What is the relationship between art and exhibit space, between the artist and the curator? Jesse's work was displayed in his own exhibit space, which he designed in Classroom A in the Learning Commons.
S
Marena loves biking so much she went car-free for over a month. Why do so many people live like this in Europe, but in the US we are reluctant to leave our car even for a few miles? Marena went to City Hall in Newton to find out how to change things by starting in her community.
John looked at changes in American society over the past 40 years through the lens of protest music. He discovered legendary folk musicians in our midst, and taught himself how to play the octave mandolin.
Anna has been consumed with costuming for years. As the costume director of Theatre Ink she has to consider the actor, the stage, the set design, and the audience when creating her costumes. Her SYP delved into the psychological effect of costuming on audiences.
Why do teenagers want to write creatively? Kate explored this from three angles -- NaNoWriMo, The Playwrights Festival, and the Creative Writing Elective -- and created a symposium from her results.
Dong-Gil looked into one of the biggest mysteries in cell biology today: what is the process by which interphase chromatin condenses into metaphase chromosomes? To find out, he created molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study how DNA condense into chromosomes during cell division.
What does it take to be a female rock musician? Maddie found out by studying the Riot Grrl movement and creating her own album.
Ilana took an American icon, the tattoo, separated history from culture, found the roots of the artform, talked to those pushing its limits today, and began contributing her own designs based on what she learned.
How do music and language overlap? Can music heal victims of stroke? Nicole dug into the roots of language and the healing power of music.
Why teach with Harry Potter? Why not? From the hero's journey to Latin to race and social class, Karen connected the elements of J.K. Rowlings' series to the Massachusetts standards and designed a classroom curriculum guide.
Why isn't Latin American history and culture taught more in high school? Should it be? Mercer Gary studied this question from many angles, and created a curriculum for teachers and students.
Its not easy to put the genie in the bottle, but Amanda found a way to do it. By dissecting novels that she felt captured the Zeitgeist - the spirit of their time - she began studying what defines her own generation, and used what she learned to capture the Zeitgeist in her own writing.
For anyone who ever read a story and wondered, "ok, but what's the point?", Kim broke down fiction writing to its elements: cognitive, affective, and technical value. She used her inventive technique to write her own stories.
What makes a great children's book?
Is it the illustrations? The story? A combination of both? What makes a children's book an instant hit with kids, and why do parent's buy them? Elly Cepko took the 100 best selling children's books of all time and investigated patterns. She found some surprising results, and using what she found, wrote and illustrated her own book.
Can you find inexpensive and healthy food and avoid the evils of marketing in the supermarket? Through her analysis of marketing techniques and research in local supermarkets, Lauren says yes.
Suggestions for school reform
Everyone knows there's something wrong with America's public education system. Hannah set out to find out what it is, and what we can do about it.
Rosie went on the Leadership trip to New Orleans, but when everyone else came back to Newton, she stayed. On her own for a week, she traveled to the areas of the city hardest hit by the hurricane and collected stories of residents. As she found through her travel journal and research, oral history was cathartic to them, but especially to herself.
Gender stereotypes in the kitchen
Why is it that on tv male chefs are portrayed as courageous artists and women are portrayed as cooking for the family? The more Julia thought about this, the more she was interested in finding out why this is. What does this say about our ideas of men and women in general?
Andrea found a way to join her love of beekeeping and alternative medicine. She studied the use of honey in traditional and experimental medicines and tested the effects of local honey on her own allergies.
What makes a film 'a modern classic'?
How do some films instantly hit a nerve with audiences? What techniques do screenwriters use to tap into the psyche of film viewers? Caleb, an avid film buff, used his extensive knowledge of films along with fieldwork and research, to write his own screenplay.
Aviva's project explored freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the protection of minority groups, with a focus on American Muslims. She found that freedom and speech and freedom of religion often come in direct conflict with each other. Are they irreconcilable?
Seeing music
What do synaesthesia, album art, and the graphic novel have in common? Ask Jared (aka "Justice Moose"), who found some amazing connections through his research and field work creating his own 'audiographic novel'.
Phoebe looked at "the psychology, process, and product of painting a portrait from the eyes of an artist." She considered what she learned while composing a series of portraits.
How Positive Thinking can change your school (and your life)
Around her Jess saw her friends at school stressing out. What was causing this? What could help? Using her growing knowledge of positive psychology, Jess wrote a book for her SYP on how to get in the "flow".
Rebecca examined how Basque cuisine and dining has helped preserve cultural identity in the United States. She then created her own blog and cookbook, and cooked her own Basque dishes.
Pushing the musical envelope
Miriam is a musical virtuoso. Ever since she was 5 she's been learning how to play instruments, from piano to violin, to cello. For her senior year project she decided what she knows from her classical training and apply it to producing and recording electronic music using programs like Fruity Loops and Ableton Live 8. Through performing her tracks live she found an entirely new love of music.
Where does the sense of smell and fashion intersect? Gaby argues that over millennia humans have mostly lost the sense of smell. For her project she created outfits using scanning electron micrograph (SEM) images of the nasal cavity and olfactory receptors.
Sampling as an art form
To think that musical sampling is a form of theft is to miss the big picture. With advances in technology and the ability to share, Devon set out to prove that not only is sampling a complex and nuanced process, its a growing ecosystem of a form of art itself. He did this by creating his own tracks, and researching the legal and technical implications of sampling as he went along.
Ever wonder why we need urban farms and rooftop gardens? Ask Phil. He is an expert on the importance of urban farming to urban communities.
Selling the luxury brand
A Chanel jacket retails for $4,710, over $5,000 with tax. It sells. Chris, who works at the Finer Consigner in Newton Centre, wondered, what goes into selling a luxury brand? He found that in particular, craftsmanship, heritage, and lifestyle play key roles.
Before Senior Year Project even started, Jeremy had this book written and published. But how could he get the attention of traditional publishers? Is that even the best way to go? Is self-publishing on its own a viable option?
Sam examined the process of filming music, through an intensive examination of a Yo-Yo Ma documentary as it was being filmed. Above is the JWonder music video that Sam produced and edited as part of his Senior Year Project.
See his Presentation
Check out his Portfolio
Pierre is concerned about the mostly poor effects of domestic agriculture policy on the family farm. To see how to do it himself, he raised his own chickens and studied the effect of organic and non-organic feed.
Newton North High School Library Learning Commons. Licensed Under Creative Commons.
NNHS Archives Includes NHS Archives
Library Passwords
