The Rampage 2270 Highway 133 Carbondale, CO 81623
December 2016
Volume 10 Issue 4
RFHS Students Participate in Pilot Capstone Project -Illiana Castillon
Students that are a part of the Roaring Fork School District’s class of 2018 and future generations will now be required to complete a Capstone project in order to graduate. Seven members of the Roaring Fork High School (RFHS) class of 2017 are completing a Capstone project this year as part of the pilot program. Students can complete the project based on a topic they’re passionate about and will present the project towards the end of their senior year. There aren’t a lot of parameters around Capstone projects, which means that they can be individual to each student. According to Kelsey Been, the Roaring Fork School District Capstone coordinator, the project is “an authentic project, product, or performance that allows for exploration of a passion or curiosity and prepares students for further work or study. The learning and reflection required by a Capstone is documented via journals, blog posts, or other artifacts, and, upon completion, is presented in a meaningful way. ” Those participating in the pilot program this year are doing projects outside of school, but juniors will have time to complete the project during school hours. Around January, the class of 2018 will begin to work on proposals for their projects during Crew. According to Kelly Donnelly, a counselor at Roaring Fork High School , “students can do a project on areas of studies they will need to do in college and in their senior year of college they will
most likely have to complete a similar project to show that they can apply their learning. It’s a great idea to do the project on areas of study the student may want to major in, so that they will be reassured that they do like the profession or find out that they don’t.” Students are highly encouraged to find a mentor(s) outside of school that is an expert on the topic of the student’s project, but there is not a requirement. Donnelly states “it is always a good idea to create another adult relationship in a student’s life. This will be a professional relationship with someone who is an expert in their field. Finding a mentor will also help students realize that teachers are not experts in every area and mentors could give insight that teachers can’t.” According to Been, Capstones are the result of countless conversations that took place as part of a community-wide visioning process in 2013. Through 16 community meetings, the district heard from 1,400 parents and community members that their expectations for a well-rounded student learning experience requires a dual commitment to academic excellence and character development. Capstone projects are a response to the community’s expectation that students demonstrate competency in core subjects, develop critical thinking and reasoning, and enhance 21st century skills so that they are prepared for college, modern careers, and adult life. Maeve O’Donnell Pax, a student at Roaring Fork High School, is creating a manual for the
Girls’ Summit club for future years with new members. O’Donnell is one of the founders of the Girl’s Summit at Roaring Fork High School and wants to make sure that the club lives on after she’s graduated. She states, “I think the Girl’s Summit united and connected so many different girls that perhaps would have never really met and became friends if it wasn’t because of the club.” The projects’ topics range according to the students’ interests. Elle Derby is working on improving the Rampage Layout, while Emily Henley is working on incorporating theater programs into schools that currently don’t have them. Julia Lee is establishing a writing magazine for RFHS as Nick Penzel is building a boat,. Carlton Phelps is building a computer, and Tavia Teitler is creating promotional material for the Aspen Santa Fe Folklorico company. Donnelly thinks the new graduation requirement will be very beneficial for students. She states, “We want students to have post secondary skills and be flexible, as well as have them be able to advocate for themselves, be self starters, make professional phone calls, basically skills that all students will need in their life whether they go to college, do an internship, apprenticeship, or get a job, and the nice thing is that students will have school support while doing it.” The district is hopeful that the Capstone project will prove successful with its first group of students.
What’s Inside
Increased Internet security Page 2
Aspen Ski Mountain Review Page 3
Christmas Traditions pages 4-5
Courtesy photos. Pictures on the left: Katelyn Krehbiel is learning to highline as her senior Capstone project. Picture on the right: Tavia Teitler is creating promomotional matierals for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklorico for her senior Capstone project. Pictured above is the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklorico group in Cartago, Costa Rica.
RFHS Cheerleaders Page 7
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