Capstone Projects and the Goal of Catholic Education


“Thanks for your response. Nicely written. I like how you describe how Faith by Revelation is an invitation to enter into a relationship with God, and how our act of Faith in response helps us to grow deeper into that relationship with God. It really does seem pretty simple. God invites and we either say yes or we do not. For my students, the first lesson I try to teach them is that they are, in fact, invited into a relationship with God by which they can know Authentic Love. As soon as they know they are invited, I then teach them how they can respond to that Love. Most importantly, I try to model this Love (as best I can) in my relationship with them. Maybe this is the real purpose of teaching...much more than just content or college prep.”
                At the school where I teach right now, seniors are asked to produce a Capstone Project as part of their graduation requirements. For the most part, the procedure is simple, but for the seniors, it can be painful. They have to condense into a six to eight minute presentation the essence of what they have learned in their three and three-quarter years of high school education. I and my colleagues advise students on what they want to focus on and how they should present their projects. Right now students are finishing up their projects, and the stress levels are decreasing, sort of. They still have AP exams and regular exams, and, for some, they are still trying to figure out where they will spend at least the next four years of their lives. But after seeing a number of Capstone Projects and reflecting on what their main themes are, I am reminded of what Catholic education is really about.
                I was on a panel judging a Capstone Project earlier this week.  It is perfectly understandable to hear a student talk about how a particular class helped them to be prepared for college or how a particular teacher may have opened them up the Beauty of art or literature.  It brought me great Joy to hear this particular student discuss how during her high school career, all aspects of her education helped her to encounter Jesus Christ more palpably and more efficaciously. She plans to study science and has a further vocation to service in some way, but she repeatedly mentioned how all aspects of her education helped her to solidify her Faith and to discover more deeply the Truth of her Authentic Self. Catholic Education is much deeper than just college preparation or even “professional awareness”. It is more than simply helping a student to discover their academic strengths or weaknesses. Some Capstone Projects I have seen, I will admit, are really just a material summary of how their Catholic education helped them to discover what they wanted to do in life or what they wanted to study in college. But often, like the project I described, I sense the greater purpose of these projects and, really, the greater purpose of Catholic education.
                As Catholic school teachers, there is more Truth beyond the narrative of our lesson plans or curriculum. There is a deeper reality of who we and who our students are than the text within the margins of our classrooms. Some students, like the one whose project I judged, somehow sense the real purpose of Catholic education, but many do not. As Catholic school teachers we should be conscious of this greater goal. We should be aware that we are not in the business of producing college students, “good citizens”, or anything so simply reducible; we are in the business of encounter with God and the unfolding of the Authentic Self.


(The Crucifix and Altar at the Redemptorist Retreat Center near Tucson, Arizona. Photo P. Smith)

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