Note: The following guidelines have been written to help you design a project which will be both interesting to you and acceptable to us, the Senior Project Committee. Though we tried to be as thorough as possible, we fully recognize that all questions about the senior projects may not be answered in the following guidelines. Please do not hesitate to contact Nate Mattson or Susan Nygaard in person or by e-mail at nmattson@marshallschool.org or snygaard@marshallschool.org with any further questions that you may have.

Eligibility Requirements

The senior project is open to all seniors who propose a valid project. Students with grades below a B in any of their classes at the beginning of senior projects will need permission to be absent from those classes. Students are required to take the exam in any class in which they have a grade lower than a B.  A teacher has the right to require any student taking a final exam to attend class. Arrangements in these cases will be made on an individual basis. Students can and are encouraged to do a senior project even if not all of their course grades are at or above a B. But to be assured a stress-free senior project, keep up your grades!

Senior Exam Policy

Seniors who have been approved to complete a senior project will be exempt from all second semester final examinations in yearlong classes where their cumulative semester grade is a B (not B-) or above as calculated on the Wednesday before the beginning of senior projects.

Teachers of semester classes may require a final project, paper, or exam from seniors in their classes, regardless of their grades or senior project status.

Seniors with one or more course grades below a B can still participate in senior projects but must take final exams in those classes (and only those classes), with specific attendance and academic responsibilities during the two-week senior project period to be determined by the teacher(s) of those classes.

Seniors who have chosen not to participate in senior projects or whose projects have not been approved are required to take final exams in all of their classes regardless of their grades.

You will choose your advisor for your project. As soon as you have a general idea of the type of senior project you would like to pursue, approach a teacher or a staff member with your idea and ask if the project is something he or she might like to advise. Each advisor has a limit of 3 advisees. The advisor will serve as a sounding board and may offer suggestions as you work on your proposal.

Employment/Service Hours

The senior project is not a time to start your summer job early. We will not approve any senior project where you will be paid for your time. The senior project is also not a time to complete your volunteer service hours required for Marshall graduation.

Acceptable Activity

While we would like you to be completely free to choose any area to pursue a project, we admit that there are certain projects which we cannot approve (ones involving illegal ,unethical, potentially dangerous activities, or projects that are not consistent with the mission of the school). In the case of controversial proposals, Dr Haire will make the final decision in consultation with the Senior Project Committee.

Focus

Your project should be centered around one theme or focus with the different portions of the project supporting and adding to a single concentration.

Independence

The Senior Project is a great time to experience life outside of Marshall School. We encourage you to pursue a project which is not centered around Marshall. Ideally, we would like you to see and experience something outside of the school as you prepare to leave it. Yet we will not reject proposals simply because they are Marshall-centered.

Time Commitment

You must schedule and participate in a minimum of 30 hours of project activity during the two weeks allotted to senior projects.

Group Projects

It is possible for students to collaborate on a single senior project. For group projects, each student involved must submit an individual application documenting his or her contribution to the group project. For a group project to be approved, it must be clear that the individual students involved are each responsible for a portion of the project. Each student is still required to document how he or she will use 30 hours of time during the two week senior project period. If you are doing a group project, please read the group project guidelines.

Feasibility of your Project

You will be asked to show that you have the materials and the means to carry out your project.

Parental Permission

You will notice that there is a place for a parent signature on the proposal form. A parent must sign the form before we will consider your proposal. This is to assure that your parents are fully aware of your proposal and give their permission for you to pursue your stated proposal.

Sole Responsibility

You are responsible for completing your project as described in your proposal. If special circumstances arise that make it difficult or impossible to complete any component of your project, please contact Nate Mattson at nmattson@marshallschool.org or at 727-7266 ext. 225 as soon as possible.

Travel

All or some of your project can take place away from the Duluth-Superior area as long as your parents and the school approve of your plans. We will not approve projects whose focus is travel for travel's sake. The travel must have a purpose.

Working on the your project outside of the final two weeks of the year:

You must complete 30 hours toward the completion of your project during the two weeks allotted to the senior projects. Though you may do work on your project prior to the start of the senior projects, those hours will not be counted in the 30 hours required during the senior project weeks. For example: You take a CPR class in February for 8 hours. The focus of your proposal is on paramedics. The 8 hours from the CPR class will not be counted as a part of your 30 hours though it is related.

Common weakness in proposals:

In the past, about 90% of the proposals have not been approved at the first draft stage and we have requested a second draft. These are the main reasons for the request of a second draft.  All examples come from past proposals.

Lack of Details: Often seniors submit proposals which are long on ideas and short on details. Example: A senior proposes to shadow a number of physicians but doesn't give their names, doesn't mention which days he or she will be following the physicians, and doesn't mention the number of hours he or she will be spending with these physicians. We will ask for all of that information before we consider approving the proposal.

Lack of Focus: Despite the fact that you are given two weeks to complete a project, you still need to carefully choose a focus. Example: Two seniors propose to drive around the state of Minnesota and take pictures. Our obvious response to them was : "Of what?"

Lack of Proof of Feasibility: Example: A group of seniors propose to do trail work in the BWCA yet have not contacted any organizations to determine if this is possible.

Failure of a Senior Project

The senior project will be graded as a pass or no pass. You may fail your senior project if you do not fulfill the plans described in your proposal. Those seniors who do not pass their senior project will be required to complete their stated objectives before receiving their diploma for graduation. Those seniors who do not initially pass the senior project will be given a second chance to present on the Thursday before graduation (see deadline calendar).