Research with an Outcome

This week marks the end of the MVGS Research program for the 2009-2010 school year.  With the completion of the two symposium programs (in Middletown and in Warrenton), seniors have reached the pinnacle of the two-year process they found themselves engaged in upon their arrival to Mountain Vista. 

Presenting students discussed their research methods, results and processes in formal presentations to their classmates, teachers, parents, local school district officials and members of the press.  While this may seem like a Herculean task for a high school student, Mr. Dietrich (our Research 2 teacher) spent a significant amount of time prepping the students for this experience.  Gaining impressive presentation skills is a goal, not just in research class, but for the whole student body.  The students handled themselves well, and the faculty is very proud of them. 

Other students made their research available to the same audience, but in the form of a “poster session.”  They stood ready to have one-on-one discussions with any interested parties about their research projects and how the process of being an independent researcher worked for them. 

Mr. Dietrich looks forward to wrapping up the research year with a faculty-wide discussion of the progress of the research curriculum, and that discussion has been scheduled for the week of faculty work days immediately following the last official day of school.  According to Mr. Dietrich, the research curriculum “is not about me or what I am doing, but [all of] us, [and] especially, our students.”  We, as a faculty, look with great anticipation to the 2010-2011 school year and the achievements in research we certainly expect from next year’s graduating class.