The curriculum in the senior year challenges students to engage with ideas deeply and relate to their peers and teachers collegially.
The curriculum demands independent student responsibility, maturity and intellectual sophistication. In selecting courses for the senior year, students have more freedom to shape their academic program to focus on their individual passions and talents. Many senior courses are taught as seminars, requiring significant student participation, research, writing and oral presentations. These capstone courses further enhance preparation for higher education.
Senior Capstone Experiences: Senior Speech and Senior Project
Every member of the senior class writes and delivers a Senior Speech to the entire SPA community. Senior Speech is a rite of passage, a time to share personal insights, observations and reflections in a public, supportive forum. 2008-09 Senior Speech Schedule
All seniors complete an independent project in May, often consisting of an internship or hands-on career or interest exploration. Seniors also perform community service and fulfill senior roles in campus organizations.
Highlights of the Senior Year
- More academic choice
- More collegial relationship with teachers
- Senior Privileges
- Senior Speeches
- College search and decision process
- Senior/Parent Kickoff (Monday, August 25, 2008)
- Senior Brunch (November 23, 2008)
- Senior Retreat (Monday and Tuesday, January 6-7, 2009)
- Senior Project (Month of May)
- Junior/Senior Prom (Wednesday, June 3, 2009)
- Valedictory Dinner (Thursday, June 4, 2009)
- Commencement (Sunday, June 7, 2009)
Developmental Themes for 12th Graders
It is common for 12th graders to focus on issues of intimacy, identity, autonomy and transition.
Intimacy
Seniors increasingly turn to their friends (rather than parents) for emotional support.
Identity
Questions of identity—“Who am I? What are my values and priorities? What are my choices?”—are especially salient both within the academic and social world of SPA and in guiding the college search process as it intensifies in the senior year.
Autonomy
Adults may feel a “push/pull dynamic with juniors as they assert their need for greater autonomy yet at the same time need clear and consistent boundaries from teachers and parents.
Transition
Especially in the second semester, many seniors focus on the transition they will soon make, anticipating leaving their school and home communities and working to create closure with family, school, and friends.