Simon Gratz High-School Senior Projects Program and University Partnerships:

Posted by on June 07, 2011

An Interview with George Schreuder; Senior Project Coordinator

George Schreuder has been a Senior project coordinator at Simon Gratz High-School since the Senior Project Pilot Program began in 2006 as part of the Partnerships in Character Education Grant at the School District of Philadelphia. (2006-2010) This pilot implemented a more rigorous standard for the senior project, and has since become a milestone for seniors to complete before graduation. The senior project includes a 6-10 page research paper, a portfolio, 15 hours of fieldwork and a presentation in front of a panel of judges. Throughout his years as a senior project coordinator Mr. Schreuder has worked with various University partners as part of his program and has developed many community partnerships in order to facilitate his students’ completion of the fieldwork portion of the senior project. I attended this year’s senior project panel at Simon Gratz and brought a student leadership group from Chicago with me. Mr. Schrueder accommodated his guests at last minute’s notice, the Gratz seniors were dressed up in their best and, for the most part, came ready to present their senior project not only because they needed to pass in order to graduate, but because they were proud of the work they accomplished.

Q: How long have you been a senior projects coordinator and how have you seen the experience change for students?
A: I’ve been a senior project coordinator for four years. Senior projects has become more challenging for the students. It used to be that the students could choose research, or the service work, and now they have to do both, and a portfolio. This had made the senior project more like a serious goal that students have to reach and everybody is on board to help students achieve it. It’s school-wide and all the staff and students are all more engaged now that there’s a higher expectation.

Q: What are the limitations of the senior project, if it expanded to all grades or across different classes?
A: We would have to change the structure of the program. The senior project is a separate grade on its own, and if they don’t get it they don’t graduate. However, they could also ace the project but fail every subject. It would be helpful to have a yearly project and backmapping, an outside school project.  It would help with the research and citation skills, and the I-Search, but it would have limitations if it was a separate grade.

Q: How does the energy in preparing for the senior project compare to the preparation for the PSSA?
A: Students are more connected to senior projects. We try and make PSSA like a train reaching a station and rewarding students who complete them. Our top academic students really try with the PSSA or want to get good scores. But the seniors have a higher accountability for the senior project. There’s no individual accountability in the PSSA.

Q: How has being senior projects been beneficial as something to work and teach at Simon Gratz?
A: When you’re a teacher, we all have other hats to wear. As a teacher you’re on one level. When you are given charge of a program, that will not only benefit students, but it’s mandatory for your students.  You’re responsible for seeing them through that. It also requires all the teachers and staff and the principal to be on board and to back you up. I think because I’m not a tough or loud person, but the way I present it, people get involved and will all help to accomplish the goals. I also give everyone simple instructions to follow. I don’t make the process too complicated. Some teachers (from other schools) will come in and say “our principal won’t do this”, or “teachers won’t do that” and if you don’t have that cooperation from both sides, then you might as well not do it. Every staff member at Simon Gratz High School has cooperated with this process.

Q: What support did you get while being a senior project coordinator during the partnerships in character education grant?
A: Hiring PHENND (to create University partnerships) and using Pat’s (Pat Hodges who provided professional development through Partnerships for Dynamic Learning) materials really helped. It helped to have that extensive professional development. Pat’s beliefs and Michelle’s (Michelle Grimley) were similar to mine. Michelle had us working and presenting at summer PD’s and we presented to the whole group. It was an amazing experience, to work in that group. I looked forward so much to the summer. We’d have 3-5 days just to plan our programs. And we’d work but it was great. We always had productive meetings, and at that time we’d pack the room.

Q: What has been most beneficial about your partnership with Temple?
(Simon Gratz’s University partner this year, which happened outside of the grant supported years)
A: The partnership with Temple blossomed this year. (as a student run program) Some were from Kim’s (Kim Goyette, a sociology professor) group, there was a separate group from Project EDU. (a student run volunteer program) There were not a ton of students but there were three students who came every week and really made deep connections and helped many of the high-school students with their writing.  That partnership with Temple continued even though we’re not a PHENND project or Character Education grantee anymore. It benefits Temple students because they get their hours as well.

The Project EDU students who came as volunteers were very dedicated. The EDU students would stay all morning and would work with them on every aspect of the project. Some of our students also got help with field-work. Though sometimes the students who were in the service-learning class didn’t follow through on their time commitments as much as the volunteers they did come to do an end of the semester event to talk about college and that was great. The college partnership really benefited the (Gratz) students’ writing.

Q: How did you help to facilitate the students working in your school?
A: I made schedules for them and they came. Sometimes they worked with the same class every week. And they would help students. They even freed me up to do other things.

Q: What are the continued challenges for the senior projects program?
A: It’s hard to get students to complete the project on a timely basis. To finish their paper that was due in January. We cannot say on Jan. 31st that we are done, that they have to go to summer school. Even if students present, students have to put everything in their binder. They have to complete the whole thing to make sure it’s fair for all the students.

Q: What is rewarding about the senior project?
A: The seniors are still wearing their buttons this week, they’re so proud that they completed the project.