Senior Project
The Amy Biehl senior project is on the leading edge of state initiatives with respect to both workplace readiness and service learning. This 100-hour service learning project serves as a capstone and culmination for the school’s mission of service. The service learning senior project actually begins in the spring semester of the junior year when students begin Compass, a class devoted to planning the senior project. In Compass students begin a journey to the senior project with an exploration of identity and passion. Then they conduct research and a series of informational interviews leading to a project design. The goal is to develop a project in which they can explore a passion (and possibly a career interest) while serving the community and tackling a community need, problem or issue. Students collaborate with a mentor and often work at downtown agencies and organizations. Compass concludes with a polished proposal for the project, which students begin in August, along with concurrent enrollment coursework (ideally in a class that complements the project). Seniors are released from ABHS on Tuesdays and Thursdays for both concurrent enrollment and senior project work.
Each student works closely with a mentor, and this mentorship is a critical aspect of the program. While successful senior projects render enormous rewards for students, especially in terms of employability and professional skills, it is our hope that graduates will begin a lifetime of community service, whether that is expressed in career choices or volunteer work. In keeping with the namesake of the school, we refer to this aspect of our mission as graduating “conscious scholars” who are both well-educated and committed to active citizenship.
This year’s seniors are engaged in service learning projects including:
- several local schools - Native American Community Academy, Lew Wallace ES, John Adams MS, Solomon Schechter,
- local non-profits - Young Women United and The NM Forum for Youth, Kids Cook,
- social service agencies - St. Martin’s Hospitality Center and Cuidando Los Ninos,
- animal rescue agencies - The Humane Society, Watermellon Mountain Ranch,
- musuems and community centers - National Hispanic Cultural Center, National Atomic Museum, UNM Hospital ICU, The Rio Grande Nature Center,
- and two architectural firms.
Please contact Bryan Wehrli at bwehrli@amybiehlhighschool.org for more information.
