Senior Capstone
If you have a passionate interest in a particular subject, have proven yourself engaged and self-motivated, and are reliable with deadlines, you will have the opportunity to apply for a year of independent study under the guidance of a faculty mentor through Commonwealth's Senior Capstone program.
Over the course of senior year, you meet weekly with your mentor and periodically with the group of Capstone scholars. At scheduled intervals, you submit progress reports and discuss further research with your mentor and department. Finished projects will vary, of course, according to each year’s chosen topics, but by spring, all Capstone scholars produce a substantial piece of writing or art and have the exciting chance to present their year’s labor and discoveries to the entire school. Applications to the Capstone Program are due in spring of junior year during course registration; accepted candidates will begin research and correspond with mentors during the summer.
Recent Senior Capstones
2023–2024
- Eliza Lamster '24 recorded and edited a This American Life–esque podcast capturing her family's history fleeing antisemitism in Russia.
- Genevieve Robinson '24 developed a science curricula for middle-school students, inspired, in part, by her lifelong involvement with Science Club for Girls.
- Hanna Salzman '24 designed a new hyper-inclusive font, "Judy," designed for maximum accessibility and legibility.
2022–2023
- Kendall Brainin '23 discovered a new way of synthesizing Cobalt pigments, developing new shades through new chemical reactions.
- Grace Pariser '23 read between the lines of Emily Dickinson's poetry, questioning posthumous changes made to their grammar and the impact on Dickinson's original meaning.
- Ava Rahman '23 retranslated portions of Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust, with an ear toward revealing more of the author's original artistic intent in the prose.
Read more here.
2021–2022
- Addie Moore Gerety ’22 produced an animated mixed-media short film focusing on quotidian experiences and the human body.
- Tom Greany ’22 wrote a scholarly paper on how Primo Levi and Italo Calvino processed their experiences as postwar Italian authors through their writing.
- Annie Jones ’22 created a tile sculpture and experimented with other ceramic works based around the motif of mushrooms.
Read more here.