Ready to sign up? Come Volunteer!  MHS Community Partner

An event was held on February 10th at the Elks Lodge in Maynard, and despite the snow squall, students, faculty, school administrators, new volunteers and Senior Project Advisory Committee members gathered to honor retiring volunteer members MaryEllen McCarthy and Jaquie Rogers who helped Jean LaBelle and other faculty guide the evolution of the Senior Project for many years.  

January through May is a busy time for Maynard High School seniors.  Along with college acceptances or preparation to land their first job plus exams, sports, school plays and other activities, they are required to complete a senior capstone project. Maynard has been at the forefront of this effort for over 15 years and was recently featured in The Boston Globe as a model High School for a swelling statewide program to include capstone projects as a high school graduation requirement.

The event was also an opportunity to introduce a new approach involving more Maynard community volunteers to help guide students to develop a plan for their project and stay on track to complete it.  Students, staff  and community members presented their views and examples of current and former senior project summaries and introduced a new approach to connect students directly with relevant learning opportunities and people familiar with their chosen project. Volunteers are being recruited to partner with seniors this semester, helping them to create a realistic plan and to connect them with professional environments and real-world job challenges that helps guide them to a final project they can present and reflect on.

Click here to learn more about the approach and expectations of volunteer community partners.

Sometimes placements in a job shadow environment or internships are difficult to get for all students. This year the school community based steering committee is looking to add a modified approach to making this a more immersive and achievable goal in the short time seniors have to accomplish their entire project. The main objective is to help the next generation of workers develop some real workplace expectations and skills.

Interested volunteers please email Jean LaBelle-Pierce