For the past several years at Mount Desert Island High School,  Seniors have created and presented Senior Exhibitions as a requirement for graduation. Students identify an essential question that interests them and then, working with a community mentor, they research and create a project addressing that question. These projects culminate in Exhibitions to panels of teachers, students, and community members.

The Exhibitions serve a number of purposes:

  • They celebrate students’ interests, achievements, and talents as they enter adulthood.
  • They introduce students to real-life problem solving based on issues they identify.
  • They are an opportunity to be assessed, not just by teachers, but also by students, peers, and community members.
  • They are an opportunity for the community to observe and give feedback to the school on our graduates.
  • They create a partnership between the school and community helping to enhance the rigor and relevance of our program.

MDI High School is grateful for a variety of resources that help to support of this program. With their assistance, students can apply for grants to support costs associated with their Exhibitions, allowing them to execute much more ambitious projects.

On Friday, May 24, 2019, MDI High School will continue the tradition with a morning-long Senior Exhibition Festival where students will present and celebrate their projects. Panels are led by teachers and take only an hour or two of your time, or more if you would like to stay longer.  If you are interested in serving on a panel or just learning more about the Senior Exhibitions, please contact Heather Dillon at 288-5011 x3117, 460-9328, or hdillon@mdirss.org. Please indicate the windows of  time during which you are available and the number of panel assignments you’d like. The schedule for the festival can be found here, or if the link doesn’t work, simply go to the school’s homepage, scroll to the bottom, and click on “Senior Exhibition” on the right. From there, it is easy to access the schedule. Please do keep in mind that the schedule is a live document and is subject to change.

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