The lights dim and the chatter fades away, as a spotlight shines on a table of seniors. One student is called upon to begin presenting and the room explodes in applause, marking the beginning of the inaugural Senior Symposium here at Grier.
So what is the Senior Symposium? It is a project where high school seniors prepare research presentations on a topic that interests them. The symposium was not just a matter of one day. Seniors spent the entire year researching and preparing their presentations. Seniors had to find sources and details to inform these “passion projects” and then present them to a room full of peers and faculty members.
Here at Grier, the day of the Senior Symposium kicked off with a morning session with four panels, each with four to five senior presenters. Underclassmen had the chance to choose one of these groups to watch and engage with by asking questions of the panel after the presentations concluded. Following lunch, the afternoon session progressed in the same manner.
Mr. Packnick, the leading advisor of the inaugural program, stated that the success of the symposium “exceeded my expectations for what was possible.” He added, “The real success was the work the students produced.” Projects that stood out to him had personal topics, from adoption and social anxiety to support for kids with medical conditions. Students were able to showcase their personal values through their topic choices, which contributed to the vast array of subjects discussed. When asked what his own hypothetical topic would be, Mr. Packnick, a podcaster who reviews films, unsurprisingly chose “the impact of streaming on films and film quality.”
Senior presenter Jalynn Partner was surprised at how engaged her peers were and how well-received her project was. Her symposium topic was “AI and How it Hurts the Future of the Film Industry.” “People were asking me how they can help. It was really cool,” she said. While people were supportive, Partner also admits that the size of the project created anxiety at times. “It was stressful–I definitely lost many hours of sleep just thinking about it,” she said.
Not only did the students persevere, but so did staff members. For instance, Mr. Packnick was sick on presentation day and as he said, his health “declined throughout the day.” However, he was able to rely on the many faculty members who offered to help. Moderators like Dr. Findley, Mr. Lang, and Ms. Ondrey supported the students tremendously.
Though the Senior Symposium may have required a lot of work on the part of the senior class and their advisors, Mr. Packnick believed the stress was worth it, because it prepared students for their college and professional future. “It is a great opportunity for students to practice public speaking in a formal setting,” he said. Now, seniors have some experience under their belt and can move forward confident in their oratory abilities.
The Senior Symposium will now become a Grier tradition, a right of passage for all before graduation. Unfortunately, Mr. Packnick had no answer for the question every Junior has been waiting for. Concerning the debate over the next seniors having one or two projects to complete, Mr. Packnick said mischievously, “TBD”.
