The Culminating Project is a journey for you in self-awareness.

1. The Culminating Project is a journey for you in self-awareness. • It’s an extension of the work that you have done in PODS to answer these essential questions: • Who am I? • Where am I going? • How am I going to get there?

2. This project is about you—you own it. Personalize it to your life and your interests. • The best part is you that you can pick the topic. • You are almost unlimited in your choices as long as your selection is approved by the staff and school and acknowledged by your parents/guardians.

3. Your project will connect with one or more of these areas • Skill or a hobby • Issue (e.g. environmental, social, health, etc.) • Career exploration • Interest in an academic area • Volunteer or community service • The process of applying to a training program or college • Delayed entry into the military

4. Here are examples of successful projects done by Shadle students. Maybe one of these will spark an idea for you.

5. Hobby or Skill • Andy really enjoyed doing metal work and working with cars. • For his project he replaced a rear quarter panel on a 1966 Ford Mustang.

8. Career Exploration • Megan came from a family of teachers and she thought that she wanted to be a teacher as well. • She enrolled in the Teaching Academy program at Shadle.

9. Through Teaching Academy she got to work with Mrs. Woodard’s 4th grade class at Ridgeview. • For her project she developed and taught extra lessons with her class.

10. This project helped Megan decide that she really did want to be a teacher!

11. Academic Interest • Tyler was very interested in chemistry. • He wanted to do a demonstration of the Briggs-Rauscher Reaction, a lab that was too long and complicated to complete in class.

12. If the lab is successful the liquid will cycle through several color changes.

13. It worked!

14. Delayed Entry into the Military

15. Chris enlisted in the army during his senior year of high school. • He spent time every week involved in activities at the recruiting station: • This allowed him to enter at a higher rank when he entered active service after high school.

17. Issue Katelyn organized a free-throw competition for an organization that builds clinics for children in Zambia who had been orphaned by AIDS.

18. Her fundraiser took a lot of organization. • She needed to find a gym, set a date and time • She developed a promotional flier and distributed copies to people at her church and to friends and family.

19. Katelyn was able to donate $1,500 to “Hoops of Hope” through her project.

20. Volunteer Work Volunteer work is usually combined with another topic. • Students concerned with an ISSUE such as poverty can volunteer at the Union Gospel Mission or the Food Bank. • Students can volunteer at a work place as part of a CAREER EXPLORATION. • You can find lists of organizations that offer volunteer experiences on Shadle’s Culminating Project web page.

21. Process of Applying to a Training Program or College • We don’t have examples of this project because its new this year. • Remember to keep copies of essays you write and filled out applications. • You’ll need to do VOLUNTEER WORK as part of this project.

22. You’ll need to choose a topic for your project before you write a proposal letter. • You’ll read a sample proposal letter and the letter rubric during the PODS lesson on November 29. • During PODS on December 13 you’ll receive a proposal letter organizer and get some time to start writing your letter. • You’ll get some time to work on the letter again in March or April, but most of the work will be done outside of PODS.

23. Your proposal letter will be the focus of your student led conference in May. • So-o-o it’s time to start thinking about a topic for your project!

24. For more information go to Shadle’s Culminating Project web page at ww.spokaneschools.org/shadle. Click on students. Click on Culminating Project. Or see Mrs. Hanson, the Culminating Project coordinator, in the library.