PTHS Culminating Project Guidelines

The PTHS Culminating Project will be completed through a program that combines knowledge, skills and achievements throughout a four-phase demonstration of student learning:

• Portfolio
• Project
• Proposal
• Research Paper
• Senior Project
• Post high school Plan
• Presentation

During their freshman year, students are trained in the use of a collection system that assists them in gathering meaningful documents throughout their high school career.  The goal is that these documents will be of value to the student as he/she leaves high school and enters the world of higher education or the workforce.

It will be each individual students responsibility to keep meaningful items maintained in their portfolio. 

Project

Students will design and complete a meaningful project and a related research paper on a topic that causes the student to connect themselves to life skills and work related skills in a way that significantly extends their learning and connects them to their community.

Proposal

During the spring of their Junior year, students will determine a topic and write out a proposal (plan) that will guide him/her through a meaningful project and related research paper that connects them as a student to one of more of the 5 PTHS pathways: learner, individual, planner, citizen, worker.  The proposal will be developed by the student in the PTHS English 11/AP English 11 class.  Once submitted, the proposal will be reviewed by staff and given one of three possible designations: approved, approved with required revisions, or not approved.  Once the student has an approved proposal, he she may begin the research and project process, enabling students to work over the summer prior to their senior year, if they choose do to so.  A process is also in place to allow students, during the first three weeks of their senior year, to redo the proposal if a new topic is selected over the summer, or for new students entering the District.

Research Paper

During the month of November, seniors will complete their required research paper under the direction of their Business Communications/English 12/AP English 12 coursework on the PTHS campus.  Research to support the project, based on an essential research question and a minimum of five reliable sources, will be written in MLA (Modern Language Association) format. 

Senior Project

Once the proposal is approved, students may begin work on their senior project.  It will be up to the student, and their mentor, to determine when the best time is to begin the project, as it should be significantly impacted by the research paper.  At the project’s conclusion, students will submit a one-page type written reflection on their learning gained from the project.  Senior projects must be completed prior to Spring Break, to allow sufficient time for the projects to be graded, and presented in CWP class, before students participate in the formal Presentation to the Community.  Guidance for the senior project will be completed through the CWP class on the PTHS campus.

After the completion of the Culminating Project, seniors will complete a Post High School Plan.  This plan will help them evaluate the impact of their high school career and identify their plan for post-PTHS life.  This activity will be completed through the CWP class on the PTHS campus.  Once completed, the Plan will be incorporated into the student’s portfolio, and will be available for review during the student’s Presentation to the Community.

The portfolio, project and plan will be presented to a panel of educators and community members for evaluation.  This 20 minute presentation takes place during May.  Students who do not receive a satisfactory evaluation from the panel will have an opportunity to represent prior to graduation.