Capstones have become a staple around Woodgrove. They adorn the hallway walls and are present throughout the campus. Every year, the majority of the senior class says goodbye to their tenure at Woodgrove by giving back to the school or community for a two week period at the end of May.
English teacher Ms. Andrea Elbaum has been coordinating capstone projects for two years. According to Elbaum, her role is mostly hands off, as she facilitates the necessary paperwork, but leaves everything else up to the seniors. “I oversee and I give feedback on the ideas, but really, students should be pursuing things that they are interested in,” said Elbaum.
Murals have been some of the most popular capstones since Woodgrove started the program. They can be seen gracing almost every wall in the hallways, and are a way for students to leave a lasting legacy at the school before they leave. Murals became a popular option years ago when Woodgrove was worried about potential competition from Loudoun Valley High School for community based capstone projects, so the majority of projects stayed on campus.
However, the Woodgrove administration and Ms. Elbaum have moved towards discouraging more murals for capstone projects and encouraging students to instead pursue a projects outside of the school. “As great as it is to do things on campus, there are so many other opportunities outside of school,” said Elbaum.
Many capstone projects involve the environment and keeping the community clean through things such as picking up trash and planting gardens or trees. Career focused capstone projects are another great opportunity for students to explore their passion and maybe even receive an internship and jumpstart their potential career.
“The students are taking the initiative to get these internships,” said Elbaum. “We’re not just handing the internships to them. I think that is one of the most meaningful parts of Capstone [projects], is getting students comfortable with asking for things and showing their responsibility.”
Capstones can be seen as a transition from high school student to adult. It is important for seniors to choose a project that is beneficial to them and their future, whether that is helping out the school or community, or helping out someone in the career field that they are pursuing.