Senior Class Nearing the End of Thesis

One of the highlights of a high school education at CHA is the thesis project, required of each senior at the academy. Pre-thesis work begins in the spring of the junior year with a nine week class taught by Thesis Coordinator, Amy Bittner. Students begin by considering a topic and securing a mentor who will help in the research and experimentation steps of the thesis. The 2010 senior class has been tackling music related topics, theatre/acting topics, stem cell research, the brain and memory and other pertinent topics in today’s culture.

During the summer and fall, the students are encouraged to read and research their topics and write a “Literature Review.” CHA students have been working with Carroll Community College, Hood College and other institutions of higher learning to provide materials pertinent in their research. Each senior then completes an experiment or survey that will prove/disprove their original theories. As the calendar rolled over into 2010, there was a collective “yelp” for joy as the seniors realized that much of their work was completed. The “literature reviews” are nearly done and experiments and survey results are being analyzed. The students will continue the process by preparing Power Point presentations. The work will finally be complete in March and will then be presented to the CHA community and a panel of judges.