May Project Handbook

Dear Senior,

May Project began in 1969 as an attempt by students to use the last month of their senior year to go beyond University High School. It has undergone many changes in form and process since then, but it remains fundamentally the same: a time for exploration outside of a set academic curriculum. May Project is a more flexible part of the U-High program that allows you to leave school for an entire month. As such it is not a right that you have, but a privilege that you earn. When you design your project, you should recognize that May Project gives you the unique opportunity to explore an interest of your choosing without the restrictions imposed by school or a paid job. In the past, some students have proposed projects that enabled them to learn a skill, serve a community, explore career possibilities, or pursue independent studies. Your choices are broad, but not limitless. Out of town projects, for example, must be sponsored and also supervised by someone acting in place of your parents, and independent projects have several special requirements. The approval of your idea by the faculty Readers Committee depends as much on the quality of your proposal as on your specific project. If you have any questions about whether your project is appropriate (some aren't), or if you are planning an independent project, or if you want to do an out of town project and need to get early approval for travel reasons (such as low air fare), see Mr. Gardner, the May Project Coordinator.

The school expects several things of you throughout the May Project process. First of all, your proposal must be completed thoroughly because its quality will indicate to the Readers Committee your dedication to the project itself. In addition, a poor attendance record or poor grades will be a basis for your ineligibility before or after your proposal is accepted. Finally, you must meet all of the May Project deadlines.

All 4th year seniors in good standing are eligible to propose a project and, if accepted, go on May Project, but participation is optional. You may decide to devote your full time to a project, you may choose to combine a project with a reduced course load, or you may prefer not to participate at all and continue your regular academic program. Students who participate must choose an advisor from the faculty or administration (but you may not choose your own parent) and work under his or her close supervision. Your advisor will give you the personal attention you need to plan and carry out a project. You will also work under the direct supervision of an on-site sponsor, a person with expertise in the area of your project. Also, independent projects have special requirements. Finally, students may not be paid for May Project because it is an extension of school, not simply a chance to start a summer job a month early.

This handbook is designed to guide you through the procedures and regulations of May Project. If you have any questions, comments, or thoughts concerning May Project, please feel free to seek help from Mr. Gardner, whose office is in UH 308.

I. Students

A. Before you do anything else:

1. Read this handbook carefully, especially page 15 for departmental

requirements. You must follow the deadlines and procedures outlined in it if you are to have your project approved. If you don't read carefully, you will probably fail to follow procedures or to meet deadlines, and will then become ineligible to do a project.

Then:

2. Fill out the Preliminary Eligibility form to determine if you will have sufficient credits to fulfill graduation requirements by the end of the

Spring Quarter. Take into consideration any credit reductions that may

result from your being on May Project (see departmental requirements on page 15).

3. a. By Tuesday, January 20, you should find a member of the faculty or administration who agrees to serve as your advisor. Remember that an advisor cannot advise more than two May Project students and therefore, if you wait too long, might not be free to work with you. Your own parent may not be your May Project advisor. Seniors doing a joint project may not have the same advisor, and each must write his or her own proposal. Joint proposals and evaluations will be rejected.

b. Check your Preliminary Eligibility form with your counselor, and get your counselor's signature.

4. Before Wednesday, February 4 submit a draft of your proposal to your advisor and have your advisor sign the First Draft form, and by Wednesday, February 4 give the completed First Draft form to Mr. Gardner. By this date you should have had a detailed discussion with your sponsor about what you hope to do and what you sponsor thinks that you can do during your project. Make an appointment to meet with your advisor by the end of the week to discuss your draft proposal and your proposed project and your advisor's perceptions of your sponsor. An advisor is the teacher or administrator at the school who will work with you on your proposal and your project and who will determine, with the May Project Coordinator, if you may continue your project once it has begun, and, when you finish your project, whether you have completed it satisfactorily. A sponsor is the person who will work with and supervise you at your project site.

5. Complete and submit the following to Mr. Gardner or place in the May Project box in Mr. Gardner's office (UH 308) no later than 2:30 Tuesday, February 17, in this order:

a) Your Proposal Information Page with all signatures

b) Your Proposal Status form

c) Your signed Sponsor Letter

d) Your signed Preliminary Eligibility form

e) Your Proposal

If you are proposing an independent project, write Independent Project in each space that requires a sponsor's signature, including the Sponsor Letter. Write "Proposal" at the top of each page of your proposal. Be certain to get all necessary signatures well before the due date. The May Project Readers Committee will see the thoughtfulness, care, and thoroughness of your proposal, as well as your ability to meet your deadlines, as an indicator of the manner in which you would carry out your project, and will not consider any proposal submitted after this deadline. Their decision to let you proceed with your plans will depend on your meeting all of your obligations. BE SURE TO KEEP A COPY OF YOUR PROPOSAL.

6. The May Project Readers Committee will consider any project proposal you submit in accordance with the specified procedures. You must have the committee's approval before you undertake the project. The May Project Readers Committee will determine whether your project will work in the way that you intend, and whether it will be beneficial to you and not harm the school. They will need to see that:

1) you have established the necessary liaison with your sponsor,

2) you have clearly defined (proposed) a project that conforms to your stated needs and interests,

3) you clearly understand your own responsibilities,

4) you have met your academic requirements (including attendance),

5) your project is one that the school can support,

6) your parents have approved the project.

The Readers Committee will also decide if your proposal actually proposes a project. That is why your proposal should be specific in all areas. Also, the Readers Committee will reject immediately any proposal that does not have an advisor and (for sponsored projects) a sponsor. If you want to do an independent project, you must see Mr. Gardner before you contact a prospective advisor or begin writing your proposal.

7. If you have a legitimate reason for missing a deadline, it will be accepted. However, you must be responsible about your obligations, or your reason will not be accepted. Some examples of unacceptable excuses are: "My friend told me I didn't have to," "I didn't look at the bulletin board," "I didn't read that part of the handbook," "I thought I did it already," "I lost the form." If you are suspended from school when a deadline occurs, you must still meet that deadline.

8. Finally, any senior who the principal determines has seriously violated our school Code of Conduct and decides cannot leave school for May Project, will be ineligible for May Project. Be sure to read the section Pranks on page 53 of the student handbook.

B. Special Information About Independent Projects

1. An independent project is one that you do in total or in part without the supervision of a sponsor. If part of your project is sponsored, and part is not, it is an independent project.

2. Your work on an independent project must cover at least six hours each day, which is the same requirement as a sponsored project.

3. Because #2 above is an absolute requirement, you must show in your proposal that your project will cover at least six hours each day.

4. In the "Work Plan and Schedule" section of your proposal, you must write a syllabus for your project which includes a detailed plan and schedule that tells how you will carry out your project. This syllabus must convince your advisor and your readers that you have a six hour per day project. If it does not, your proposal will be rejected. May Project follows a simple rule for independent projects: If you can't plan it, you can't do it. If your project will not allow for precise planning, it is not acceptable for May Project.

5. The readers of independent project proposals will approve only those projects that have exactly met all of the requirements. If you don't think that your independent project can be approved, you should do a sponsored project instead. Be sure to see Mr. Gardner if you have any concerns.

6. You may not do an independent project that requires you to live away from your home.

7. You must keep a detailed daily journal (see page 7) that accounts for the time you spend each day on your project. Time that you spend writing in your journal is project time, and counts toward your six hours.

8. You must find an advisor who is willing to meet with you three times each week of your project, and then meet with your advisor three times each week during your project. At these meetings you must be prepared to show your advisor convincingly that you have been on task as you had proposed (and at least six hours each day), or that you have had to modify your plans, but are still able to meet your project's goals and the six hours per day requirement.

9. You must bring to your meetings with your advisor:

A. Your journal

B. All of the work that you have so far accomplished (remember to date your work and to note how much time it took you to complete each part of it)

C. A copy of your syllabus from your proposal

11. You must also bring a meeting form to your meeting with your advisor. If you or your advisor do not return this form to Mr. Gardner, you will have to give up your project. (Remember to choose your advisor wisely: an irresponsible advisor can really mess up your project). Also, if your advisor indicates that he or she is not satisfied with your progress, you will have to leave your project and return to school. If this happens, since your May Project will have become a graduation requirement, your receiving your diploma will then be in jeopardy.

Practically speaking, your proposal is a request for permission to leave school in order to pursue a special interest. You must work with your advisor as you write your proposal. Consider also getting help from the High School Writing Assistant. Remember that the members of the Readers Committee are not your editors. You must write five paragraphs, organized and headed as follows.

I) Introduction

What do you propose to do? Why does this interest you? How did this interest develop in you? What should the Readers Committee know about this project? Be as specific as possible.

II) Sponsor and Agency

Who is your sponsor*? What makes this person a good sponsor for you? Will your sponsor bring enthusiasm to your project? How will your sponsor aid in your work? Where will you be doing your project? What makes this site a good one? Have you visited this place? Have you met any of your co-workers? Do you have any impressions about the atmosphere - the feel - of this place? Keep asking yourself questions about who (sponsor, co-workers) and where (site), and write about these people and this place in your proposal. And be specific.

* If you are working on an independent project, tell here about your advisor, and about the place(s) where you'll be working, which will be your site(s).

III) Work and Goals

What specifically do you want to do as your project? What are the various parts of your project? How do these parts work together to make one whole project? What are your goals in doing this project? How will the various things you will be doing help you meet your goals? Sometimes students are disappointed to discover after their projects have begun that their sponsors will not let them do what the students had hoped. Be sure to speak frankly with your sponsor about the work you want to do, whether your hopes are realistic, and how he or she will help you meet your goals. Tell in this section about your conversations and agreements.

IV) Work Plan and Schedule

What will be your daily routine? Do you know the specific tasks you will be doing? How much time (daily? weekly?) will you spend on each? Will you spend any time traveling to and from your project site? Will you have to spend time shopping for materials? Remember that you must spend at least 6 hours per day on a full time project.

If you are doing an independent project, be sure to tell in a carefully written syllabus, your very specific daily plans and schedule. Also, tell the definite plans you have made with your advisor for your weekly meetings. This is very important because if you don't include such a plan and schedule, your readers will reject your proposal. If you cannot do such a plan and schedule, do not propose the project. See Mr. Gardner no later than Friday, January 9 if you are planning an independent project.

Remember, since you are asking permission to stop taking some or all of your classes five weeks before the end of school, you must tell reasonable and specific details about every aspect of your project.

If you are doing a joint project (that is, working on this project with another student), you must include this information in your proposal. You must also explain what will happen to your project if your partner has to drop out. If you think you can continue alone, tell the specific plans you have that will allow you to scale back your project. And remember, each member of a joint project must submit his or her own proposal, and since each student is different, each proposal must be different. Also, students doing joint projects may not have the same advisor, and must write separate evaluations.

V) Evaluation

How will you evaluate your project? What do you hope to learn about yourself from having done this project? What do you think the links are between the work you will do and the person you are? What do you hope to discover about the work you will do? How will your weekly conversations with your advisor help you evaluate your progress? You must keep a daily journal, so tell how your journal will help you evaluate your progress. Remember that what you write in this section will be the basis for your final evaluation.

In your daily journal you must write a detailed account of what you did each day of your project (the facts), and how you felt and/or thought about what happened (the links between the facts and who you are). Your advisor and especially the May Project Coordinator will expect each day's entry to be thoughtful and thorough. Be aware that your May Project journal is not private. You may of course keep a separate, private journal that you will not be required to turn in.

The Readers Committee will be concerned especially to see that the planning for all independent projects has been done thoroughly and in detail, including your plans to submit, with the final evaluation, your daily journal and dated work completed as the project advanced, such as rough drafts, proof sheets, sketches, as well as any products of the project.

Remember that many projects have not worked out as planned, but have been successful nonetheless, so don't worry that you are binding yourself by being specific in this section. If things don't work out exactly as you tell that you expect them to, the way that they did not work out, and the new way that they did, will simply become a part of your final evaluation.

The success of the May Project as a program at the Laboratory Schools depends upon the commitment of advisors. Prospective advisors should read carefully the following section of this handbook, and accept the responsibilities of an advisor only if willing (1) to work hard for the success of a student's project, (2) to stop advising a student who is not working diligently on the project and the proposal, (3) to recommend to the May Project Coordinator that a student who is failing to work diligently during the project be removed from the project, and (4) to assign a failing grade to a student who does not complete the project satisfactorily.

A. Preparing the proposal

1. Meet with your student no later than the last week in January to discuss the student's ideas for a project. Help your student develop a clear and specific plan for the project and to write a clear and highly detailed proposal. Impress upon your student that failure to meet deadlines or to follow procedures will disqualify him or her from participation in May Project.

2. If the project involves a sponsoring agency and if you think it would be helpful to your advisee, visit the site and talk with the sponsor.

At the very least, call the sponsor before the proposal deadline to be certain that the student's expectations and those of the sponsor are in agreement.

3. If you think it necessary, contact your student's parents.

4. Your advisee must submit to you a draft of his or her proposal and the First Draft form by February 4. Complete the form and discuss with the student this draft proposal. Each student has a handbook that tells how to write a proposal. Please read the proposal with the handbook's guidelines in mind. Be sure that the proposal is specific in all sections, and thorough in its development, and written clearly. When it is written to your satisfaction, sign the Information Page. Far too often, advisors have allowed students to submit poorly written and poorly prepared proposals. Please take the care and time required to ensure that your student submits a well written proposal. Remember that U-High has a Writing Assistant who, with you, can also help your student.

B. Preparing the final proposal

1. Your student must make an appointment by March 18 to meet with you to discuss the readers' comments on the proposal.

2. If the proposed project has changed since your first contact with the sponsor, discuss the changes with the sponsor to be certain that the project can still work, and help your student write an addendum to the proposal that tells clearly and in detail the proposed changes to the project.

3. Review the revised proposal and, if it meets with your satisfaction, sign the Proposal Status form. You must sign the form even if the proposal did not need revision.

4. Check that the student has talked with all teachers of classes that the student plans to stop attending during May Project.

5. By Monday, April 27, at the very latest, be sure your student has arranged a schedule with you for the meetings you will have during the project.

C. During the May Project

1. a. Speak with your student at least once a week, as you have arranged. If your student is doing an independent project, you must meet with him or her at least three times each week. Part of your conversation should be based on the student's daily journal (which your student must keep); students will be using these when they write their project evaluations. In their daily journals, students must write detailed descriptions of what they did each day of the project (the facts), and how they felt and/or thought about what happened (the links between the facts and who they are). Your student will have a form for you to complete regarding your meeting. Complete it and either have your student return it to Michael Gardner, the May Project Coordinator, or return it to Michael Gardner yourself. This form is a check that students are meeting with their advisors. Students whose forms are not returned will be taken off of their projects.

b. Be sure the student is keeping the daily journal (see page 7) up to date, and be sure the accomplishments recorded are in accord with plans for the project.

c. If the project involves independent work, it is very important that your student record daily progress in complete detail and that you meet personally with the student at least three times each week. Be aware that students must spend at least six hours each day on their projects. Your student must convince you that he or she has been on task each day for at least this amount of time.

2. Call the sponsor during the late second or early third week of the project to see if the student's views of how the project is going conform to those of the sponsor. If you feel it is necessary, visit the student and sponsor on the student's project site.

3. Help the student evaluate the project and measure it against the stated goals.

4. Expect a form from the May Project Coordinator once during the project. The Coordinator will be trying to stay informed about the general progress of each project.

5. If any problem arises, either with the student's performance or with the sponsor's, inform the May Project Coordinator at once. As necessary, act as an intermediary between student and sponsor. Finally, in an extreme situation where it appears that continuing the project is likely to be detrimental to your student, suspend the project temporarily and immediately contact Michael Gardner, the May Project Coordinator (UH 308, 2-0589).

D. Evaluation

1. Study the student's evaluation and help ensure that it is thorough.

2. Talk with the student to work through the cooperative evaluation form.

3. Make your final evaluation of the project at the bottom of the Cooperative Evaluation form and on the Final Evaluation form.

III. Sponsors

Before your student writes a proposal for the project, you should discuss with each other the goals and plans for the project. In these discussions you should make clear to your student to what extent you will be able to meet his or her expectations. You might also discuss times that you expect the student to be present; amount and kind of work you expect the student to do; training required, if any, and when that training must take place; amount of time and effort you are willing to give to your student during the project in career counseling and education. You might also discuss, if appropriate, the relations of your student to your employees, whether a uniform must be worn on the job, or other special conditions that might apply.

The student's advisor should call you before the project begins, and also during the project, and might visit you and the student at the project site.

You and your student should arrange a procedure for recording the student's daily attendance. The student is to notify both you and the school if he or she needs to be absent.

Laboratory Schools policy prohibits students from receiving pay for work done on the May Project. If this presents a problem for you, please call Mr. Michael Gardner at 773.702.0589 to discuss it.

IV. Parents

1. All May Project proposals must be approved by parents.

2. The faculty advisor will serve as liaison between the home and school.

3. Parents or students are responsible for making the student's transportation arrangements for projects off the school campus. Also, parents assume full legal responsibility for the student when he or she is not on the Laboratory Schools campus. The Laboratory Schools assumes that the parents will carry adequate insurance to cover mishaps that may occur when the student is on May Project.

4. Parents should feel free to address questions or concerns to their child's May Project advisor or to Michael Gardner, the May Project Coordinator.

V. Departmental Requirements For Completing Course Work

Before submitting your proposal be sure to consult each of your spring quarter teachers to find out how each will award credit for your courses. Also, check with your counselor to verify that you will have enough credits for graduation. The following guidelines will apply for most courses, but individual cases may vary:

l. Students in AP courses must continue to attend those courses until they have taken the AP exam or until the end of the course. Check with the teacher for specific requirements.

2. Students in second-year Foreign Language courses meeting the minimum two-year requirement for graduation must complete the full year.

3. Students in the Mathematics course Advanced Algebra / Trigonometry must complete the full year.

4. Students who have failed an English elective and have not made up the 1/3 credit will not be excused from their spring quarter elective. Students who miss 25% of class meetings (6 days) prior to the beginning of May Project may not be allowed to leave class for May Project.

5. Two-thirds credit for the Fine Arts requirement must be completed prior to Spring Quarter of the senior year for the student who wishes to participate in May Project. The Fine Arts Department will grant an additional one-third credit to a May Project participant who ends a fine arts course at the beginning of May Project, although additional out of class work will be required in specific courses in order to get full credit.

6. Students in Physical Education must continue to attend until they have completed full credit requirements to graduate. Athletes who have not turned in their uniforms must do so before going on May Project.

7. Students must clear fines and over-dues from Rowley Library and Regenstein Library before going on May Project.

8. Students in Journalism must complete work on the issue of the Midway in progress at the time May Project starts, and complete work on U-Highlights, attending Saturday yearbook workshops as usual.

9. Students who get their teacher's permission to end a course at the beginning of May Project will receive full credit for the course in English, history, music, and science, or seven-eighths credit in math and foreign language.

10. Students must have completed and returned to the Guidance and Counseling office their college choice and notification form before going on May Project.