Sunday, October 11, 2015

Senior year’s new ending: meet the APEX project

Bailey Jaronski
Features Editor

Seniors will not be attending school beginning May 13, 2016. Instead, this year’s class will be the first to take on the APEX project.
  The APEX, which stands for Active Personal Educational eXperience, will allow students to seize the opportunity to branch out into the real world before graduation.
  Despite the necessary community service hours, this is the last project students will complete on their high school record to satisfy all requirements for graduation.
  Each student is encouraged to schedule an internship, shadowing or engaging in some type of hands-on experience that incorporates his or her passion with learning. Students are told not to expect or accept payment, as the APEX project is not an extended job.
 Students should treat this opportunity as an upaid internship on the high school level that mimcs the kinds of experiences usually reserved for college students.
  The students have to take notes to stay engaged throughout their internships and construct a presentation explaining their experience. Students will participate in check-ins with teachers throughout their APEX time to make sure they are utilizing the time for its proper purpose.
  Opportunities for internships are chosen by the student. Students are encouraged to pursue their interests and find a connection with a line of work they are interested in entering in the future.
  Mrs. Soriano and Mr. Finley are the head supervisors, along with Mr.  Malone. Students are free to meet with them as project dates gets closer.  The supervisors  can offer insight on available internships, guidelines, and recommendations.
  The value of the APEX projectwill largely be determined by the effort students put into it. This is the inaugural year, but many predict that the project is here for years to come.