Every year near the end of the second school semester, seniors present their post-secondary plans to anyone in the community who wants to attend. This event is called Capstone Night, and this year it was held on April 27th from 6-8 P.M. It was in the commons of Salida High School.
Seniors were required to make a presentation either physically or digitally in order to pass advisory class. Mrs. Cooksey, Salida High School Assistant Principal, said,”The purpose of Capstone night was to provide families and the community with the chance to see what students have accomplished over their four years of high school.” In their presentations, students talked about the research they did on potential career paths and what their next steps are after SHS. This event provided a space for the students to share their plans and put all of their research and career ideas in one place.
SHS Senior Kaylee Johnson, who is going to Fort Hayes to study sonography, which is ultrasounds, said, “Capstone night has helped conclude my Senior year because it’s fun to see how you’ve grown and how things have changed from Freshman year to Senior year.” For Seniors, Capstone Night was a chance for them and the community to see not only how their plans and dreams have evolved in the past four years, but also reflect on the progress they have made.
When asked what Capstone night means to her, SHS Senior Nora Paschall, replied, “It’s kind of a way to reflect back on all of your high school and put together all of the experiences you’ve had and learning you’ve done and be ready to move into your next chapter of life.”
Cooksey stated, “Capstone night benefits seniors because it gives them the chance to summarize all of the work they have done over four years in advisory and practice an elevator pitch explaining their next steps.” Cooksey continued, “It benefits the community because they get to see that SHS is actually preparing kids and that our kids leave SHS with achievable plans.”
SHS Senior Stella Zettler is headed to University of Vermont to study animal science. She said, “The hardest part of Capstone night was putting the plans onto paper.” Even though making her plans tangible was difficult, Zettler was excited to get to show others what she’s doing in the future.
Overall, people agreed that Capstone night was a great way for the seniors “to wrap up” their high school experience in a neat bow and look to the future while also getting a chance to tell friends and families their plans. Also, community members benefited by getting to see how SHS prepares their kids and having the opportunity to talk to kids about their next steps.
