The 30 day project is an ELA 7-8 and ENG 101-102 endeavor. The main idea behind this project is for these college bound students to read a book that could potentially affect them. For 30 days, these students will document the changes and effects of the book.

“They apply what they learn to their lives for 30 days and they monitor the progress and report on it,” said Susan Henry, senior ELA teacher.

This assignment is set for the mindset of seniors due the the level of maturity and the growth from the past four years spent in high school.

“They are mature enough to see their flaws that are going to get in the way of their future, so I think they are mature enough to say ‘I need to make a change in order to get everything I want to get out of life,” Henry said.

Although the project may seem like just a grade, students put a lot  of thought and effort into making changes that will impact their future.  

“Students take something really small, they always seem to find more meaning in a really small change rather than the kids who want to do an overall of their whole life that just doesn’t work,” said Henry.

Some overall fixes students want to make may seem like nothing, but in all reality, they can drastically affect the outlook on life or people.

“When I see really small ones like, ‘I want to be kinder to my mother’, or stuff like that and they practice, they’re the ones who usually you see a big epiphany of, ‘oh my gosh my moms an actual human being and she’s trying hard,” Henry said.

Besides the fact of changing how students are towards others, this project is designed to recognize and bring forth new things about themself. Jumping from highschool to college pushes students to try to steady future lifestyles without bringing the same unhealthy habits they used to have.

“I want them to discover that is very hard to break habits and it takes repetition in order for things to stick, so they have to be very repetitive and really commit to it.” said Henry.

The 30 day project is not just a grade but a learning and growth experiment for students on their last year of high school to change before entering the adult world. Seniors have learned to respect not only others but themselves. This project was brought forth to allow new found ideas and aspects of their lives that will be brought alongside the 2019 class while receiving diplomas and potentially years later.

“I see students who graduated years ago and told me they remembered the 30 day project and they took away one small tip. They are so glad they still do whatever they did.” said Henry.