Months of Research.
One question.
Your answer.
The Senior Capstone is the culminating experience of a Woodlawn education. Every senior identifies a question that matters to them, spends nine months pursuing it through field research and mentorship, and presents original work to a panel of community experts before graduation.
The culminating stage of
the Woodlawn Arc.
The Senior Capstone is a nine-month field-based inquiry project required of every Woodlawn graduate. Students choose a topic of genuine personal interest, something connected to their Pathway of Purpose, their community, or a question they have carried through their Woodlawn years, and develop a driving question to investigate.
The Capstone is not a paper. It is not a class project. It is original work, conducted in the field, with a real mentor and a real audience. Every senior presents their findings to a panel of community experts before graduation: people who listen and respond as professionals, not evaluators.
The Capstone is the final expression of Advocacy, Agency, and Impact, the culmination of what a Woodlawn education has been building toward since day one.
A scaffolded framework.
A student-owned journey.
Question
Every Capstone begins with a driving question, something the student genuinely needs to investigate. Faculty help students refine the question until it is specific enough to answer and broad enough to matter.
Research + Mentorship
Students conduct nine months of field-based inquiry with a scaffolded framework of monthly benchmarks and a dedicated teacher advisor. They also identify and build a relationship with a personal mentor from the professional community.
Internship
Students arrange and complete an internship in their field of inquiry, bringing their research into a real professional environment and applying what they have learned alongside people who do this work every day.
Presentation
In May, every senior presents their completed Capstone to a panel of community experts. The presentation demonstrates mastery of the topic and the ability to make, support, and defend an original argument.
Students lead the work.
Faculty and mentors support it.
The Capstone is self-directed, but not unsupported. A clear framework, consistent faculty guidance, and a personal community mentor give every senior the structure they need to do their best work independently.
Teacher Advisor
Every student meets regularly with a faculty advisor throughout the nine-month process. Advisors review progress against monthly benchmarks, help students navigate research challenges, and prepare them for the formal panel presentation in May.
Community Mentor
Students identify and secure a personal mentor who works professionally in their area of inquiry. Mentors meet regularly with students, provide real-world perspective, and often help facilitate the internship component of the project.
Monthly Benchmarks
A scaffolded framework of objectives and monthly deadlines ensures that every student makes consistent progress across nine months. The framework is designed to support autonomy, not replace it. Students own the direction, the benchmarks keep the work moving.
“The Capstone is where everything converges. The question is yours. The work is yours. The answer is yours.”Woodlawn School, Upper School Faculty
The Capstone and
your college application.
Every Woodlawn senior arrives at the college application process with a completed Capstone: original research, a mentorship relationship, an internship, and a formal presentation. That is a story admissions offices and scholarship committees recognize.
See the Capstone
in action.
Tour Woodlawn’s campus in Mooresville, NC and meet the educators who designed this experience. Capstone presentations are held each May.