WHS Holds Senior Project Night

WHS student Katie Branstetter displays the marionette she made for her senior project. (Herald / Chris Costanzo)

Whitcomb High School’s graduating seniors held their Senior Project Night Thursday, March 27, six weeks earlier than usual. 

Traditionally, WHS seniors have carried out their projects entirely during their senior year, but last year, the school decided that future seniors would begin their projects in the summer before their senior year, and then work on it in phases while receiving grades for each phase.

"We want the seniors to produce their project as much as possible during the summer, and devote the senior school year to writing it up,"" said WHS teacher Paul Noiseux, who oversaw the program. He noted that seniors have their hands full with countless other chores as they approach graduation, so it’s beneficial to start and finish their projects at an earlier date.

After displaying their projects in the school gym last Thursday, the seniors then went to different classrooms to explain to their graders, parents, and friends, how they did them, and what they learned from the experience. Each kept a journal over the year as they carried out their project and approached a skilled mentor" for guidance. 

Sarah Chap transformed herself into a skilled craftsman and built a guitar from scratch and Sarah Ellis taught herself to play one. Jason Andrews approached music from a more abstract angle and delved into musical theory and composition. 

Cooking and food was a hot topic. Dan Newell expounded on the art of cooking, while Chris Newell demonstrated the science of preparing soups. Maple syrup connoisseur Tyler Young, long accustomed to tasting the stuff, learned to build a "sugar arch" with which to make it.  Erin Michaud discussed the intricacies of kitchen design, raising aspects that others had not considered before, while Erin Judge explored, learned and explained the elements of food catering.

Elizabeth Brown learned the essentials of photography, while Jason Rogers got into sports photography and Cailyn Shepherd specialized in the photography of people and landscapes. As a related topic, Adam Chamberlain explored the graphic arts.

Building and crafts were well represented. Stephanie Antiuk displayed a large quilt she had made, having learned that there is a lot more to it than just sewing together a lot of patches. Katie Branstetter made an elaborate marionette with all the complicated strings and control devices, and Jesse Richards built a large bookcase fine enough to grace any home. Jerrid Russ built an amazing home entertainment center and Matthew Washburn, equipped with an array of carpenter’s tools and designs, explained all the steps for building a porch onto a house. Kristen Sennett outlined the difficulties and rewards of interior decorating, learned while giving her room a makeover.

Chris Hudson got a real handle on modern life by learning how to build computers, while Tyler Salls learned how to repair and restore them. Travis Hunt tackled the daunting but rewarding task of restoring an old Ford Mustang.

Art and society projects included Jennifer Turk’s creation of a poetry book. Ashley Ford learned to paint and produce faithful landscapes on canvas from various photographs. Gretchen Williams catalogued all the tombstones in Bethel-Gilead cemetery, and created a genealogical web site with her work. Josh Smith delved into the history of Boston’s venerable Fenway Park, illustrating it with a detailed scale model he built.  Amanda Lewis learned about the law-making process by working as a congressional page in Washington.

Aaron Isham learned the art of bass fishing, while Dan Gauthier listed all the steps for getting lifeguard certification. Crystal Hopkins learned how to be a pharmacy technician, while Jamie Tabor acquired the understanding necessary to work with children with Down’s Syndrome.

"We had some really unique projects this year,"" said senior projects adviser Noiseux, "and the seniors put in a great effort." " 

By Chris Costanzo