Our eighth graders presented their final Capstone Projects this week in front of families, faculty, friends, and peers. The crowd of guests milling through Dominican Hall explored 58 presentations about the students’ volunteer service experiences, ranging from maintaining trails throughout Marin to visiting seniors in care facilities, helping dogs in pet shelters, distributing food to needy citizens, and working at the Special Olympics. In addition to preparing their final presentations, which included poems and artwork, the students wrote four short essays, a project overview, and reflections on the impact, successes, and challenges of their service experience. All this in addition to performing 10 hours of volunteer service! All told, the class performed over 600 hours of volunteer service in the Marin community.
“This is a year-long endeavor,” explains Social Studies Teacher and Capstone Mentor Madison Williams, “anchored by San Domenico’s values of study, reflection, community, and service.” The Capstone Project is a core topic throughout the eighth-grade year, and it is integrated into the curriculum in a measured way. Each student is required to complete 10 volunteer hours, generally completed before spring semester, followed by weekly check-ins as the students gather materials for the final presentations, write essays, and take time for reflection. “In this way, our eighth graders begin to see service as a constant in their life, rather than a one-time opportunity or obligation,” explains Williams.
“What I loved most about seeing our students present their final capstone presentations,” Williams continues, “was seeing our students recognize that, through service, they not only offer value in the community, but receive value back. I heard from some students that the meaning of the words ‘service hours’ had actually shifted from a laborious project requirement to a more positive connotation about pursuing their passions.”
A few pieces of advice from this year’s eighth graders to next year’s Capstone students:
“Choose your project early and choose something you love.”
Weston K. ’28“Do more than you are asked to do. Plan in advance so that you can finish all your hours.”
Carter K. ’28“Do something you are really passionate about. Also, I broke my knee and had to do all my volunteering on crutches. So, I guess my advice is, don’t break your knee!”
Valentina C. ’28
Congratulations to all our eighth-grade students!