In its sixth year, the senior project at Carson High School may be having an unanticipated effect.
Several students this year, as in years past, are incorporating community service into the project portion of the three-part assignment.
It begins with a research paper, followed by an actual project that relates to that theme, and ends with a presentation to a panel of community members.
The senior project was initially developed as a way for students to better themselves - and the intense research and ability to present it in a clear way to the public no doubt does that.
However, some are taking it to the next level. They are using the senior project as a vehicle to not only better themselves, but all of society.
Take, for instance, Erin Holderman. She researched massage therapy and had planned her project around improving her skills in that craft. However, when she heard about the two Carson City children allegedly held captive and starved by their grandmother, mother and stepfather, she shifted her focus. Now, she's holding a fundraiser for which masseuses are donating massages in exchange for a donation to the Second Chance Fund, the account set up by deputies to raise money for the children.
Fellow senior Natalie Bergstrom has already raised $1,000 for the Carson Tahoe Cancer Resource Center, with a goal of raising $4,000.
Sarah Stadler organized a musical performance, "Love is a Cure," to benefit the Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
Surely, there are others performing similar acts of service as part of their final assignment.
While at Carson High School, students will learn many lessons. One of the most empowering may be this ability to recognize problems within the community, then have the motivation and confidence to solve them.