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News & Photos
Seniors Explore Outside the Classroom
In the weeks leading up to graduation, students from the Class of 2011 undertook a variety of senior projects. Under the guidance of a faculty adviser, each student designed a three-week project with the intent of trying a new experience or becoming more deeply involved in a personal interest. The seniors spent time as interns, artists, musicians, engineers, and volunteers, to name a few of the many roles they played. A small cross-section of the projects helps to shed light on the vast range of potential ventures.
Internships are always a popular option, particularly for students who want to explore a career field they are considering. Teddi Aaron spent two weeks working for the Vineyard Theater in Union Square, New York, NY. As a public relations intern at an off-Broadway theater that was home to such hits as Avenue Q and [title of show], Teddi helped with ticketing, marketing, and social networking. “Posting statuses for the theater made me feel so powerful,” she remembers. Her biggest assignment was to compile footage of fans meeting the cast of the theater’s most recent play NOW.HERE.THIS into a promotional video, which can be found here. Her experience reaffirmed her interest in public relations work, and she hopes to continue in a similar vein in the future.
Also working with people in the spotlight, Denzell Walker interned at WBAL-TV news, getting a firsthand look at the inner workings of a daily news show. His responsibilities included monitoring the competition to make sure WBAL was not missing important stories, undergoing speech training twice a week, and attending daily morning meetings for story assignments. Denzell had opportunities to shadow education reporter Tim Tooten, accompany an investigative reporter on an interview, and observe Laura Moore, the producer of the 5 pm broadcast. “Producing is a rewarding but demanding job,” says Denzell. “You have to know a little bit about a lot of different things.” On his last day, Denzell got to coordinate the morning meeting, giving him a real taste of life at a news station.
For some students, exposure to an issue sparks a lifelong passion, which is exactly what happened to Sam Riehl during his time as an intern with State Senator Bill Ferguson, Democrat 46th District. Sam split his time between Annapolis and Baltimore and spent most of his energy on researching and pursuing education reform. In addition to touring the State House and attending a bill signing, Sam attended an education reform meeting through the Baltimore Community Foundation and researched related legislation in other states. The internship inspired him to set his sights on a job with Teach for America after college, and he hopes that his career will lead him to make a profound, positive change in America’s education system.
The creativity of the senior class always comes through in some of the projects as well. Aspiring rap artist Najee Rollins worked with Julian Griggs to write, produce, and market his debut CD. Using music teacher Don New’s recording studio and equipment, Najee put his soul into his songs, with constant feedback and support from Julian. He recorded the tracks over beats produced by Andrew Bulls ‘08. “I didn’t realize how much work went into making each song,” exclaims Julian, but the hard work he and Najee put in has paid off. The album is now available for digital download here.
While Najee was in the studio, classmate Emma Kane worked on her first short film. She hopes to study film in college, so she took her senior project as her first opportunity to experiment. Emma used claymation, a technique that involves taking frame-by-frame shots of clay figures and compiling them into a movie. At the beginning, a couple knocks a ball down a hill, and as it rolls around town it picks up everything it touches until it begins rolling after the couple. When they finally manage to escape, a hand tries to squish them, but each time they spring up again unharmed. Set to upbeat music, the film is quirky and energetic, and Emma’s creative voice shines through. She is pleased with the result, and she looks forward to creating many more films in the future.
Another creative project that seeks to become part of McDonogh’s campus is a miniature golf course undertaken by seniors Stefan Allen, Will Hauver, Drew MacPhail, Jake Rosenwald, Alex Sidney, Ben Stoyenko, Matt Tiberii, and Matt Zafrir. The boys found the inspiration for the project in a Sports Illustrated article that included directions, a materials list, and diagrams. They planned, budgeted, and built the first two holes of the course using plywood and PVC piping. “It ended up costing a little more than we expected,” says Drew, “but we wanted to build them to last.” Their hope is that in coming years, other seniors will build additional holes as their projects until McDonogh is home to an eighteen-hole course.
Other seniors contributed to McDonogh’s campus and their larger communities through service projects. A group of boys, including Alex Lundberg and others, spent their three weeks working for the Roots program. Their first project was the construction of a set of salad tables, low wooden tables with wire mesh in the bottom for growing shallow-rooted plants, for the middle and lower schools. They also worked on turning stumps into stools for an outdoor classroom at the Roots plot. Alex was proud of their hard work: “It’s cool to see the stuff you can build just with wood and the right tools.” The boys also put in plenty of field work, raking, plowing, planting, and installing an irrigation system. Alex had never been out to the garden before, and now he’s glad he took advantage of the opportunity.
Greg Caso joined another group of guys to work at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The work was not glamorous; the boys spent their days shipping, carrying, and pricing donated construction materials. They often had to drive out to various sites in the area in pursuit of donated items, which are then resold at a discount. The proceeds from the sales are donated directly to Habitat for Humanity. Greg left the experience feeling satisfied with his work. “If I could say one thing to next year’s seniors, do community service for your senior project,” he advises. “It may seem like hard work, and it is, but you really feel like you’ve accomplished something.”
Tommy Sinnott could not agree more with Greg’s advice, and his project reflects both creative thought and the desire to help others. Tommy split his time into two projects. First he spent time living the life of a retired person with his grandmother in a retirement community. Sample activities included chair yoga with the women, billiards with the men, Wii bowling, and bingo. For the second half, in the hopes of immersing himself in Spanish, Tommy volunteered with CASA de Maryland, an organization that works with immigrants to help them integrate into American life by providing legal services, tax assistance, and job searching. Tommy had the chance to get to know his clients and co-workers, eating lunch at authentic Latin restaurants and playing dominoes, and everyone he met was eager to share their stories. “This is the closest thing to study abroad I could have done without leaving the country,” says Tommy.
Every senior project leaves an impression, both on the student and the larger community. The exploration and growth come from an invaluable education pulled out of the classroom and placed in the world at large. The graduating seniors took that opportunity to heart, and the results have proved to be a fitting farewell to McDonogh and excellent preparation for the upcoming college years. Congratulations, Class of 2011!
In the weeks leading up to graduation, students from the Class of 2011 undertook a variety of senior projects. Under the guidance of a faculty adviser, each student designed a three-week project with the intent of trying a new experience or becoming more deeply involved in a personal interest. The seniors spent time as interns, artists, musicians, engineers, and volunteers, to name a few of the many roles they played. A small cross-section of the projects helps to shed light on the vast range of potential ventures.
Internships are always a popular option, particularly for students who want to explore a career field they are considering. Teddi Aaron spent two weeks working for the Vineyard Theater in Union Square, New York, NY. As a public relations intern at an off-Broadway theater that was home to such hits as Avenue Q and [title of show], Teddi helped with ticketing, marketing, and social networking. “Posting statuses for the theater made me feel so powerful,” she remembers. Her biggest assignment was to compile footage of fans meeting the cast of the theater’s most recent play NOW.HERE.THIS into a promotional video, which can be found here. Her experience reaffirmed her interest in public relations work, and she hopes to continue in a similar vein in the future.
Also working with people in the spotlight, Denzell Walker interned at WBAL-TV news, getting a firsthand look at the inner workings of a daily news show. His responsibilities included monitoring the competition to make sure WBAL was not missing important stories, undergoing speech training twice a week, and attending daily morning meetings for story assignments. Denzell had opportunities to shadow education reporter Tim Tooten, accompany an investigative reporter on an interview, and observe Laura Moore, the producer of the 5 pm broadcast. “Producing is a rewarding but demanding job,” says Denzell. “You have to know a little bit about a lot of different things.” On his last day, Denzell got to coordinate the morning meeting, giving him a real taste of life at a news station.
For some students, exposure to an issue sparks a lifelong passion, which is exactly what happened to Sam Riehl during his time as an intern with State Senator Bill Ferguson, Democrat 46th District. Sam split his time between Annapolis and Baltimore and spent most of his energy on researching and pursuing education reform. In addition to touring the State House and attending a bill signing, Sam attended an education reform meeting through the Baltimore Community Foundation and researched related legislation in other states. The internship inspired him to set his sights on a job with Teach for America after college, and he hopes that his career will lead him to make a profound, positive change in America’s education system.
The creativity of the senior class always comes through in some of the projects as well. Aspiring rap artist Najee Rollins worked with Julian Griggs to write, produce, and market his debut CD. Using music teacher Don New’s recording studio and equipment, Najee put his soul into his songs, with constant feedback and support from Julian. He recorded the tracks over beats produced by Andrew Bulls ‘08. “I didn’t realize how much work went into making each song,” exclaims Julian, but the hard work he and Najee put in has paid off. The album is now available for digital download here.
While Najee was in the studio, classmate Emma Kane worked on her first short film. She hopes to study film in college, so she took her senior project as her first opportunity to experiment. Emma used claymation, a technique that involves taking frame-by-frame shots of clay figures and compiling them into a movie. At the beginning, a couple knocks a ball down a hill, and as it rolls around town it picks up everything it touches until it begins rolling after the couple. When they finally manage to escape, a hand tries to squish them, but each time they spring up again unharmed. Set to upbeat music, the film is quirky and energetic, and Emma’s creative voice shines through. She is pleased with the result, and she looks forward to creating many more films in the future.
Another creative project that seeks to become part of McDonogh’s campus is a miniature golf course undertaken by seniors Stefan Allen, Will Hauver, Drew MacPhail, Jake Rosenwald, Alex Sidney, Ben Stoyenko, Matt Tiberii, and Matt Zafrir. The boys found the inspiration for the project in a Sports Illustrated article that included directions, a materials list, and diagrams. They planned, budgeted, and built the first two holes of the course using plywood and PVC piping. “It ended up costing a little more than we expected,” says Drew, “but we wanted to build them to last.” Their hope is that in coming years, other seniors will build additional holes as their projects until McDonogh is home to an eighteen-hole course.
Other seniors contributed to McDonogh’s campus and their larger communities through service projects. A group of boys, including Alex Lundberg and others, spent their three weeks working for the Roots program. Their first project was the construction of a set of salad tables, low wooden tables with wire mesh in the bottom for growing shallow-rooted plants, for the middle and lower schools. They also worked on turning stumps into stools for an outdoor classroom at the Roots plot. Alex was proud of their hard work: “It’s cool to see the stuff you can build just with wood and the right tools.” The boys also put in plenty of field work, raking, plowing, planting, and installing an irrigation system. Alex had never been out to the garden before, and now he’s glad he took advantage of the opportunity.
Greg Caso joined another group of guys to work at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The work was not glamorous; the boys spent their days shipping, carrying, and pricing donated construction materials. They often had to drive out to various sites in the area in pursuit of donated items, which are then resold at a discount. The proceeds from the sales are donated directly to Habitat for Humanity. Greg left the experience feeling satisfied with his work. “If I could say one thing to next year’s seniors, do community service for your senior project,” he advises. “It may seem like hard work, and it is, but you really feel like you’ve accomplished something.”
Tommy Sinnott could not agree more with Greg’s advice, and his project reflects both creative thought and the desire to help others. Tommy split his time into two projects. First he spent time living the life of a retired person with his grandmother in a retirement community. Sample activities included chair yoga with the women, billiards with the men, Wii bowling, and bingo. For the second half, in the hopes of immersing himself in Spanish, Tommy volunteered with CASA de Maryland, an organization that works with immigrants to help them integrate into American life by providing legal services, tax assistance, and job searching. Tommy had the chance to get to know his clients and co-workers, eating lunch at authentic Latin restaurants and playing dominoes, and everyone he met was eager to share their stories. “This is the closest thing to study abroad I could have done without leaving the country,” says Tommy.
Every senior project leaves an impression, both on the student and the larger community. The exploration and growth come from an invaluable education pulled out of the classroom and placed in the world at large. The graduating seniors took that opportunity to heart, and the results have proved to be a fitting farewell to McDonogh and excellent preparation for the upcoming college years. Congratulations, Class of 2011!