Projects give seniors a taste of real world

Students at Gulf and River Ridge high schools have been toiling to complete their works. As graduation approaches, those efforts come to fruition.

By MICHELE MILLER

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 19, 2000

NEW PORT RICHEY -- When it comes to senior projects, it's make-or-break time for some Pasco County seniors. While senior projects include the traditional research paper, students at Gulf and River Ridge high schools also have been working to complete a physical project that involves working with the community.

Senior Camillo Garcia is proud to be a product of Gulf High School. So when it came time to hone in on his senior project, Camillo decided his presentation would focus on spreading the word about his school while giving him some experience toward a career in public relations. Camillo planned a Community Expo at the New Port Richey Public Library that highlighted an assortment of school clubs and student achievements.

"I wanted to do something that wrapped it all up -- the big show," Camillo said.

At River Ridge, Savannah Riegg worked hard to pull off a field day for 20 local foster children. Included in her senior project was a 10-page research paper about what a child might encounter during his or her journey through the foster care system.

Like Camillo, Savannah also was enrolled in the Arts and Communication Learning Community at her school. Although she's not sure what she'll do in the future -- possibly speech pathology -- Savannah says she's leaning toward a career that will involve working with people, "probably kids."

Both Camillo and Savannah said they had to learn about networking to ensure the success of their events, calling on students as well as community members to help out.

Camillo said he contacted John Heagney, president of John Heagney Public Relations, to give him some helpful hints.

"He gave me a lot of insight on how to deal with the media -- how to write press releases, like to make sure yours stands out but is brief and to the point," Camillo said.

And Camillo also got help from some of his classmates. Members of student clubs at Gulf came out for the Community Expo with posterboard backdrops covered with photos and information.

At River Ridge, students helped out with field day activities such as face painting and games for the children. Some cheerleaders showed up to teach a cheerleading clinic. Savannah also worked with Laurie Mykel, a Department of Children and Families caseworker, who was more than willing to bring children out for the event. Camillo and Savannah also spent time recruiting donations for refreshments and door prizes.

The senior project gets high marks from educators as well as some community members.

"This teaches time management and planning," said Karen Lawlor, an English teacher at River Ridge High. "A lot of kids in the school sometimes think, "I'll turn in everything at the end of the quarter.' Kids are not used to deadlines. With this (senior project) they're learning that they can't get away with turning in something a day late."

"I think it's good," said Kathy Trapp, career and occupational specialist at Gulf High. "It definitely gets kids to go beyond the walls of the classroom and look to the community. They have to talk to all these businesses and do phone interviews. It's really hard for them to do."

"Overall, any program that puts kids out into the community is excellent," Heagney said. "It gives them a real-life framework of what business is and how it operates."

Although students might find their niche while working on their senior projects, they also might discover that they're headed down the wrong road.

"It gives them a reality check and (can) cut through the misconceptions about a certain career," Heagney said.

Both Camillo and Savannah said they learned much through their senior project experience.

"This has been a real eye opener for me. I had no idea what a case worker in the foster care system does," said Savannah, adding that she hopes her field day would benefit foster children as well as some of her classmates who helped out. "I hope they learned something about what these kids go through. Maybe it will bring some awareness to kids my age, so maybe they'll volunteer."

Camillo said: "I really think the learning experience helped me to get my feet wet. It was kind of like a real-world situation. There were times when this got hard and you wonder, "Can I do this?' But I can see why this program will be a success. It's going to give us the skills we need to work in the world."

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