Andrada Polytechnic High School Senior Exit Project Handbook
2015-2016
Table of Contents
• Welcome letter
• Timeline
• Parental Consent Form
• Project proposal guidelines
• Internship Requirements
o Overview and Requirements
o Time Log Sheets
• Writing Component
o Paper requirements
• Journal Information
• Portfolio expectations
• Presentation requirements
Academic Diversity, Preparation for College and Career, High Expectations for Personal Responsibility, Self- Determination and Support
12960 S. Houghton Road, Tucson, Arizona 85641 ~ Phone 520-879-3304 ~ Fax 520-879-2076
Vail Unified School District #20
Andrada Polytechnic High School Senior Class and Parents:
Congratulations on reaching your senior year and with that, the Arizona School Board Association award
winning Senior Exit Project (SEP). The Vail School District Governing Board requires all students
graduating in this district to successfully complete the Senior Exit Project. The SEP is broken down into
three major components: practical/internship, written, and oral.
As with everything else at Andrada, SEP looks different from any other high school in the Vail Unified
School District. Students will participate in a 120 hour internship program through which they will
receive 1 credit. Students will be able to obtain the 120 hours in the following way: 60 hours of internship,
40 hours of volunteer work, and 20 hours of workshop time. This SEP is not shadowing. Students are
expected to professionally participate in scheduled internship opportunities and truly be engrossed in the
career.
Senior classes will focus on the writing components of the SEP, primarily the research paper and the
putting together of the final presentation. Other aspects of this project, such as the personal journals, will be
completed outside of the classroom setting.
We are excited to provide you with a worthwhile opportunity that prepares you for the workforce. Please
put care and attention into this project.
Sincerely,
The Andrada SEP Board
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2015-2016 Senior Exit Project Timeline
Please use these guidelines in order to manage your time. Use this to organize yourself in order to
complete the project effectively.
Important Due Dates:
Research Paper Due – November 19, 2015
Internship Hours Due – April 7, 2016
Portfolio Due – April 7, 2016
Senior Project Presentations – May 5, 2016
ASAP/No later than August: Students should make contact with their mentors and begin their
internship hours. Parental consent forms and project proposals should be completed and submitted
prior to the first day of the student internship and no later than August 20, 2015.
September: Students should submit research paper topics to their SEP teachers for approval.
Research for the essay should begin at this time. Students should also begin weekly journal entries
and provide photographic evidence of their work for their portfolio.
October: Students should complete a rough draft of their research paper by the end of this month and
begin peer editing. They should continue their weekly journal entries, and should continue their
internship hours.
November: The research paper must be printed in proper MLA format and submitted to SEP
teachers no later than Thursday, November 19, 2015. Students who submit essays late or do not
receive a minimum of a 70% will be required to attend mandatory tutoring and will have to resubmit
the essay on or before December 11, 2015 for a maximum potential grade of 70%.
December: Students should continue to work in their internship and update their journals on a
weekly basis. Students who did not receive a passing grade on their essay will come to tutoring and
will re- submit their essays by December 11, 2015.
January: Students should continue to work in their internship and update their journals on a
weekly basis.
February: Students should be approaching the end of their internship period. They should be focused
on completing their portfolios and begin creating their presentations.
March: Students should conclude their internship by April 7th. They should use this time to compile
evidence of the time they spent working and any lessons learned. They should also collect letters of
recommendation, awards, and a resume for their portfolio.
April: Students must have their internship and portfolios completed and ready for grading by
Thursday, April 7, 2015. Students must complete their portfolios and receive a minimum of 70% to be
eligible for their Senior Exit Project Presentations. Students who do not receive a 70% or above must
attend mandatory tutoring and must resubmit their portfolios by April 23, 201. Senior Exit Project
Presentations will be held on Thursday, May 5, 2016. Students must receive a minimum of 70% to
graduate. If a student fails the presentation they will be given an additional 10 days to prepare and
present again for a maximum grade of 70%.
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Parental Consent Form
I understand that in the Vail School District a Senior Exit Project is required in
order to graduate from high school.
As a parent/guardian of
, I am aware that my son/daughter must complete
and pass the three phases of the Senior Exit Project (research paper, internship (120
hours) with portfolio, and the presentation). Any plagiarism of the research paper will
result in failure of the entire project.
Ensure that you are aware of expenses, or other special needs the project may require.
Consult with your son/daughter if you have any concerns. The senior project is
mandatory but your son/daughter may choose the project. In the space provided below
please outline your son/daughter's project so that we can ensure that all parties
involved understand the commitment that _______________________ is
undertaking.
Explanation: (Please use the back of the paper if more room is needed)
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
I agree to release the school district and its employees from all claims arising from
financial obligation incurred, or damage, injury, or accidents suffered while my
son/daughter participates in the project that he/she has chosen.
Parent/Guardian:
Print Name:
Signature:
Home or Cell Phone:
Student Signature:
Date:
Email:
Date:
This form must be signed and returned to the Senior Project advisor before beginning
the project. The parent of the student AND Mr. Still or Ms. Schweitzer must approve
the breakdown of the internship hours BEFORE the student begins their project.
*Andrada Polytechnic High School urges seniors to consider the safety and financial
consequences when selecting a project. Illegal, immoral, dangerous, or projects that
violate school rules will not be approved.
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Project Proposal Guidelines
Students are expected to find their own internship. Once the student has selected how
he/she will complete the internship, he/she will submit a project proposal. This
proposal must be approved by Mr. Still or Ms. Schweitzer.
Students must submit the following for their proposal:
1. Students must write a project proposal in the form of a one-page business letter to
their SEP teacher. The letter should address the following:
A.
B.
C.
D.
How the internship is a significant learning experience
How the internship will meet the required 120 mandatory hours
How the internship involves active participation and not simple shadowing
How the internship is supported by a mentor that is not directly related to the
student
E. How the internship is student driven
F. How the internship will be completed
G. How the internship will benefit the student
H. Contact for your mentor (email, phone number)
2. A timeline for completion must be submitted. This should clearly identify details
of the plan to complete the required hours. The student must address how they
will fully complete 120 hours, explaining in detail each aspect of their internship.
After the written components are submitted to and reviewed by the SEP teacher, the
student may be called in to clarify or revise particular aspects of his or her project.
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Internship Requirements
As previous stated students are expected to complete a total of 120 internship
hours. These hours will be obtained in the following ways:
1. Career Centered Internship: 60- 120 hour requirement
Students will be expected to complete 60 hours within a field of
interest. Students will act as if they are employees of the company and
be expected to participate in hands-on activities to get the full experience
of how the company runs. Students are REQUIRED to have a mentor for
this experience. The mentor selected cannot be of relation to the student
NOR can it be a teacher on the Andrada Campus.
Mentor Responsibilities:
A. As a mentor you will be providing an opportunity for students to fully
engage in a work-like experience. Although you do not need to be with
your intern at all times, it is expected that you provide them with
direction on what they will be doing.
B. Mentors will be responsible for signing off on the student’s hours.
Interns are expected to keep track of their own hours, but will require a
signature to show proof of hour completion. Mentors should expect a
phone call to confirm signatures.
C. Mentors will be expected to write a recommendation for the student (if
the student is deserving of such). This recommendation will go in their
portfolio to be viewed by staff and community members. This
recommendation should highlight the following:
a. Work Ethic of the intern
b. Commitment of the intern
c. Effectiveness of the intern
d. Professionalism of the intern
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2. Volunteer Hours: 40 hour option
Students will be expected to complete 40 hours of community service.
Community service can consist of anything from helping out at a homeless
shelter, to cleaning up a local park, to throwing a local blood drive. Again,
students will need to get these hours approved. Although one, specific mentor
is not expected, students are REQUIRED to have a signature for each hour of
completion.
3. Workshop Hours: 20 hour option
Students will also be expected to complete 20 hours in workshops.
Workshops can consists of speakers on Andrada’s campus, to speakers at the
University of Arizona, or any other local workshop approved by Mr. Still or
Ms. Schweitzer. Although one, specific mentor is not expected, it is required
for students to have a signature for each hour completed. Also, students are
expected to put brochures, activities, pictures, etc. in their portfolio from the
workshop attended. In essence, there should be proof of completion of such
workshop.
*If a student decides to obtain an internship with a mentor for the full 120
hours, that is of course permitted and much encouraged. Otherwise,
breakdown questions and approvals must be discussed with Mr. Still or Ms.
Schweitzer.
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Timesheet
This is an example of a timesheet that will be filled out by the student and
signed by the mentor.
Duties
Date
Number of hours
Mentor Initials
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Project Journal Information
It is important to reflect on your internship experiences as the year
progresses. Please see the bullets below for important information specific
to your project journaling.
• Journaling will take place throughout the internship and are to
be TYPED in a Word Document that will be printed and put in
your portfolio.
• The journal will consist of the experience from the student's perspective.
• Students should update journals a minimum of 15 times, with
substantial, interesting submission of no less than 12 sentences about
their internship experience as well as their hours worked.
• Journals will be available for judges to read during the presentation, so
students should be appropriate and formal when writing.
Professional language and attention to the six writing traits are
required.
• Please handle conflicts professionally in your journal. What you
write is public and reflects all parties involved, your internship
location, and Andrada.
• Please include additional resources to help show everyone about your
internship. Videos and pictures are encouraged!
• When journaling, comment on things like professionalism in the work
place, interesting stories that occur, how you are affected by the
experience, what you did on a specific day, or how you felt during an
event that occurred. Please mix up your journals so that not every day
is about the same thing!
• Students must put date of submission each time and be clear about
the days discussed in the journal.
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Writing Component
You must successfully complete a proper research paper, in accordance with the standards outlined in
this packet, in order to pass your Senior Exit Project.
1. Your topic MUST address a critical issue related to your career field, but not about the job
itself.
Acceptable Examples:
1. If you are doing a project on pediatric nursing, a possible paper topic could be
“Autism and Vaccines: Is There a Link?”
2. If you are doing a project on elementary education, a possible paper topic could be
“The Impact of No Child Left Behind Legislation.”
3. If you are doing a project on the medical field, a possible paper topic could be
“Alternative Medicine and Health Insurance.”
4. If you are doing a project on law enforcement, a possible paper topic could be
“Police (should/should not) be able to eavesdrop on suspected terrorists without a warrant.”
Unacceptable Examples:
1. Any paper regarding “How to become a ….”
2. Any paper regarding “Schooling needed to become a...”
3. Any paper regarding “How much money is made by a ...”
4. Any paper regarding “A day in the life of a...”
5. Any paper regarding “The history of...”
2. Proper MLA format, found in your Research & Documentation in the Electronic Age, by Diana
Hacker, must be used. If you prefer an online version, we recommend the formatting and style
guide found at the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) or Diana Hacker. No paper will be
accepted that does not follow this format. All papers must include the following:
▪ Title Page
▪ 10-12 page paper (not including Title Page or Works Cited pages)
▪ Works Cited Page
3. Sources:
a. Minimum of five sources.
i. One primary source
ii. At least four secondary sources
1. A MINIMUM of ONE print source must be used.
2. No more than one general reference encyclopedia, including online
encyclopedias, may be used as a source. Wikipedia is NOT a credible source.
4. Parenthetical citations within the paper must follow MLA format and be a
mixture of paraphrasing, summarizing, and direct quotes.
5. Rough drafts must include ALL parts required for final draft.
6. ALL sources and materials MUST be available whenever required by Senior Exit teacher.
7.
All papers are due by Thursday, November 18, 2015 and MUST BE PRINTED.
Electronic copies may also be requested based on the teach
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Portfolio Checklist
Each of these will be individually graded in you SEP class.
Appearance
Project Proposal
_____
Timeline
_____
Research Paper
_____
Internship Journals
_____
Timesheet
_____
Photos from internship experience (minimum of 5)
Letter of recommendation from the mentor
Resume
Plans for Next Year (1 page write up)
_____
Special awards or recognitions
(if applicable)
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Presentation Requirements
As a final portion of the Andrada Senior Exit Project, students will be asked to prepare a
presentation based on their internship experience. The presentation gives students the opportunity to
inform others about what they've learned while at the workplace. It will incorporate information from
the paper, the portfolio, and the internship hours. Students will present this information to a selection of
Andrada staff, and community members. Each of the students will be informed on their presentation
time.
1. Time:
All presentations should be 8-10 minutes. Within this time frame students should interact
with their audience and inform them about their experience in a creative way. Eight to ten
minutes should provide students with enough time to introduce themselves, present their
information, and provide conclusions.
2. Visual Aid:
It is important to provide visual aid for the audience. This will allow the audience to become
more involved in the presentation, while also allowing them to get a better idea of the
internship experience. This would be an excellent way to present something created during
the internship.
3. Professionalism:
As with all professions, it is important to “dress to impress.” Students should be in attire
that is appropriate to wear to a business presentation.
Men: Dress pants, collared shirt, tie
Women: Dress or pant suit
Shoes: No tennis shoes
4. Delivery:
It is important to present information in a cohesive manner. The presentation should flow
naturally with use of proper transitions.
5. Question and answer: 10 points
It is important for the student to engage with the audience (judges). Students should have
questions prepared to ask the audience and should also be prepared to answer any questions
judges ask.
6. Content:
Students should have valuable and relevant information in their presentations. Students
should combine elements from their portfolio, paper, and internship experience in their
presentation. No fluff.
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