The senior thesis may be interpreted by the Summa cum Laude candidate as a wholly original written work, a creative endeavor, or a community service project.
Step 1:
The Summa cum Laude candidate will choose a subject area of interest. This may be as specific as a hypothesis used for a science experiment or as general as area of study, such as French or computers.
Step 2:
The candidate asks a teacher to serve as his/her senior thesis advisor. Exceptional circumstances may allow a non-BCHS teacher to be the thesis advisor. The advisor must be approved by the Summa cum Laude committee, and one teacher may advise no more than two students.
Step 3:
The candidate and teacher work together to create a proposal that will be submitted to the Summa committee by Friday, October 2, 2009.
Step 4:
The proposal should include the following elements:
One paragraph that outlines the premise of the paper, project, or creative endeavor
A list of seven to ten sources that will inform the project (printed sources, Internet sources, individuals, audio/video sources) One source must be an expert in the field, but not the faculty thesis advisor.
One paragraph which explains the rationale for the candidate's choice of topic and direction
Step 5:
The Summa committee will approve or reject proposals. A deficient proposal may be improved and re-submitted.
Step 6:
Work ensues on the thesis.
Step 7:
Candidates will submit a progress report to their faculty advisors by February 15. In the case of a paper or creative project, this will take the form of a rough draft. In the case of a community service project, it will be a written update.
Step 8:
The advisor reviews the thesis progress statement thoroughly, suggesting improvements and additions he/she deems appropriate.
Step 9:
The final product is presented to members of the Summa committee by April 15 for review. In the case of some kind of event, it must be scheduled to take place sometime before that date. The committee will convene to rank the theses in one of three categories: 'Below Standard, Acceptable, or Extraordinary'.
Any papers that fall short of appropriate standards and receive the Below Standard rank will be submitted to an outside source for adjudication regarding final rating.
A candidate whose thesis receives the Acceptable or Extraordinary rating remains eligible for the Summa cum Laude diploma.
The senior thesis project will be placed on display for the wider community to examine.
