Capstone: Learn – Do – Share

Jennifer Friborg, Capstone Coordinator
November 1, 2019

Would you like to be involved in the Capstone Program? Take a moment to check out the research topics of our eighth grade students. You’ll be amazed by the variety! Do you or someone you know have expertise or experience in one of these areas? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Eighth grade students are hard at work on their Capstone papers. The papers represent the first part of the triathlon that is the Capstone experience. They have crafted research questions about topics that are of personal interest to them, and they are showing lots of determination and pride as they refine their research into thoughtful papers.

Starting just after winter break, students will embark on the second leg of the triathlon. They will design a project that grows out of the knowledge they have gained during the research and writing phase, as well as what they still want to learn. In this phase students take charge of their own active learning. One aspect of the project phase is an interview, and this is where you come in! If you have contacts who could prove useful to students during the project phase, please be in touch with the Capstone Coordinator, Jennifer Friborg. Thanks in advance for your interest and support.  

Capstone Project Questions 2019-20

  • What are the advantages of hydroponics and how can it offset the effects of climate change?

  • What is synesthesia and what does it tell us about how the brain functions?

  • What can the US do to raise our education system to the standards of other countries’?

  • How does anxiety affect teenagers and how do they cope with it?

  • What is behavioral economics, and how is it used to manipulate us?

  • What is the history of sugar and how does it affect our daily lives?

  • What are stem cells and stem cell therapies and how are they being used today?

  • What is sneaker culture and what has contributed to it?

  • What are the impacts on commercial and recreational fishing?         

  • In Western art who were the artists who pushed boundaries to get us where we are today?

  • What roles do black holes play in the beginning and end of the universe?

  • What is ballroom culture and what does it tell us about community?

  • Should NCAA players get paid, and how might this affect the NFL?

  • How were Japanese Americans affected by the internment camp experience?

  • How are bananas a reflection of societal issues?

  • How can technology contribute to global food security?

  • How do you measure a company’s success?

  • How does the deportation process affect Latin American immigrant families today?

  • How can gene therapy help or hurt humans?

  • How does abortion affect women: struggles, laws, care?

  • Do Americans deserve reparations, and if so, which groups?

  • What factors contribute to the breaking of athletic records and how do these records impact athletes?

  • What is nuclear energy, and is it a plausible alternative to carbon-based fuels?

  • How is gaming changing society, and what is its impact on individuals?

  • How has Title IX affected women’s sports?

  • How has activism in music affected people in the past, and how is it being used today?

  • How does comedy help heal people?

  • How has climate change affected the ski industry, and what will be its future impact?

  • How has hip-hop culture evolved, and what is its impact?

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