student athletes and students involved in clubs and extracurricular activities, finding enough time can be difficult. 

There are many tradeoffs when it comes to the Capstone project; certain students think these tradeoffs are worth it for the capstone, and others don’t feel the same. “This project definitely interfered with other responsibilities. I recall having to cut my sessions of fieldwork short because I had work, FBLA, or other prior commitments. This, unfortunately, prolonged and extended my fieldwork over the course of multiple months,” said Lynch. 

Some students also believe that this project is less stressful if completed earlier in the year. This can allow them to focus on other senior projects and deadlines. “I recommend doing the project early, over the summer. You will have much more free time to get hours, and then you can present in front of a smaller panel. My friend completed hers earlier, and now she’s done and

doesn’t have to even worry about presenting,” said Troesser. Many seniors struggle with time management which is very important for this project. 

Although opinions on the capstone project vary greatly, it is clear that this experience leaves an impact on many students. For some, it creates added stress to an already stressful year. For others, it’s a great experience to learn about yourself and what you want to do in the future. No matter the feelings of the project, it continues to be a major part of senior year at Masuk High school and will likely shape students’ experiences for years to come.