Community School seniors have run the gamut of their senior projects this year.
For the past four weeks, seniors have been doing things like the following: Cutting albums in Los Angeles, saving turtles in Costa Rica, finding a subtle path in Bhutan, volunteering to work with children in Peru, training with the world's fastest Nordic skiers in Sweden, stargazing in the Southwest, and making a stop-motion film here in Ketchum.
They have returned to the Wood River Valley and will be giving oral presentations of their projects starting Friday, May 14 and continuing all next week at the Sun Valley independent school.
Senior Project advisor and English teacher Ryan Waterfield said, "The Senior Project Program at The Community School offers students the opportunity to pursue a topic of personal interest as the culminating project of their Upper School experience.
"We believe the Senior Project opportunity epitomizes the experiential learning at the heart of our programs."
One parent was "pretty hesitant and nervous" about her daughter's project choice and even described herself as a "frightened mother" as she faced her daughter's departure date, according to Waterfield.
< But as her daughter's experience wound down she found that she is "emerging as a mother confident in (her) child's capabilities."
The seniors invite the public to hear about their experiences.
The kick-off is a concert by Jamie Jameson on Friday, May 14 at 7 p.m. in the school theater. Jameson's project "Rockin' on Heaven's Door," is about making music in Los Angeles.
Here are the other 20-minute senior presentations, days and times, all given in the theater:
Monday, May 17
Wyatt Bunce on filmmaker Ingmar Bergman at 3:40 p.m.; Austin Nalen on family and culture in Greece at 4:05 p.m.; Hailey Zanes on children in Peru at 4:30 p.m.; and Audrey Kirk on photographing San Francisco and San Diego at 4:55 p.m.
Tuesday, May 18
Torin Tucker on skiing in Sweden at 1:45 p.m.; Jackson Bates on stargazing in the Southwest 2:10 p.m.; Madison Murach on filmmaking in New York City 2:35 p.m.; Paul Davis on family in Finland 3 p.m.; and Melissa Becker on rehabilitation therapy in Boise at 3:25 p.m.
Wednesday, May 19
Ricki Eshman on living on a kibbutz in Israel at 1:45 p.m.; Nellie Brown on jewelry making 2:10 p.m.; Tanner Flanigan on football in Spain at 2:35 p.m.; and Fynn Funke-Riehle on the art of building a race car at 3 p.m.
Thursday, May 20
Morgan Pintler on the horses of Ojai, Ca. 1:45 p.m.; Anita Vorsteveld on elementary education in the Wood River Valley 2:10 p.m.; Chloe Jory on the art of cake design in Los Angeles 2:35 p.m.; and Tyler Davis on paragliding in Santa Barbara, Ca. at 3 p.m.
Friday, May 21
Kerry Lee Nelson on working with childre in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at 1:45 p.m.; Jon Atkinson on the art of stop motion 2:10 p.m.; Maggie Flood on Buddhism, Bhutan and Colorado 2:35 p.m.; Kayla Cloud on turtle rehabilition in Costa Rica at 3 p.m.; and McKenna Anderson on horses in Heber City, Utah at 3:25 p.m.
Community School seniors, 23 of them, went out into the wide world for their senior projects and will give oral presentations of what they found starting Friday, May 14, at the Sun Valley school and continuing all next week. Photo by
