Members of the Class of 2023 brought intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm to FGR on Monday and Tuesday, May 15 and 16 as they presented their semester-long research projects. This is the second year of the Capstone program at FGR, and these students built upon the efforts of last year’s pioneers to present some exceptional research projects. The Capstone program has its genesis in FGR’s strategic planning process as a chance for scholars to broaden and deepen their knowledge and understanding. Ten students from the class of 2023 presented their senior Capstone projects to groups of FGR staff, students, and parents. Each of the seniors worked with a faculty mentor to create a presentation that combined multiple disciplines, intended to engage and educate the FGR community on a serious topic of personal interest to the student.
This year’s Capstone projects represented a wide range of topics, covering disciplines including art, philosophy, theology, science, language, literature, technology, economics, and medicine. The students’ nuanced presentations grappled with complex questions about the nature of humanity and its role in the world, such as: What is the nature of masculinity? How are gender roles illuminated in traditional structured dance? What is the role of language in society? When does art devolve into propaganda? How does Tolkien portray fate and free will? How does a society avoid economic collapse?
In one Capstone entitled “Taking Off the Band-Aid: Exposing Global Healthcare Inequity and Its Fix,” Gianna Marie Schubert ’23 outlined the plight of our world’s poorest countries, helping her schoolmates to understand the perspectives of those in crisis. She gave an informative and organized outline of humanitarian aid, arguing persuasively about who is best equipped to help our underprivileged brothers and sisters in the world. Her presentation ended with words from Pope Francis, quoting St. Francis of Assisi calling for “love that transcends the barriers of geography and distance.” Those who were fortunate to attend Gianna’s Capstone came away with a new understanding of the needs of the world and the way that humanitarian aid agencies are able to meet them, as well as a call to respond to the need to love our least fortunate brothers and sisters.
Each presentation ran approximately 20-30 minutes and covered its question in depth, giving the audience a chance to learn a significant amount about its topic. The projects are a culmination of the intellectual growth and development these students have undertaken in their high school years and have provided an opportunity to develop their individual intellectual habits to seek truth, knowledge, understanding and wisdom.