In an effort to provide all students with an education that leads them to being college and career-ready, students will participate in a career-related internship and/or develop a career-related capstone project. With this in mind, all STEM students are required to complete a capstone project by the second week of April their senior year. Students may COMPLETE their capstone after completing 5 semesters in the STEM program. These projects are a way to allow students to uniquely show their talents related to their pathway of interest. Reflecting on who they are while showing what they want to do, the project provides students with the opportunity to explore a career of personal or professional interest and to address the latest trends or issues through focused study and applied research. The project allows students to demonstrate their ability to synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills acquired in their academic program to real-world issues and problems. These final projects should affirm students' ability to think critically and creatively, to solve practical problems, to make reasoned and ethical decisions, and to communicate effectively. STEM students, in either the Biotechnology or Engineering pathway, should endeavor to actively integrate and apply all they have learned as part of the FCHS STEM Academy in the development, implementation, and analysis of a practical, hands-on project that addresses a problem or issue encountered by the student during their program of study. Students should seek a project that requires a creative solution and that they have a personal interest in solving the problem.

 

The Senior Capstone Project at FCHS Stem Academy is a demonstration of knowledge in the student’s chosen field of interest which results in a product/ project, research data, research paper, portfolio of work, and a presentation. This experience encourages students to use a variety of skills in the areas of writing, speaking, research, and documentation. It should be noted that students are not bound by their pathway and may choose a project that is cross curricular in nature.