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SUNNY Temp: 86 °F Wind: NNW at 14 mph Tuesday, June 17, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend May 31, 2003 Kendra Taylor shows a range of gestures during her senior project presentation on the entertainment industry Friday. The North Medford High School student wants to be an actress. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven After senior projects,students breathe sigh of relief By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Outside, freedom waited. But inside Room H-7 at North Medford High School Friday afternoon, six students faced one final hurdle before graduation: senior project presentations. One by one, the grim-faced teens took their seats, silently rehearsing the eight-to 10-minute speeches that stood between them and academic completion. Advertisement "Hey, you guys haven’t been this quiet since the first day as freshmen," teased math teacher Tim Sam, an event organizer. The two boys and four girls, dressed in what their mothers would call "nice clothes," were not amused. "It’s all nerves," said Brian Wilson, an 18-year-old preparing to talk about steroid use in baseball. For more than 600 near-graduates at North and South high schools this week, completing the senior project was nothing to joke about — especially this year. State budget battles and eroded school days have made finishing the capstone projects, begun in the late 1980s, more difficult than ever. "I definitely think it’s had an effect," said Ruth Ann Schwada, a senior English teacher who organized the senior boards, as they’re called, at North High. "We’ve been meeting at 6:30 a.m. every day for the last two weeks," she said. "We’ve met on the weekends, we’ve met after school, because they had to get this done." Some students had to limit the scale of their projects to accommodate 10 fewer days of class and less teacher supervision, Sam added. "The project quality and diversity is maybe not as great as in the past," he said. Still, by the time they gathered for oral presentations on Thursday and Friday, this year’s seniors were as ready as any others. They’d written multi-page papers on topics from the influence of entertainment and creation of Egyptian mummies to treatment for Crohn’s disease and the life of Sir Isaac Newton. They’d completed at least 20 hours of community service on projects that ranged from snow trips with grade-schoolers and coaching a Little League team to teaching their peers the basics of calculus. Now, all that remained were the opinions of several judges, teachers and community members who volunteered for the task. "This afternoon I thought, in one hour, I will do my speech and it will determine whether I graduate or not," said Clint Russell, 18, the calculus whiz. He needn’t have worried. One judge, Lisa Kornstad of Medford, said she was impressed with the presentations she saw — and with the project’s effects on students. "I think it helps them with time management and organization," said Kornstad. Kornstad’s daughter is a North High senior who finished her project Thursday. The students recognized the value, too. "It encompasses everything you’ve learned," observed Russell. "It’s a capstone." At the same time, it’s an exhausting task, said senior Shannon Leever, 17. Her paper focused on arguments in favor of expansion of the Mount Ashland ski area, while her project was to help with a snow camp. "They shouldn’t put this much pressure on kids," she said, laughing. All of Friday’s participants agreed that the best part of the yearlong project was being done. "A burden just lifted off my back," said Russell, minutes after his final remarks. "It feels really good right now." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times