Senior Blackman Collegiate Academy members are excited to finish their final year of high school. However, they must first complete their culminating capstone project. This rigorous program is finished with a rigorous course where students are required to write a Literature Review, assemble and carry out a project and present their findings to a panel of critics.
Plagued with well-known “senioritis,” it is important for these upperclassmen to finish out strong and not procrastinate. This is especially true for the very busy BCA students.
Senior Maya Williams detailed her struggle with Capstone, “What stresses me out about Capstone is probably the deadlines.” Williams is doing her research on third places—areas outside of school and work—and their effects on mental health and social connection. She illuminates how multiple deadlines since the beginning of school have caused her to ruin her sleep schedule to get it all done.
Senior Lilly McWilliams feels the same, “I feel like I’m prepared but so unprepared for it.” She is focusing her capstone on chemicals in fast fashion and their effect on health and wellbeing, another area of research that requires her to spend strenuous time.
BCA students do not only have capstone work; they typically have multiple Advanced Placement, honors and Dual Enrollment classes stacked on top of that. Both Williams and McWilliams are heavily involved in their school and are taking multiple accelerated courses, as this is encouraged by the BCA program.
For this reason, it is important to plan out time to work on certain classes to meet deadlines. Despite one’s wishes, planning out time to do even the tiniest thing can make the biggest impact. Both students echo that staying on top of work is a must if you do not want to fall behind. BCA students are all given syllabi at the beginning of the school year, so it can be very beneficial to put time aside every day to work towards deadlines.
Among all the stressors, it is also important to put time aside for oneself. Constant working may cause burn out or mental decline. Spending an hour hanging out with friends or doing things you enjoy can relieve some of the worries. Williams mentions music as one of her ways to alleviate stress.
Most importantly, it is important to confide in the community of others. There are many other students who are, will be, or have been in the same situation. Don’t bottle up feelings and frustrations. Rely on others to be a support system who can help or at least listen.
No matter how one may cope with Capstone, the endeavor will not be for naught. This will mark the outstanding academic achievements and dedication to BCA and Blackman. So, Capstone seniors, finish out strong!
