Students Underwhelmed with Senior Project

For many students at Walls, public speaking is not uncommon. From the infamous sophomore speech to the culminating challenge:the senior project, students are familiar with standing up and presenting their work. While senior year may have seemed like a breeze toward the end, especially as college acceptances came out, there was still a final test of students’ ability to research, present information, and, most importantly, impress the judges. Although many teachers reported relatively smooth sailing in students’ presentations this year, seniors described their experiences differently. 

Calculus teacher Kristen Kelly said, “Overall, [it was a] very positive [experience]. Students were early and prepared. There were no problems in my room.” Health and fitness teacher Cory Matthews agreed, noting in particular that students presenting in his rooms didn’t face any major technological difficulties or breakdowns. 

However, not all student experiences aligned with the faculty’s perspective. Some students reported feeling overwhelmed, citing stress and a lack of direction in the senior project course itself. One anonymous student said, “It was terrible. The administration and teachers were not in clutch… the assignments had no bearing on the project itself.”Indeed, while not arguing that it was problematic, Dawn Drake (‘25) said the experience was “very self-led, it’s very independent.”

Alana Sapp (‘25) agreed and urged future students to take the initiative to seek extra support on the project. “To really get that one-on-one help, you had to go to certain teachers," she said. "Like, I know Ms. McGlennon helped me a time or two.” Others had more explicitly negative experiences. Bronwyn Burns (‘25) lamented that she “got told it was bad for me to add evidence so late in the draft.”

Graham McMorris (‘25) noted, “Basically, different classes were doing different things. Overall, all of the classes were disconnected—there wasn’t a curriculum we were all following. The 15-page paper is unlike any paper you’ve encountered.” Some students felt that the lack of structure created confusion, even for those who are typically high-achieving and goal-oriented.

Despite the challenges, students completed their projects, and faculty played a key role in supporting them throughout the process. Looking ahead, feedback from this year’s experience could help improve the structure and expectations for future classes. With each senior project cycle, the Walls community continues to learn and adapt.