Rock Creek High School

Introduction of Exit Committee Committee comprised of Senior Advisors Pat Booth, Room 117 Sara Miller, Room 118 Desiree Renner, Room 114 Cherrie Savoie, Room 111 Contact us at or by

The Purpose Mastery Learning Application of Workplace Skills time management, responsibility, perseverance Character Traits honesty, integrity, reliability, dependability, respect, courage, diligence, courage, assertiveness, etc. Writing skills Communication skills Giving an oral presentation Defending/justifying project Meeting and working with new people Career Exploration

The Process-Project Proposal Project Types Academic: project involves formal instruction from a mentor Community Service: project provides viable service to the community Career: project involves potential future employment Personal Growth: project represents a unique personal challenge 15 hours required Hours will be increased if proposal deadline not met Half of the hours (7.5) can be training Taking classes, working with mentor, etc. Community mentor w/minimum 2 years experience in field, 21 years of age Relate to research paper

The Process-Research Research Paper Completed in Junior English Thesis-based Career-based English department sets guidelines and rubric for paper 8-10 weeks of class time provided broken down into several assignments and drafts plagiarism policy strictly enforced Final copy in senior portfolio Student is responsible for maintaining file on server Student should have backup copies of files (home/flash drive) Junior English teacher grades all papers (continuity) See Research Paper Rubric in manual or on Web page

The Process-Portfolio Organized notebook Research Paper Project Log Student Reflection Paper Documentation of project work Photos Video separate from the portfolio Technical drawings, blueprints, lesson plans, etc. Costs and/or materials list

The Process-Oral Presentation The Presentation minute oral presentation before panel of judges Mentor, Advisor, Faculty Member Other audience members are presenter’s choice Visual Aids (highly recommended) Portfolio presented to panel 2 weeks prior to presentation Professional dress and behavior Timing Proctor Videotaped

The Evaluation Rubrics are provided to students in advance and are posted on website and school network See Project Rubric in manual or on Web page See Oral Presentation Rubric in manual or on Web page

Student Responsibilities Decide project topic Write proposal and submit to Exit Committee for approval Due beginning of 2 nd semester of junior year all changes must be approved and proposal form revised Find community mentor Must not be an employee of the Rock Creek School District Must have expertise in field (minimum 2 years); 21 years old Decide paper topic that relates to project topic Write research paper in Junior English Complete project Cannot use Rock Creek facilities to do project Projects involving school improvements can be done w/special permission from the Board of Education Meet all required deadlines and criteria Keep all files in an Exit Project folder (Virtual Portfolio)

Paperwork Proposal Form (located on website and school network) Get mentor and parental signatures of approval Submit to Exit Committee for approval Make recommended revisions (typed) Mentor contact forms 3 needed in addition to the proposal meeting Project Log Fill out as you go Record time spent on project Record personal reactions Deadline dates provided by Exit Committee

Exit Committee Responsibilities Committee sets all standards Ownership Quality of project Learning stretch Submission of paperwork Meeting of deadlines Committee reviews all proposals Viable Qualifications of mentor Costs of project Dangerous to students

Senior Advisor Curriculum Advisor Period Letter & Envelope Formatting Thank-you letter to the mentor done in April/May of junior year Paper Revision Lab time provided to make corrections to exit paper (due end of September) Reflective Writing Instruction provided on reflective and analytical writing Oral Presentation Skills Speech organization skills, technology usage Portfolio Preparation Instruction provided on how to properly put portfolio together

Communication Provide open lines of communication about the process to our: Students Parents Faculty Community

Proposal Idea Considerations Fields of Study for Research Paper Medical, Psychological, Veterinarian, Author, etc. Most of the time, this requires expertise with years of training, education, and licensing Students under the age of 18 have too many liability issues which is too costly to mentors Most mentors are not going to allow you to do anything with clients because of the liability and privacy issues Writing a book requires submission to publishers

Proposal Idea Considerations Ownership of Project Organizing an event, running a marathon, learning a new skill Student must do ALL aspects of the organizing not just “show up to help” (involves setting up time frames, advertising, contacting persons to work, etc.) Projects of personal growth usually involve giving something to the community so fundraising is involved and you have to designate a recipient (charity) for the funds Being responsible to do all that is required (you affect your mentor’s place of business and other people) Finding out that you “can’t” do the proposed project due to fear, illness, or injury

Proposal Idea Considerations Cost of Project Construction of buildings, decks, rooms, creating a dress, catering an event, etc. Construction is a major cost undertaking and will usually involve fundraising and permission Public Presentations Teaching to a group of people, giving presentations over a subject cannot be USD 323 w/o special permission from committee and school board

Any Questions???