Hilton Head Preparatory School is pleased to announce that they have 13 seniors approved and ready to move forward with Prep's Certificate of Excellence program. This program allows exceptional and motivated seniors to have a one year capstone experience designing, developing, and executing both a major service initiative and a sustained inquiry or research project. As the culmination of their experience and in fulfillment of a final requirement, students earning a Certificate of Excellence must give a formal presentation and defense of their work.
The Capstone programs are designed to give students a meaningful experience through which their interests and training in high school culminate in something other than a series of assessments. Without a Capstone experience, community life, creative endeavors, career goals, and academic pursuits can be very compartmentalized and school can seem like a series of inauthentic hoops through which one has to jump. These Capstone programs provide students an impressive vehicle for showcasing initiative, innovation, leadership, and real world problem solving.
In addition, Prep has six juniors and three sophomores that will begin their pursuit of the Prep Diploma of Distinction. This program provides an intensive two year course of study and Capstone experience for gifted, motivated, curious, and self-reflective students. Candidates for this diploma design, develop, and execute both an innovative and significant service initiative and a sustained inquiry or research project. Candidates work closely in independent study and directed readings with a faculty advisor, explore opportunities for internships and outside the classroom learning, and take interdisciplinary seminar classes in research methods, theory of knowledge, and creative problem solving. As the culmination of their experience and in fulfillment of a final requirement, students earning a Diploma of Distinction must give a formal presentation and defense of their work.
Proposed projects include everything from the use of virtual design software to create designs for more efficient habitat for humanity homes, creation of programing to foster enthusiasm for STEAM learning, to research inquiries into cross-cultural happiness indexes.