Help me find a senior project!
February 7, 2009 1:56 PM Subscribe
Help me find a senior project! Our school has a program for high school seniors where we are given two weeks away from school to go complete a project. This project does not have to be community service but it must have a sponsor. In the past people have done internships at office jobs, learned various skills such as automotive repair, and volunteered at local foodbanks.
If it helps I live in Northern New Jersey (although very willing to travel anywhere) and have lots of experience in computers and technology. Looking for something very unique to do, and any suggestions would be appreciated.
If it helps I live in Northern New Jersey (although very willing to travel anywhere) and have lots of experience in computers and technology. Looking for something very unique to do, and any suggestions would be appreciated.
newtux, what school do you go to? I'm curious because Mr. WanKenobi went to a North Jersey private school with a similar senior project program.
If I were you, I'd look into volunteering to help with the deployment of the One Laptop Per Child Program.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:08 PM on February 7, 2009
If I were you, I'd look into volunteering to help with the deployment of the One Laptop Per Child Program.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:08 PM on February 7, 2009
1. Go work for a CSA
2. Learn a new programming language.
3. Spend two weeks canvassing for a local official
4. Find a professor at a nearby college, see if he/she need help on short-term projects
5. "Live" at a homeless shelter for two weeks (volunteering overnight)
6. Apprentice as a dishwasher at your favorite restaurant
7. Organize a T-shirt making / construction / art project / baking contest at your school
8. Do nothing, and keep a journal documenting your life for two weeks.
9. Organize a video game competition in your school's computer lab.
10. Built a trebuchet.
posted by puckish at 2:09 PM on February 7, 2009 [2 favorites]
2. Learn a new programming language.
3. Spend two weeks canvassing for a local official
4. Find a professor at a nearby college, see if he/she need help on short-term projects
5. "Live" at a homeless shelter for two weeks (volunteering overnight)
6. Apprentice as a dishwasher at your favorite restaurant
7. Organize a T-shirt making / construction / art project / baking contest at your school
8. Do nothing, and keep a journal documenting your life for two weeks.
9. Organize a video game competition in your school's computer lab.
10. Built a trebuchet.
posted by puckish at 2:09 PM on February 7, 2009 [2 favorites]
An acquaintance of mine got a pilot's license for her high-school senior project.
posted by halogen at 2:13 PM on February 7, 2009
posted by halogen at 2:13 PM on February 7, 2009
My school's program was a month long, and I worked (for free) at my favorite sushi restaurant. Learned to make sushi and other Japanese food and picked up some basic Japanese, but also got free lunch every day and the employee discount whenever I went back for the next few years. It was excellent.
posted by olinerd at 2:21 PM on February 7, 2009
posted by olinerd at 2:21 PM on February 7, 2009
You don't mention your budget, but what about something like traveling one-way across the country overland for the least amount of money possible?
Document your expenses and adventures on an awesome blog/website you create as you go along (libraries = internet!), take zillions of photos, and get a flight the night before the end of the break back from LA or SF or something.
I think you'd learn A LOT about the rest of the country, see corners of it you'd never get to otherwise, and definitely come back a more mature person. If the sponsor could be someone that doesn't fund your whole trip, like a Kiwanis Club or something, that might free you to explore a little more.
Closer to home, you could explore what the needs of the extremely local community are within some arbitrary but very small distance from your front door, like 100 yards or 1 mile or something, and address those. Even if you live in a leafy suburb, there's bound to be something that can be worked on.
posted by mdonley at 3:07 PM on February 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
Document your expenses and adventures on an awesome blog/website you create as you go along (libraries = internet!), take zillions of photos, and get a flight the night before the end of the break back from LA or SF or something.
I think you'd learn A LOT about the rest of the country, see corners of it you'd never get to otherwise, and definitely come back a more mature person. If the sponsor could be someone that doesn't fund your whole trip, like a Kiwanis Club or something, that might free you to explore a little more.
Closer to home, you could explore what the needs of the extremely local community are within some arbitrary but very small distance from your front door, like 100 yards or 1 mile or something, and address those. Even if you live in a leafy suburb, there's bound to be something that can be worked on.
posted by mdonley at 3:07 PM on February 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
seconding chrisamiller's idea -- working on an open source project sounds like a great idea (not a programmer, but it's what I would do if I had the skills).
If you decide do go the web angle, make sure it's a mostly static project / not something that's going to need a lot of future maintenance. Also, I'd look for organizations you're interested in -- even if you're just doing programming for them, it'd be a great chance to do a bit of fun collaborative labor (especially since most community orgs are pretty small)
posted by puckish at 3:27 PM on February 7, 2009
If you decide do go the web angle, make sure it's a mostly static project / not something that's going to need a lot of future maintenance. Also, I'd look for organizations you're interested in -- even if you're just doing programming for them, it'd be a great chance to do a bit of fun collaborative labor (especially since most community orgs are pretty small)
posted by puckish at 3:27 PM on February 7, 2009
Friends of mine slaughtered a pig for their project. Studied with a farmer about how to raise a pig and when they were ready for slaughter, chose a pig, learned how to slaughter and butcher it from various sources, did the slaughter and butcher (with supervision by professionals, of course!), and learned how to preserve/cook every part.
Perhaps a bit difficult, but a good experience in where our food comes from, how it gets to our table, and how to not waste things. Could expand it by learning how different cultures and food traditions use the various parts of the pig.
posted by ohio at 3:27 PM on February 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
Perhaps a bit difficult, but a good experience in where our food comes from, how it gets to our table, and how to not waste things. Could expand it by learning how different cultures and food traditions use the various parts of the pig.
posted by ohio at 3:27 PM on February 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
Go to a different country and learn a second language.
Go to a different country and help someone learn English.
Go to a different county and learn how to weave.
Go to a different country and learn how to cook.
posted by mosessis at 3:47 PM on February 7, 2009
Go to a different country and help someone learn English.
Go to a different county and learn how to weave.
Go to a different country and learn how to cook.
posted by mosessis at 3:47 PM on February 7, 2009
For my senior project, I made a stop-frame animation. I'd recommend it, if you want something fun and don't mind if it's otherwise useless.
posted by Ms. Saint at 4:11 PM on February 7, 2009
posted by Ms. Saint at 4:11 PM on February 7, 2009
Set up a booth in a local mall labelled "Questions Answered". Staff it with you, your friends, some decent books and a laptop with internet access.
Then answer people's questions.
posted by alby at 4:49 PM on February 7, 2009
Then answer people's questions.
posted by alby at 4:49 PM on February 7, 2009
Volunteer at a Youth Outreach (for you know, homeless kids) or (Homeless/Abused) Women's center teaching basic computer literacy in order to find jobs/health information/services information.
Much better cred than volunteering at a foodbank and these groups should be more than happy to have volunteers.
posted by porpoise at 6:56 PM on February 7, 2009
Much better cred than volunteering at a foodbank and these groups should be more than happy to have volunteers.
posted by porpoise at 6:56 PM on February 7, 2009
Help poor and disabled people get computers and get on the Internet.
posted by Soliloquy at 7:43 PM on February 7, 2009
posted by Soliloquy at 7:43 PM on February 7, 2009
Could you learn to make something? Some sort of mini-apprenticeship? Our High School had a Senior Project class that was a semester-long, and my best friend's brother learned to build a clock with my dad's help. It was pretty neat for him and his family still has the clock in their living room.
posted by radioamy at 4:20 PM on February 8, 2009
posted by radioamy at 4:20 PM on February 8, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you're not a stellar programmer, but have web skills, identify a community organization with an old, crappy website (or no website at all), and make them one.
posted by chrisamiller at 2:05 PM on February 7, 2009