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By Carey King
As Jessica Sims passed slices of cake she'd baked to fellow students
in teacher Kim Hardy's Smoky Mountain High senior English class,
she promised her friends she'd out-do her blue-and-white, star-studded
dessert next time she brings sweets to school.
"This is not my final project," she emphasized. "I'm
making a three-tiered wedding cake for my presentation."
Sims is just one of more than 100 Smoky Mountain High School seniors
busy working on individual projects each must complete in order
to graduate. They are working against the deadline of Senior Boards,
two nights in early December when seniors give eight- to 10-minute
presentations before five-judge panels composed of teachers and
community members. The scores students receive on those presentations
will count as their end-of-course grades.
However, with just over a month left to go before that hurdle,
students in Hardy's class celebrated each other's hard work Oct.
21 by presenting their projects to their peers.
Sims shared her cake, Stefany Wargono displayed dresses she'd
made, Dana Thorne exhibited model trains, Matthew Kuehn described
blacksmithing, Jewel Petrilli showed off her beadwork and Tonya
Maloy explained how to cut hair.
They've already completed the majority of their projects, which
began early in the school year when students chose topics to explore
and linked with community members to mentor them in those specific
subjects, Hardy said. Each senior's mentor - who must be
unrelated to the student and older than 21 - has since spent a
minimum of 15 hours advising, coaching and teaching students in
their specific area of study.
Senior Stefany Wargono models the evening dress she made with
advice from her senior project mentor, Ginny Welsh of Cullowhee.
Wargono moved to the U.S. a year ago from her home in Surabaya,
Indonesia. - Herald photo by Nick Breedlove
Now, students are in the process of pulling together
results, which must include a six- to 12-page paper and some
sort of "tangible, physical product" of their work,
Hardy said.
At Hardy's "product party," the first-ever held
at the school, Maloy displayed wigs she'd styled and answered
friends' question about cutting and coloring hair.
"A lot of people ask me to do their hair," she said,
"I can't yet because I don't have my license. But I cut my
mom's hair two weeks ago, and she said it looked good."
Maloy plans to transform her project into a career as soon as
possible. She will take cosmetology courses at Southwestern Community
College next semester and said she hopes to open her own salon
as soon as she gets enough experience.
"It’s real hair," said Smoky Mountain High senior
Tonya Maloy to classmates as she explained her senior project.
After studying hair cutting and styling with mentor Pam Gribble,
Maloy plans to enroll in Southwestern Community College's the
two-year cosmetology program in the spring. - Herald photo
by Nick Breedlove
While not all students view their senior project
as a chance to explore a career interest, the experience is an
important teaching tool since it requires students to develop
skills beyond those evaluated on most end-of-course tests, Hardy
said.
A senior project engages communication skills, creative thinking
and writing skills as well as allows students to develop important
ties to the community, Hardy said.
Kuehn, who is completing a project on blacksmithing, agreed. In
addition to developing a relationship with his mentor, Nathan
Jenkins, Kuehn received help from Mountain Projects, a federally-funded
community action agency.
Mountain Projects provides financial assistance to students, donating
up to $200 for their projects. In addition, the organization helps
students develop photographs and assists in speech practice. Hardy
estimates that Mountain Projects aided about 15 of her students
this year.
"They're great," Kuehn said.
As evidence, Pat Bennett, one of two Mountain Projects staff that
works with Smoky Mountain students, was on hand at the product
party to cheer the seniors for the challenges they've met and
the progress they've made.
Hardy says that senior projects are meant to be tough on students.
"It has to be a challenge. It has to stretch them,"
she said.
When students propose project topics, the entire SMHS staff has
a hand in their approval, to ensure that every teacher feels that
every senior is pushing themselves sufficiently.
Petrilli, a student who recently transferred to SMHS, said that
senior projects have a reputation for being demanding. Hers, on
Cherokee beadwork, required "a lot of time and patience."
"I came to Smoky Mountain because it's more of a challenge
here. I kind of dreaded it, though, because I knew it would be
hard," she said.
Hardy and the three other senior English teachers - Julie Gentry,
Pam Preston and Rachelle Sampl - push their students to high standards,
Hardy said. SMHS students have been completing senior projects
since the 1998-99 school year.
While the teachers are busy planning to treat students with a
post-Senior Boards celebration breakfast Dec. 10, students are
making a final push to complete products, papers and presentations.
For cake-baker Sims, that means wrapping up wedding cake research
and actually constructing the three-tiered confection she's promised
her fellow students.
Her challenge, she says, will be perfecting her icing skills.
"The difference between baking at home and baking professionally
is the crumbs. At home, no one cares if you have crumbs,"
said Sims.
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