Nine Holyoke High School North students presented their Senior Capstone projects to an audience of community and school leaders in mid-May as they prepared to wrap up their senior year of high school.
Their capstone projects were ambitious, in-depth projects that each student undertook as part of their studies in the Performing and Media Arts Academy under direction of their Theater and Media teacher Bevan Brunelle. Each student chose a focus area for their projects that highlighted their unique areas of interest and that documented their growth since they entered high school in 9th grade. Students were tasked with planning and executing the project, and then summarizing their learning in a detailed presentation.
The senior capstone project launched at North during the 2020-21 school year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with students doing their final presentations over Zoom as part of the safety precautions in place at that time. This year was the first time that North students could present their projects to a live audience. Those presenting include:
Shane Bourgeois, who shared inspiration from a trip to see the theater production of “Rat King” in New York City;
Sajanie Cotto-Batlle, who shared a collaborative movie inspired by participating in the Holyoke High School Theater Company;
Grayson Kennedy-Rigg, who presented on mental health support in Holyoke High School North, including student demographics and student survey details;
Daynelis Torres Alindato, who shared a self-made promotional video to recruit classmates to join the Holyoke High School band;
Devonny Lopez, who presented a fashion/art lookbook that offered a range of viewpoints on fashion;
Nevaeh Lopez, who shared her journey as a patron of theater to a performer with the Holyoke High School Theater Company along with a photo magazine she produced;.
Camryn Rist, who shared a mini fashion collection that he designed and built along with a fully produced video on fashion;
Jeremiah Tirado, who presented on the hows and whys of using green screens in film production in order to recreate some of his favorite film scenes, and how his interest had grown in this area over his four years of high school; and
Luis Melendez Velez, who shared a trailer for a short horror film he made with actors from the Holyoke High School Theater Company and Ms. Brunelle.