Senior Project 2021-2022 kicks off with luncheon and team building  

Senior Project is back! 

On Friday, October 8, members of the class of 2022 gathered in the courtyard of the high school atrium for a kick-off event presented by program advisors Ms. Jeanine Fogler and Mr. Nick DiLeo. The seniors were treated to lunch, and then learned how to get going on the important first step of their year-long projects — choosing their Senior Project topic. But, not before a fun Oreo cookie icebreaker! 

“This is Warwick Valley High School’s fifteenth year taking part in this nationally-recognized program,” said Ms. Fogler. “Students really look forward to the Senior Project. So do we and so do the people who act as mentors and judges. It’s become an important part of our high school culture over the years, and Mr. DiLeo and I couldn’t be more excited to kick things off with this enthusiastic group of seniors.”  

What about those Oreos? (See below for photos of the fun.)

“The Oreo challenge,” said Ms. Fogler, explaining the team-building exercise. “The students put an Oreo on their forehead and, without using their hands, try to use the muscles in their face to get the Oreo to slide into their mouths. It gets the students laughing, and they all begin cheering for one another in support.”

Students who take part in the Senior Project choose a topic that interests them. They are then expected to create college-level work over the course of the school year, as they fulfill the program’s “Four P’s”: the Project (aka, the topic), the Paper, the Portfolio, and the Presentation. 

Once a student chooses their topic, they must identify and work with a mentor who is an expert in their field of choice. Over the course of the year, seniors devote hours to research, writing, mentor sessions, planning, editing, and more. They must meet milestones along the way, including multiple drafts of their papers, until the program culminates in June with final presentations before a panel of judges.  

“The students who choose to take on the challenges that this program presents really do embody the characteristics of our district’s Portrait of Graduate,” said Mr. DiLeo. “They dive into this with such excitement, even knowing that this is a rigorous program that demands high-level problem-solving; that it demands strong communication and collaboration. Senior Project attracts the kind of go-for-it, eager students who I know will be lifelong learners down the road,” 

The Class of 2022 will formally announce their Senior Project topics during a presentation to be held at the high school in December.

Members of the Class of 2022 gather for the kick-off event of the Senior Project. Here they are in the midst of an icebreaker/team-building exercise.