Arts & Humanities seniors present capstone projects

The 13 graduating seniors from the Lincoln Public Schools Arts and Humanities Focus Program presented their capstone projects last week, the culmination of four years of creative growth and academic exploration.

The students had been working on their projects since January. Their topics were diverse and their completed projects took many forms. They all were on display as part of an art show on Friday at the Arts and Humanities facility near Randolph Street and Capitol Parkway, across from Lincoln High School.

One student, through a project titled “Botany and Business,” explored essential oils: growing the necessary plants, researching the ingredients and creating the oils. Another student completed a short film for her project, “Film and Storytelling.” Another who plans on majoring in scenic design in college created a miniature set design of a bedroom that was painstakingly detailed - right down to copies of handwritten letters that could fit on a fingertip.

One of the students, Jordan Ramaekers, described the capstones as “passion projects.” During his time at Arts and Humanities, thanks to his teachers, he found a passion for prison reform and the criminal justice system. He worked with mentors who offered him guidance and reading lists for his project. In the end, he wrote poems and lyrical essays to present his research findings about what prison reform could look like in the United States.

“My goal with this project is to educate and start a conversation,” said Ramaekers, whose home school is Lincoln High. “Everyone has had something they’ve been passionate about all four years of high school but never had the chance to explore. The capstone project has been a great way to do that.”

“Criminal justice and art - it’s not something you necessarily think of,” he added.

Students were required to spend at least 60 hours on their projects - which certainly wasn’t a problem for Savanna Gregor, who created the miniature set design.

“I know I went well above that because I was really interested in this,” said Gregor, whose home school is Lincoln High. “It really made me determined that this is what I want to do. When I was working on this I really got into a mindset - when you get to that place it’s amazing.”

Ramaekers and Gregor agreed the capstone projects were a perfect way to finish their four years at Arts and Humanities. And Ramakers has advice for anyone considering the Arts and Humanities program in high school.

“Keep your eyes open, keep your mind open, be open to new ideas and be open to having conversations about your art. Talk about what you’re passionate about.”

The graduating seniors from the Arts and Humanities Focus Program and the titles of their capstone projects:

Anna Almeida Costa - "Film and Storytelling"

Kierra Galloway - "Cosplay: An Overlooked Art"

Ava Bridges -  "Abstinence Only Education and Minority Teenagers"

Eric Jensen - "Learning to Build a Tiny House and Carpentry"

Ariana Dahlenburg - "Video Game Creation and Design"

Isaiah Holliday - "Become one with the Multiverse: Building a Tabletop Card Fighting Game"

Jordan Ramaekers - "American Mythology: Land of the Free"

Lily Reineke - "Botany and Business"

Melissa Lafler - "More than Ramen: A Blog and Opportunity for Learning"

Taylor Stoddard - "Working on My Novel"

Taylor Hainstock - "Making an Animation"

Savanna Gregor - "Hole in the Wall: Set Design"

Hannah Yohman - "Finding Me Through Her: Writing a Novella"

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