East Hamilton Capstone Project

What is a Capstone Project? A Capstone Project is a service or career based project completed in a student’s Senior year. This project is driven by an essential question and culminates in a product. The Capstone project is a Hamilton County Graduation Requirement. A student must complete and pass the Capstone project along with his/her academic courses in order to graduate.

What are the components of East Hamilton’s Capstone Project? Parent Consent form Resume and Personal Essay Proposal of the project and its approval Letter of Intent 20 Hours of service toward the project A Mentor to work with and gain information from Portfolio Presentation before a panel Product 5 paragraph reflective essay

Parent Consent A letter will be given to the parents informing them of the project and its main components. A letter of consent will also be given to the parents. This letter is to be filled out and signed The Fall due date for the consent form for rising seniors will be August 23rd 2011

Resume and Personal Essay This document will be compiled through advisory and will follow a specific format. Personal Statement Your personal statement is a short essay (250- 500 words) that best describes you. This essay will be based upon one of 5 topics listed on the personal essay document .

Project Proposal Each Senior must complete a proposal form and submit it to your advisor Each proposal will be reviewed by the panel of senior advisors

Letter Of Intent This is a formal letter The letter of intent is typed Follow the format given in the Capstone packet Once your proposal is complete, type your letter of intent. This can be turned in once your proposal has been approved.

20 Hours of Service/Job Shadow For service or career based projects a minimum of 20 hours are required. For all rising seniors, these hours are to be completed over the summer. Those not completing hours over the summer will only be allowed to present in April. All other students will be able to present in November.

Contact Information for December Graduates Kara A. Seebach School Counselor East Hamilton School 2015 Ooltewah-Ringgold Road Ooltewah, TN 37363 (423) 893-3535 ext. 297  

20 Hours of Service/Job Shadow Students are responsible for CORRECTLY filling out the time sheet. The time sheet must be signed by a mentor or person overseeing the hours completed. Keep a journal of your experiences for your final reflection paper.

20 Hours of Service or Job Shadow You may NOT work for a parent or relative to complete your hours. You may NOT be paid for your time.

Mentors Students are responsible for finding a mentor to work with. The mentor must have experience in the area chosen for your project. Your mentor may not be a parent or relative. Students are responsible for having mentor forms filled out and turned in to the advisor.

Portfolio Portfolios will be graded by your advisor using a rubric. Your portfolio will contain A Cover Page Five Tabs Cover Page Project Title Name Date Advisor

Portfolio Tab 1 Tab 2 Tab 3 Tab 4 Tab 5 Consent form Personal Essay Resume Tab 2 Project proposal Letter of intent Any Revisions Tab 3 Mentor and volunteer information Time Sheet Journal of experiences Tab 4 Presentation outline Written presentation (script) Pictorial evidence of project Tab 5 Reflection Paper (5 paragraph essay)

Research Your research on your topic can include interviews with a mentor, schooling, monetary costs etc.. Copies of internet research must be placed in the portfolio along with the notes you have taken on the source. Your research MUST pertain to your project You must create an MLA formatted works cited page of your research materials and place this information in your presentation. Example Project: Interior Design (sketches and ideas to remodel a room) Research: Interior Design/Educational Requirements Product Example: Design sketches for a room ,material boards and a 3-D model of the end product.

Presentation 10-12 minutes in length Must include a multimedia type (video, power point, etc) presentation (no posters) The power point presentation must have visual appeal but be easily read. You may not read directly from the power point! Be sure to PRACTICE!

Presentation You will present before a panel of teachers, administrators, peers and invited guests. Your presentation will be scored by a rubric. You should wear appropriate dress clothes and look professional.

Reflection Paper This paper must be a reflection of your Capstone Project experience The paper must be typed The paper must contain correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. The paper must contain an introduction, 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion.

How do I Pass This Project? You must pass all 3 portions of the Capstone Project Presentation Portfolio Product You must score a minimum of 70% of the total points for each Rubric.

Forms for the Capstone Project All forms will be posted on the East Hamilton School website. The Power point presentation will also be available on the web site.