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Senior Project celebrates its 19th year of successful student projects

senior project students wearing their yellow sashes stand together outdoors for a group photo

Last Thursday evening, thirteen Warwick Valley High School seniors celebrated the successful completion of their year-long Senior Projects at a banquet and sashing ceremony.

The banquet, hosted in the high school atrium by Senior Project advisors and WVHS teachers Jeanine Fogler, Danielle Bugash-Knebel, and Ryan DiCostanzo, welcomed students, their families, project mentors, high school administration, district leadership, and board of education members. Following dinner, guests moved into the auditorium for the formal ceremony, where students were presented with their graded portfolios and graduation sashes.

Reflecting on the program’s journey, Ms. Fogler remarked, “We have seen this program grow from small beginnings 19 years ago to a program that incoming freshmen are already talking about and planning for,” underscoring how Senior Project has become “part of our culture here at the High School.” 

A large screen displaying "Our Crowning Moment: The Senior Project Closing Ceremony June 4, 2026" is in the foreground, while a stage with a speaker and audience seating is in the background.


Read this story about the first meeting of the 2025-2026 Senior Project group.

The Monday evening prior, the Senior Project students presented their final projects during adjudicated boards. The judging panels comprised administrators and faculty from the Warwick Valley Central School District, community members, and Senior Project alumni. Each 20-minute session included follow-up questions from the judges.

This year’s cohort tackled an impressive range of topics—from making music videos and running a charity yoga fundraiser, to learning musical instruments, writing books, foraging for food, exploring interior design, working with international politicians, supporting special education, and even mastering a new language. “They challenged themselves to incredible lengths, they solved problems, planned and executed sometimes what seemed to us, the impossible,” said Ms. Fogler, commending the students’ drive and creativity.

Read this story about the 2025-2026 Senior Project topic announcement event. 

Senior Project combines project-based learning, real-world performance opportunities, and professional networking to provide participants with invaluable experience and insight into their fields of interest. The class is largely self-led, providing a relevant and challenging test of graduates’ readiness for today’s fast-paced, global community. The rigorous course includes completing “The 4 P’s”:

  • Project: Each student chooses a topic to study and sets goals to accomplish with their mentor.
  • Paper: A collegiate-level paper, seven to ten pages in length, presenting the student’s knowledge, findings, and outcomes.
  • Portfolio: A chronicle of each student’s process, including documentation, correspondence, photos, and other project materials.
  • Presentation: An oral presentation on their topic and outcomes to a panel of judges from the district and community.

“To say we are proud of all of you is an understatement,” Ms. Fogler told the students. “You inspire us, you make us appreciate hard work and dedication, and you make us reflect on why we became educators in the first place.”

A highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of this year’s Excellence in Senior Project Award. Ms. Fogler presented the award to Madelyn Montgomery, who raised $1,000 for the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Council of Orange County through a yoga fundraiser she organized — and led! — as part of her project. 

A young woman in a pink dress holds a "Senior Project" award while standing next to an adult woman in a blue and white patterned dress, with a dark blue curtain in the background.

Ms. Fogler pointed out that year after year, and now decade after decade, Senior Project students have truly embodied the program’s motto: Explore your passion; discover yourself! 

“Thank you, seniors, for once again taking the Senior Project program to a whole new level this year,” she beamed. 

Please join us in congratulating this year’s Senior Project participants: Nino Barabadze, Jazmyne Bonadies, Caralina Cassara, Christopher DeFranco, Maya Fong, Koji Hanauer, Victoria Martinez, Madelyn Montgomery, Robert Morris, Daniel Page, Willow Reid, Riley Seijas, and Natalia Yacab.

SENIOR PORTRAIT CELEBRATION GALLERY

A smiling young woman in a yellow dress holds a sign for her senior project in the foreground, while a stage with a podium and an audience member is visible in the background.
A young woman in a yellow sash smiles at the camera holding a binder, while a stage with a podium and a screen is visible in the background.
A young man in a yellow sash stands proudly in the foreground holding awards, while a dimly lit auditorium with tiered seating forms the background.
A smiling graduate in a colorful stole holds a binder in the foreground, while a list of names and a podium are visible in the background.
A smiling young person in the foreground holds a blue binder and a yellow sash, while in the background, a stage with a projector screen and wooden floor is visible.
A young woman in a floral dress and a yellow sash stands in the foreground holding a certificate, while the background shows a dimly lit auditorium with tiered seating and a large screen.
A young man in a white shirt and yellow sash stands in the foreground holding a book, while a list of names is projected on a screen in the background.
A young woman with colorful streaks in her hair stands in the foreground holding a decorated binder, while in the background, a stage with a podium and a screen displaying names is visible.
A young man in a white shirt and yellow sash stands in the foreground holding a clear award, while a blurred background shows a stage with blue curtains and a podium.
Two smiling women in the foreground hold bouquets and gift bags, while a large screen in the background displays a group of people.
A smiling young woman in a floral dress and yellow sash holds a binder and medal in the foreground, while a screen with names and a podium with a person are visible in the background.
A smiling young woman in a yellow sash stands in the foreground holding a binder, while a graduation ceremony with a podium and audience is visible in the background.
A smiling girl in a red dress and yellow sash holds a framed certificate on a stage with a graduation list in the background.
A group of graduates in yellow sashes stand on a sidewalk in front of a tree-lined lawn.
A woman speaks at a podium adorned with a floral arrangement in front of a dark curtain.
A young woman in a black dress and yellow sash stands in the foreground holding a binder and award, while a stage with blue curtains and a podium is visible in the background.
A young man in a suit and a woman in a sparkly dress sit on chairs on a stage with a floral arrangement in the foreground and a blue curtain in the background.