Click here for excerpts from one of the diaries, for Chelsey’s journal about the project, and for her reflections and performance rubric.

[Profiles of Learning addressed: History through Culture; Recorders of History; Literary and Arts Creation and Performance; Reading, Listening, and Viewing Complex Information; Diverse Perspectives]

ERIC  l  MODERN PHYSICS

“What I did for my senior project was create a web site [called Modern Physics Online]. I wanted to make the web site accessible to anyone who had an interest in physics, so they wouldn’t have to have any prior knowledge in physics. . . I also wanted to make the web site interactive, more than just a bunch of reports put up on the Internet.”

Eric traces his longstanding interest in physics to his reading of science fiction. He chose modern physics for his senior project, he says, because it was “broad enough to let me cover some of the older areas of physics, such as relativity and quantum mechanics, and also encompass some of the newer developments, such as high energy particle physics and string theory.” Having graduated from MNCS in spring 2002, Eric currently is pursuing a physics major in college but remains undecided about a future career. For now, his favorite area of physics is particle physics, because, as he explains, “I like learning about how the world interacts on the tiniest, tiniest scales.”

Click here for excerpts from Eric’s exhibition (the presentation of his senior project) and for his Modern Physics web site.

[Profiles of Learning addressed: Laws of Physics; History of Science; Research Process; Reading, Listening, and Viewing Complex Information; Technical Reading, Listening, and Viewing; Technical Applications; Technical Writing; Academic Writing; Public Speaking]

TABITHA  l  HENDERSON CORNER DRUG STORE

“If I’d never worked at Henderson Corner Drug, I would have never learned... the difficulties and frustrations of waxing a floor... not all customers are honest... a smile is the most important thing to take to work... it’s possible to make 85 single cones for a bus load of elderly people in about 35 minutes...”

An eleventh grader at MNCS, Tabitha has put in more than 50 hours per month for over two years working as a clerk at Henderson Corner Drug. “I am very proud to work there,” says Tabitha, adding that the store is one of only four remaining old-fashioned soda fountains in Minnesota. With duties ranging from tending the cash register, delivering prescriptions, and stocking shelves to scooping ice cream and training new staff, Tabitha has learned important life lessons. Chief among them, she says, is accepting responsibility for her mistakes, then taking the initiative to make amends. She plans another school project based on her work experience, this time researching the history of the store.

Click here for Tabitha’s final report about working at Henderson Corner Drug, which includes lessons learned, comments from co-workers, and her performance rubric.

[Profiles of Learning addressed: Occupational Experience; Community Interaction; Individual and Community Health; Interpersonal Communication]

ORE  l  ALGEBRA IN A FLASH

“My project is basically about creating a math program to help kids in Algebra One... I went through this math and I know how it felt and I know where I got confused... I decided if I made a [computer] program specific to the [Accelerated Plus] math system, that would probably help a lot of kids.”

Ore based his algebra web site program on his own experiences with the school’s computerized math program, Accelerated Plus, in which students master a series of objectives through online practice problems and tests. “I piled up notes from textbooks,” Ore says, “and from everybody that teaches math, and from my experience taking math,” to create a step-by-step program for mastering each objective. “I think that would help kids a lot more since it’s from a student.” Ore also surveyed 40 MNCS students to determine why kids don’t do projects on math. “What are the problems they face, and why are those problems there?” he asks, “Can I help? Can I improve the way math is? Can I improve the way people perceive math?” Though Ore graduated from MNCS in spring 2002 and has moved on to college, his math program remains behind, in use by current algebra students throughout the school.

Click here for Ore’s web site, “Algebra One in a Flash.”

[Profiles of Learning addressed: Algebraic Patterns; Math Research; Technical Applications; Reading, Listening, and Viewing Complex Information; Technical Reading, Listening, and Viewing; Technical Writing; Interpersonal Communication; Market Research; Case Study]

TIM  l  SCHOOL REFORM THROUGH THE EYES OF A STUDENT

“Before coming to MNCS, I thought of going into teaching. Now I know I will. I feel I’ve learned so much about teaching and learning. I feel I’m ahead of almost every undergrad who’s thinking of going into teaching. I’ve experienced so much here, thought so hard, feel so committed to teaching. I’ve built this commitment through my work at MNCS. I guess you’d say I’m a student of teaching and learning.”

Tim has made the school itself the focal point of much of his work at MNCS—from projects entitled “Learning Levels and School Improvement” and “Politics and Innovational Education” to his work as a math tutor and his attendance at education conferences. “I respect everything about this school and everything within it,” Tim declares, recognizing the importance of MNCS’s structures and policies not just to his own learning but for improving the school he loves. He views himself as an advocate, now and in the future, for the types of learning opportunities afforded him at MNCS. “I speak with visitors to the school every chance I get, which is my continued preparation and training for fighting in the political forum.”

Click here for an interview with Tim, with links to his reading list, the agenda and his journal from a recent school reform conference, and his learning level placement essay.

[Profiles of Learning addressed: Issues Analysis; Social Science Processes; Reading, Listening, and Viewing Complex Information; Academic Writing; Interpersonal Communication; New Product Development; Community Interaction]