THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 25, 1996 TAG: 9605250545
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: PERRY PARKS
LENGTH: 74 lines
In three hours at Northeastern High School in Elizabeth City last week, I met a future lawyer, saw a dramatic skit, sampled English cuisine and learned how to survey property.
I glimpsed the excitement of a British soccer match, heard a lecture on bubonic plague and was taught about nursing and pharmacy.
My instructors were Northeastern seniors, now counting the days to their graduation after completing one of the most challenging assignments of their high school careers: An oral presentation culminating a semester of study, either on an aspect of England or the career of their choice.
For the two classes of English students, the presentation counts as a third of their senior project grade, which also includes a term paper and a 2-inch-thick bound portfolio brimming with facts and photos on their topics.
What makes the demonstrations especially interesting is the way the Northeastern staffers have chosen to grade them. While teacher Gwen Bell watched her students show their stuff, I and four other community professionals evaluated their performance.
Joining me were Pasquotank agricultural extension agent Tom Campbell, surveyor Eddie Hyman, North Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Services manager Bill Parker and Marine Corps recruiter Michael Todd.
We represent five fields, and none of us is a full-time teacher. But the folks at Northeastern believe that we and three dozen other professionals involved in this project are the best judges of their students' abilities.
That's because the schools are giving up these students next month. The working world will be taking them.
``These people are going to you for jobs,'' said Bell, head of the English Department. ``We need to know what communications skills they need, and thinking skills.''
Our task was to watch eight presentations and score the students on preparation, language use, presentation, organization, audio/visual aids and knowledge of their subject.
It's fun to watch people who know and like what they're talking about. And Bell's students worked hard to make sure we had fun.
The room was buzzing when we entered for Bell's second-period honors English class. It was like opening night.
There were even concessions. Karin Strickland was giving a presentation on British cuisine, and a table in front of us was covered with foods we would later taste: shepherd's pie, apple and cinnamon scones, Olde English trifle and Queen Elizabeth cake among them.
Karin and most of the other presenters were competent and courteous. They looked us in the eye when they introduced themselves and talked like experts.
And they dressed for the occasion. Rebecca Staben donned a soccer uniform. Jessica Wagner, presenting on the legends of King Arthur, dressed as his wife, Guinevere. Delton L. Curtis wore a suit to discuss the legal profession.
Kevin Brown brought a truckload of surveying equipment to demonstrate. Traci Mutzabaugh answered detailed questions about medieval medicine. Jennifer Morgan and Lavanda Hughes described shadowing professionals in pharmacy and nursing.
Karin likes the idea of outsiders judging the presentations, because ``they can see, kind of, the work we can do . . . The students aren't as bad as people think they are.''
It's true that schools are criticized for not preparing students for the ``real world'' - a problem that programs like this address.
It's also true that some graduates are less prepared than others. Some judges have told Bell that her students need more analytical, critical thinking skills. That's feedback the faculty will take to heart.
But the biggest thing students must leave high school with is an understanding of what they need to do to get where they want to go. These kids all want to go someplace, and they've set themselves on the right path.
I'm not the best judge of how far they've come in a semester. But I know what I like and respect: A commitment to being good at something, backed up by a sincere smile and a friendly handshake.
If the students I saw are representative of Northeastern's graduating class, our future's in better hands than we might think. MEMO: For more information about senior projects, call Amie Lane at
335-2981. by CNB