0823_GermantownAcademy_profile - FINAL_Layout 1 8 / 31 / 23 3 : 01 PM Page 1 endless Possibilities Through a TradiTion known as The senior ProjecT , GERMANTOWN ACADEMY emPowers graduaTing sTudenTs To GA Class of 2023 Classof 2023 alumna Morgan alumnaAlissa exPlore real - world oPPorTuniTies by Hellebuschdid her Senior Freemancom - way of iTs vasT alumni neTwork . Projectat Fabscrap , a signa - pletedher Senior turerecycling service for retail Projectat NBC companies in Philadelphia . Studios in New York BY L E I G H A N N S T UA R T uring the last month of high school , passionate or curious about ? ’ he joined the Senior Project program as a most seniors ’ thoughts turn to gradua - “ We want to make sure students have mentor . Dtion , senior week , summer vacation , the ability to use a pocket of time and the “ I would say probably the greatest thing and college life . At Germantown Academy , resources in our community to make con - about the Senior Project is that it’s a boots - seniors in their final month of school nections , experience internships , and dwell on - the - groundexperience , ” he says . “ A text - explore areas of interests in a real - world on the life question , ‘ What compels me ? ’ ” book doesn’t cover all the variables that environment . The goal : to forge invaluable shecontinues . “ To be able to do this before you encounter while running a business . connections and prepare them for what they go to college and experience all the Students are given latitude to start their awaits in the next phase of their lives . opportunities a college provides , I think it’s adulthood with this , and there’s implicit For more than 50 years , Germantown impactful , meaningful , and empowering . ” trust with the kids , but they earn it . ” Academy seniors nearing graduation have Studentscan explore a scholarly project Dr.MacKean adds that the Senior Project completed a Senior Project . The month - or shadow someone in a particular career , benefitsstudents in many ways . While some long endeavor invites students to complete ranging from surgery and occupational are obvious , such as lifelong alumni con - a scholarly project or internship opportunity , therapy , to law enforcement and finance , nections , others are less apparent . culminating in a night of presentations among others . The opportunity to meet “ It also provides an important feedback through which students share their findings and interact with alums who excel in varied loop that allows us as a group of adults to with members of the GA family , including professions enriches the final leg of their hear every year what students are deeply faculty , parents , and peers . GA experience . curious about , ” she says . “ That influences “ There has been a concerted effort to MarkSteffens , CEO of Airline Hydraulics our curricular evolution and how we invest make this program really robust and mean - Corp . , with headquarters in Bensalem , is in the future of our community . We want ingful , ” says Molly MacKean , Ph.D . , head of one of many GA alums who not only par - kids to learn from us , and we also need to upper school at Germantown Academy . “ In ticipated in the Senior Project as a student learn from them what they’re passionate y my mind , having seniors be able to have but also serves as a mentor to current GA about and what they need going into the adem someweeks right before graduation to pres - students . Steffens , an alumnus from the world . Ac sure - test what they’ve learned in real - world class of 1988 , remembers his project fondly . “ We’ve been around since 1759 , ” she town practice is very important . This is a true He interned with Major League Baseball’s continues , “ and we haven’t stayed excellent man capstone . ” Philadelphia Phillies , the hometown club for over 260 years by doing the same thing Ger Seniors focus all their energy on their that would later draft him as a player . overand over again . With initiatives like the of y projects in their final weeks at GA , with “ Rory McNeil was my sponsor , and my Senior Project , which has evolved over the rtes most participants spending the month of experience was awesome , ” Steffens recalls . past 50 years to reflect innovative thinking cou May off campus . Exceptions to the rule “ Rory was a great mentor and is still a good around learning , we are staying on the otos include those enrolled in Advanced Place - friend of mine . During my project , I was cutting edge of what excellent education Ph ment classes , as these students continue to fortunate to work with Maje McDonnell , looks like . ” n prepare for those tests while working on who was basically the mayor of the Vet their projects . [ Veterans Stadium ] and a true salt of the “ By the time a student is a senior , kids earth . He took me under his wing and gave GERMANTOWN havebeen in school most of their lives , ” Dr . me the unique opportunity to meet with a ACADEMY MacKean shares . “ They’ve been exposed lot of really interesting people . ” to curriculum defined by the adults in their McNeil , another GA alumnus , taught 340 morris road lives . College is different because it often Steffens about the power of the school’s fort washington , Pa 19034 presents kids with so many more choices . alumni network . In turn , Steffens began ( 215 ) 646 - 3300 They have to ask themselves , ‘ What am I “ paying it forward ” eight years ago , when germantownacademy.net SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM VOLUME 14 ISSUE 12 22 |