Senior Masterwork

Masterwork: An outstanding and ingenious work

Masterwork Advisor

The Presentation Component

It is required that each Senior Masterwork be shared with the school community in a manner best suited to the content of the project. The venue will most often be an assembly presentation. The student's Masterwork Advisor and family will be invited to this special event. Examples of past Masterwork Presentations are available through the school on DVD.

Examples of Senior Masterworks

A Masterwork can be virtually anything that satisfies the three criteria outlined earlier:

Focus on a particular passion the student wishes to explore

Challenge the student beyond what he or she has previously experienced

Put into practice the cumulative skills learned at Green Fields

Past examples: write and perform a satirical play based on a Biblical Text; research heart failure; study environmentally responsible ways to harvest seafood; write and illustrate a bilingual children's book; design and create a Victorian gown after researching the fashion of the era; compose, perform and record original music for a CD; make a quilt; study improvisational theater and organize an improvisational troupe of students to perform original concepts; create a theoretical computing model networking discarded computers in a solar powered “array” with third world applications; write a symphony and organize its performance at school.

Eligibility

1. You must be entering your senior year in a position to exceed the minimum requirements for graduation. In other words, there must be time on your schedule for an extra study period and/or an elective. It is understood that the Masterwork will take the place of an entire course.

2. You must be in good academic standing prior to submitting a Masterwork proposal. Further, you must be able to maintain that standing while meeting the obligations of your Masterwork. If your course work starts to suffer your Masterwork may be suspended until your academic situation improves. This is a judgment which will be rendered by the Masterwork Coordinator in consultation with your teachers. You must understand that this, due to time constraints, may result in an “incomplete” for your project.

3. It is important to consider the logistical demands of your project. For example, if it requires school time off campus and you do not have a car and/or your parent's permission to be off campus at such times, then this particular idea might not be suitable.

4. It is important to consider the demands of the college application process relative to the requirements of your Masterwork and your other course work. Remember that college applications are typically completed between October and December of senior year. On the other hand, a Masterwork that is underway is always a point of interest in any college application.

Masterwork Proposal

The Senior Masterwork may be proposed in writing at any time during the junior year and during the first few weeks of senior year. A significant amount of research must be done in order to render a proposal that is substantive, thoughtful, and an example of your best written work. It is likely that the Masterwork Committee will have suggestions. This is part of the process of delineating an organized, challenging, and achievable Masterwork. Students are encouraged to turn in their proposals early enough to allow for a review process. Each proposal must identify the project's advisor and offer contact information for the Masterwork Coordinator. Once approved, each Masterwork Proposal will be displayed in a place of prominence in order to share your vision with students and faculty.

Students may begin their Masterwork projects at any time upon approval of their proposal, but no later than the first quarter of senior year, assuming they meet all eligibility requirements and understand that their academic schedules during junior year will not change. Beginning senior year each Masterwork candidate will meet with the Masterwork Coordinator once a week to provide project updates. These meetings will be brief but are important. The student will meet with the full Masterwork Committee at least twice each semester for a formal review.

The Masterwork is an opportunity and a privilege that comes with senior year at Green Fields. It provides eligible students with the institutional support necessary to explore an area of intellectual and/or artistic passion in a self-directed manner and challenges them to employ many of the skills they have learned in high school. By definition, a Masterwork demonstrates the extent to which learning transcends the boundaries of the classroom.