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The “Capstone Project” has become almost de rigueur in fashionable education circles these days. This is so for good reason: a capstone project gives a student the opportunity to demonstrate skills that are central to a school’s program. Ideally, it does this while simultaneously highlighting specific student abilities and interests.
While capstone projects have traditionally been limited to higher education (think: PhD dissertation or master’s thesis), they are increasingly a part of secondary education and cover a wide range of activities: research, papers, speeches, but also “hands-on” activities and even service projects. You can learn a lot about a school, its focus, its curriculum, and its educational philosophy by examining the kinds of capstone projects its students complete.
The Rockbridge Academy senior thesis is not your average capstone project. It is a year-long research project in which each student, guided by a faculty advisor and rhetoric teacher, explores a challenging problem and proposes a solution. It culminates in a significant paper (15-20 pages), followed by a speech and defense presented to a public audience. Critical components of the thesis include research skills, critical thinking, and communication skills (demonstrated through both writing and public speaking).
Most importantly, the student is expected to interact with his or her material from a Christian worldview. Whether the research area is scientific, historical, geopolitical, relational, or literary, acknowledging that we live in a world that is not purposeless, mechanistic, and driven by chance challenges each student to think more deeply as they search for meaningful answers in their field.
Training students to handle something like this well begins early: in kindergarten. At this earliest stage, they learn not only the basic building blocks of reading and math, but they also learn kindness, cooperation, and self-control. A “capstone” of the kindergarten year is each student doing an oral presentation on his or her family tree! As students move through the through grade 6, they build their basic skills, absorbing material like sponges.
By the time they reach 7th grade, they are ready to ask more “why” and “how” questions. They begin to explore how systems work together: number systems, biological systems, ecosystems, ethical systems, political systems, thought systems. They look for patterns of cause and effect in history, and they begin to explore why authors wrote what they did. They study logic.
Finally, by 10th grade, they are ready to start living in light of the “how” and “why.” They search for meaning in the patterns. They consider the ethical ramifications of historical decisions. They search for purpose.
The senior thesis truly is a capstone of the entire Rockbridge educational experience. In completing it, each student polishes many previously-learned character qualities and skills: self-motivation, self-discipline, organization, time management, analysis, critique, and problem solving. Whether they are going on to higher education or entering the work force, the thesis process demonstrates that Rockbridge students are equipped to think clearly, reason persuasively, articulate precisely, and evaluate their entire range of experience in the light of the Scriptures.
This year’s seniors are exploring a wide range of topics. Summaries of a few of them include: How should we think about a post-pandemic “normal”? Can alternative energy sources power our electrical grids? How should we approach prison reform? What should we do about capital punishment? What is the purpose of art? Are electric vehicles really the answer? How should we respond to the epidemic of opioid addiction?
I have lost count of how many graduates have returned to visit and said something like, “I had this massive project to do, and everyone around me was stressing about the deadlines, but I remembered my senior thesis and how I worked systematically through that. I knew I could handle this as well!” Ultimately, the Rockbridge Academy senior thesis project is a tool. It is a capstone, of course, but it is a tool that teaches the students about themselves. It continues our K-12 process of teaching them how to learn. As they mature in that critical skill, they are prepared for whatever comes their way, in further education or in life.
Jerry Keehner has been at Rockbridge Academy for ten years since retiring from the US Navy. He has taught Rhetoric (he wrote the school's current Thesis Manual), Hermeneutics, New Testament, Debate, and Grand Tour. He also served as the Upper School Principal for four years. He is thrilled to be back in the classroom full time, teaching Rhetoric, Grand Tour, and US History. He loves connecting with students and helping them to articulate their thoughts, whether in a thesis or a history lesson, or as the college advisor, an additional role he has held for six years now.
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