Showcasing Senior Projects
For many years, Riverdale has offered the option for seniors to create a capstone project, known as a senior project. Focused on a central research question, a senior project entails research and work towards a research paper, artwork, or any other type of creative expression such as a poem or music. Similar to independent studies, senior projects are focused periods of exploration in specific topics of passion; however, senior projects take course over a shorter period, typically four or seven weeks, in which the senior comes to school but not regular classes.
Not all seniors or projects are suitable for a senior project. Ms. Keller, the head of the language department and a previous director of senior projects, explained: “It’s something that when that fit happens, you produce really remarkable work which is a showcase for the school as well as an opportunity for the student.” The application process works to choose the most suitable seniors who can work most effectively and create incredible final products.
Moreover, research can take many directions and requires flexibility. Ms. Lashawn Ross, Middle and Upper School library director, as well as the coordinator of senior projects, explained, “You may have a goal initially and an outcome. Part of the success or the failure of a senior project is still a process of learning, and that’s what we want to encourage.”
Riverdale has offered the option of senior projects for a long time. Starting with Mr. John Wellington, English teacher and the initiator of the senior projects program, and a group of two or three students to school-wide showcases and freshmen who begin thinking about their project, the program has developed and will continue to in the near future. In many ways, senior projects represent Riverdale’s mission of lifelong learning and research. Senior projects encourage learning, pursuing passions, one of the many things that make Riverdale exceptional.
This spring, senior Mikayla Porter is diving into a senior project that mixes activism and art. Finding inspiration in artists Kehinde Wiley and Zaria Forman, Porter is using her canvases to showcase and shout out about social issues. Excited about the mixture of art and advocacy with her senior project, Porter shared that “basically there’s these two artists that I really like. I wanted to do work inspired by them, but also inspired by the activism that they do.” Her final product will consist of two paintings and a write-up based on both artists and their activism.
For her, the application process was smooth. Originally, Porter proposed an interdisciplinary art-activism independent study utilizing the same ideas she came into her senior project with. However, Ms. Julie Choi, Assistant Head of Upper School, suggested that her endeavor would work better as a senior project. Porter remarked, “I kind of had a lot of the application already done, because I used what I had for my independent study for my senior project and I just kind of tweaked things around to make it fit into a four week plan.” However, she notes that specifics were hard: “You also have to think about whether your project is too much or too little.” She adds that finding preliminary sources and thinking about materials and resources was also challenging. But like Ms. Ross suggests, the application turned her ambitious ideas to realistic plans: “It was a long process, but I think it’s for the better because you actually know what you’re working with and what your end products are.”
As for the research process, time has been flying by quickly. With only four weeks to complete two paintings and lots of research, Porter must complete her first painting by the second week. Porter notes that her typical day usually starts with written portions of work before heading to the Lindenbaum Center for the Arts to paint. However pressing the artwork has been, the research itself has not been surprising. Porter explains, “I already knew their work, that’s why I wanted to do this senior project, so it’s more so just consolidating my own knowledge and backing it up with sources more so than finding new things.” With the finish of her final painting being just beyond the horizon, Porter is excited for the exhibition, and for art activism to take the stage at Riverdale.
Meanwhile, David Kanovich is taking a deep dive into the smallest unit of life, looking at organelles in a cell. Kanovich explained that the three-dimensional structure of chromatin, condensed DNA, dictates the stiffness of the cell’s nucleus, which in turn affects the flexibility of the cell. This work is especially vital in cancer cell research, where cells move and rapidly divide throughout the body. “Their ability to get through small pores and stuff is dictated by how stiff the nucleus is,” Kanovich explained. His final product will consist of written work and artwork as a visual representation of the cell nucleus and chromatin.
Throughout his seven week project, Kanovich has been reading lots of scientific articles to support his own lab findings. As scientific papers are dense, Kanovich explained that he has to define terms and get an overall understanding of the argument and its findings. Therefore, discussing his findings with high school biology Dr. Monica Murakami, his advisor, has been crucial. Kanovich commented that like Mikalya, mornings will consist of written and research portions, while afternoons usually consist of working on his artwork.
In his research process, especially with the broad scope of papers on chromatin research, there could be so many directions research could be taken in. Kanovich explained that “even with really specific questions there are so many ways you could answer it.” For him, specifying his question as he went along was crucial. He added, “I would say that planning exactly what you want to find out, down to the fine specifics [is really important].” More than a passion project, Kanovich’s senior project plans to inform future scientific research and cancer studies.
Leah Sinelnikov’s project goes back to her childhood days. When asked about her inspiration, she recalls a vivid dream she had when she was younger about a field trip to the George Washington Bridge. As she reflects, she feels that “a lot of what happened on the trip reflects [her] as a person; for example, [she] loves to take risks and go with the flow.” This realization sparked a curiosity in Leah, and she knew she wanted to explore it. For her project, her research question is: How do childhood dreams contribute to the formation of long-term memory and influence the development of personality, and how can these influences be depicted through artistic expression in a painting? She expressed her hopes and dreams for the project, saying, “I hope to learn more about where my personality comes from and how my dreams influence me. I also think this is a great opportunity to test my work ethic and ability to complete a project independently.”
So far, using five different sources, she has completed her research on how childhood dreams impact memory and personality formation. She has a draft of her essay and is finalizing a unique piece of artwork, which she calls “a portal of dreams.”
Her final product consists of a literary review, a 20-minute presentation, and an art piece created from a children’s book. The most fascinating part of her project is the artwork. She has transformed a children’s book into a captivating representation. By cutting out the center of each page, she created a never-ending staircase that winds through the middle, a journey through her dreams. She has also added playful illustrations around this “portal,” enhancing the dreamlike quality of it all.
Leah’s project showcases her academic skills, creativity, and deep connection to the topic. Through her exploration, she communicates how our earliest experiences shape who we become, leaving a lasting impression on the viewer and her own self-discovery.
