Capstone blocks are returning to Viewpoint for the last two weeks of school, providing two-hour classes for students to take final exams or finish up projects.  Their return comes after several years of hiatus where there were no official finals of any sort, and marks the return to academic normalcy post-pandemic.

In an email sent out to the student body, the assistant head of Upper School, Ms. Hunt, delineated a schedule for the last two weeks of school.  Monday, May 30th, is Memorial Day, so students will have the day off.  After that are two days of the normal schedule, followed by the commencement of capstones.  There will be two capstones per day and each block will get a capstone.  Capstone days will end on Tuesday, June 7th, and June 9th will be the last official school day, rotating through all eight blocks.

The school requires a final exam in mathematics, but the other departments are allowed to individually decide what to assign for a capstone project.  June 8th will be a day where students who were previously absent can come to campus and makeup these capstone projects.  Students who have completed all their capstones are not required to be at school on the 8th. 

“The idea of it is to recognize that for many classes, teachers appreciate the need to have some sort of culminating experience,” Dr. Steiger commented to the Patriot in an interview.  “The capstone creates a block of time for each teacher, each class, each group of students, to have that kind of culminating experience with enough flexibility for the teacher to decide what makes the most sense for their class.”

The introduction of official finals after years will no doubt add stress to the student body, especially those who struggle with test taking.  If you feel stressed or overwhelmed by the work, teachers are always available to talk to, as well as your academic counselours and Ms. Piccioni.  The Patriot wishes all students the best of luck on their capstones.