The Comenius Independent Study Program is named for John Amos Comenius, the 17th Century Moravian educator, philosopher, and writer who is often called “the father of modern education.” The program is designed to support students who choose to pursue an area of study that goes beyond our school curriculum.

If you have a very specific academic interest, and especially if you have an idea about it that needs to be explored, investigated, and reported on, the Comenius Program may be for you! Historically, the program has been open to juniors and seniors. This year, for the first time, we are opening it up to sophomores, as well.

With guidance from a mentor whom you choose from among our esteemed faculty and administration, you will draft a proposal, conduct your research, and formulate your conclusions from October through the winter months. Then, in April, you and the other students in the program will offer thorough and polished presentations, or short films, that will illuminate parents, teachers, and your peers as to what it is that you have learned, accomplished, and discovered.

Ideally, you should choose a mentor in the department of the broad area of study you are pursuing. If you know whom you would to mentor you, simply ask that teacher. If you’re not sure, you can check with the department chair or any member of the Comenius Committee (Ms. Barnhardt, Dr. Crowe, Dr. Dee, Mr. del Real, Dr. Moore, Dr. McKay, Mrs. Weems, or me) for a suggestion.

If you are interested in pursuing this exciting opportunity, please send an email to me at smolloy@mamail.net  asking that I add you to the Comenius Google Classroom. Once you have access to the Google Classroom, please find and read the Comenius Handbook carefully. This is a deadline-driven program, and no slack is cut.

Important Deadlines:

• Monday, September 16th: Join the Google Classroom.
• Monday, September 23th: Draft proposals due to mentors
• Monday, September 30th: Final proposals due to mentors

2018-2019 Comenius Projects Included:

• Meghan Connors ’20 – “Sports Psychology: Why We Need to Focus on the Mental and Not Just the Physical Side of Sports”
• Alex Adams ’20 – “A Novel Cryptosystem for Secure Communication”
• Kathrine Yeaw ’20  – “Kangaroo Care”
• Avi Singh ’20 – “Hatred of Sound: An Investigation into the Effects of Misophonia”
• Lavinia Burchielli ’20 – “Hedging to Obtain a Riskless Profit and its link with Probability Theory”
• Julius Ewungkem ’20 – “Accelerating With ACTN3: The Power Gene”
• Darragh Breslin ‘19 – “Developing Affordable Spyware”
• Peter (PJ) Scarperi ’20 – “Music’s Role in Creating Social Change: A Study of Bob Dylan and Kendrick Lamar”
• Neil Deshmukh ’20 – “A Machine Learning Algorithm That Can Learn Like a Kid”
• Isha Kaza ’20 – “Recognizing the Impacts of Nonverbal Communication”
• Karilyn Kruklitis ’20 – “A Comparison Study of the Cost of Cleft Lip and Palate Surgeries in the United States and Madagascar”
• Rhea Malhotra ’20 – “Controversy in Science & the History of Ethics”
• Jared Gill ’20 – “The Colors of Corrosion”
• Liam Brolly ’20 – “If I Built A Boat”
• Joseph Sinkovits ’19  – “The Art and Science of Color: Using Traditional Photographic Process to Produce Colored Images”
• Ethan Buck ’20 – “The War to “Begin” All Wars?: World War I and its Connection to Middle Eastern Conflicts Since”
• Eric Dee ’20 – “The Billion Dollar Virtual Economy”

On behalf of the Comenius Committee and all of your teachers, we look forward to working with you.