The SAR High School Class of 2024 completed Senior Exploration, the capstone project for all students prior to graduation. Seniors have the opportunity to pursue an internship, fieldwork, volunteer work, a creative project or research over the course of three weeks in May. During those weeks, in addition to their hours devoted to their project, seniors must submit three journal entries of 500 words each and prepare for their final presentations. Every senior presents their findings, for up to 25 minutes, to a three-person faculty committee. Within their presentation, they also connect their capstone to two Judaic sources, offering explanations for their relationship, along with the opinions of commentators.

This year’s seniors, following in the tradition of their predecessors, produced phenomenal work. There were many memorable projects and their presentations reflected their three weeks of work. Students spent their time working in many arenas, including real estate, medicine, law, food service, education, politics and more. Seven students even worked on farms. On the creative project side, SAR faculty members were mesmerized with the final product that seniors showcased. Examples included construction of a cabin, assembly of a backyard oven, a 22-episode sports podcast, piano compositions and cookbooks. Students also volunteered in Israel and on the Arizona-Mexico border.

“Senior Ex was a really unique opportunity for me to plan and build something with my hand,” said Moshe S., who built a log cabin with Noah M. “It was incredibly rewarding to see all my hours and hours of hard work come to fruition and to create something real.”

Eliora R., who worked with a professional baker for her internship, added, “Something that I learned about this project is how long each baked good takes. When you eat a dessert, it’s hard to think how much time and energy it takes to bake, so I learned how much patience you need to be a professional baker. To be a successful baker, you need to be organized and strategic as well.”

While many second semester seniors “check out” in the weeks leading up to graduation, SAR flips the schedule so that students can attain real world experiences or pursue a meaningful project that perhaps they would never carve the time to explore. Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on their graduation!