With the end of the third term coming to a close, close to 90 percent of this year’s senior class will participate in the Capstone program where they will embark on an internship or complete a project to further their learning outside of the classroom.

However, not all students were always given the opportunity for an internship. Before Capstone was created in 2007, only a small group of 10 to 15 students went on an internship each year.

Seniors have always gotten out of classes earlier than the rest of the students with the last week before graduation being composed of senior activities like senior seminars. However, participating in an internship for the last few weeks of school was difficult for most students who took AP classes.

“First it was just a traditional internship program. So, people who had AP classes just had to stay. But as the program has grown, we want students to have this experience while still learning in their AP classes until the AP exam,” said guidance counselor Susan Lynch, who helps run the Capstone program.  

Once the Capstone program was introduced, there were more opportunities for seniors who are also taking AP classes to learn outside of the classroom. The guidance department was able to create other categories, so students now have the option to complete an internship, community service project, project or research paper if they are participating in AP classes.

Due to the introduction of other options and the opportunities that Capstone provides to students, the number of students participating in the program has increased almost every year.

Many aspects of the Capstone experience have been modeled after the internship program at Masconomet Regional High School, located in Boxford, MA. Masconomet allows graduating seniors to participate in internships similar to those that WA students participate in. According to Lynch, their program has been an example for the Capstone program to follow.

Capstone was initially created as a way to broaden the School to Careers program at WA. Helping students to expand their knowledge of the working world is apart of the Guidance department’s curriculum under the Massachusetts School Counselors Association.

“The reason why it was created is because it is part of the school to careers program which is our developmental guidance program,” said Lynch. “[Our goal is to] ensure that what students learn in the classroom can translate well into the world outside of the classroom.”

The Capstone program allows students to gain knowledge and skill such as giving presentations, staying organized and working with others in order to bridge the gap between what students learn in school and applying knowledge in the working world.

Over the years, Lynch has noticed that WA seniors have embraced the program and realize the opportunities that Capstone has to offer.

“I have seen the culture of our school really embrace the opportunities that Capstone offers. When someone really takes it seriously and says, ‘I really want to be with a teacher’ or ‘I want to go work at an engineering company,’ and they embrace that this is a viable, wonderful program for students because there’s a lot to learn. It is a great way to take knowledge, just in a different realm,” said Lynch.

Lynch has seen students come back from college and show appreciation for the program as the experience has given them an advantage later in life when applying for jobs or internships at the college level.

Lynch is excited to see what experiences this year’s seniors have through the program and looks forward to seeing the presentations in May.

“The class [of 2016] has done a really nice job. We have some really cool internships lined up with people and I think people are starting to branch out more into different towns, and more people are going into Boston than in the past. So, I think it is going to be really interesting to see how all of the projects pan out,” said Lynch.