SENIOR PROJECT SELF-EVALUATION

Directions: Utilize this worksheet to help evaluate yourself and your project. Be as complete
and descriptive as possible. This self-evaluation should give the scoring team a clear picture of
what you accomplished in your project.

Name - Thomas Cerja IV Project Start Date January 27, 2017

Title of Project - Entrapment, Enslavement, and Mass Incarceration of African American Students
Project Completion Date - April 27th

1. In 40 words or more describe who your project benefited and how. In other words, what was the impact
of your project?
My project was able to impact my community through positive action changes. My seminar was tailored
to educate students, teachers, and parents through specific sessions designed to personalize the problem.
Each group had a speaker that presented a lesson designed to address their group and how they can
individually tackle the problem of the school to prison pipeline. For the students, I had my personal
mentor and nationally recognized guidance counselor Mr. White and his childhood best friend practicing
attorney

2. In at least 40 words explain how the project challenged you. How was this a stretch for you?

This project was a challenge due to the fact that I knew I wanted to have a well put together project with a
tangible impact, and I had to turn my creative concepts into a real event. My imagination took me in
hundreds of different directions and I had to control them and take what I could do and couldn't do. I felt
my biggest challenge was attracting people who worked in VBCPS Central Office. However, after I got
them to come I found the project challenged my organizational skills. When doing this project, you have
to stay organized and prepared as deadlines approach quickly.
3. List and then describe 5-8 fundamental ideas/concepts/skills of your project, which you
learned/enhanced during your project.

1) Organizing an event: Previously I have been apart of community service organizations in which
I contribute within a group to organize an event. This is the first time I set one up by myself, and I
know feel confident I could do it again.
2) Setting an Instructional Plan: During my project, I was taught how to build and conduct a
lesson plan to educate a group and I am equipped to be able to present with a purpose of the
group learning.
3) Catering: The only previous catering experience I had was ordering pizza for my 16 th Birthday
party. After my project, I learned how to contact to food venues, order what you need, and have a
good catering within a strict budget.
4) Community Involvement: When organizing for my event I learned that my community
involvement across the city was very useful when setting up speakers and attendees. I had
professionals I previously worked with to connect again and help me at my senior project.
5) Positive Action Based Solutions: This is a phrase that I know use a lot and one I constructed
during my senior project. I would describe a positive action based solution is one that uses a
positive outlook or solution to tackle a negative problem. I feel these are the best way so that we
avoid wallowing in negativity and can work as one community to progress.

4. List and describe 4-8 problems/obstacles/issues you encountered in your project, and briefly describe how
you solved each.
1) Trying to get attendees that worked inside of schools: sent out an e-vite that included all of the
guidance counselors on the VBCPS websites
2) Creating an event that can address each aspect of the community: made a separate session for
students, parents, and teachers
3) My location was in a secluded spot and is only used for administrators: make sure that attendees
knew the address by sending out multiple reminders
4) Calls from original caterers not returned: I had to find two new caterers one week before event

5. List materials used.

Laptops for presenters
Pens for exit tickets
Projectors for presenters
Orange Jumpsuits
Graduation Gowns
6. List all people who helped you on the project and briefly describe the help given.
Mr. White: Led the seminar for the students.
Dr. Lucas: Led the seminar for the teachers and school administrators
Deputy Chief Patrick Gallagher: Led the seminar for rebuilding police-community relations.
Mrs. Miller: Helped me secure the location of my event as she controls the Plaza Annex Building
Jimmy Johns: Donated for my catering
Mrs. Mason: Was my project adviser and helped me set up the event along the way
Tyler: One of my mentees who is only in the third grade and has been suspended every year of elementary
school. He and kids like him are one of my many inspirations for completing this project.

7. How does your completed project compare to the picture you had in mind when you started the project?
Explain the reason behind any changes from your proposal.
I think after my research I figured that the School to Prison Pipeline was not a 1-Dimensional issue.
To make an impact I had to reach several populations that make our school community. However, my
seminar concept was parallel with my proposal.

8. If given the opportunity, explain what you would have done differently now that you speak from
experience?
I would like to have given students the opportunity for testimonials so that the adults at my project
could see firsthand that students they know are affected by schools disciplinary topics.
9. Beyond the project itself, what did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I can take the issues that Im passionate about and turn that passion into real action to help
change said issues. I learned that my sympathy that I see for people affected by rules they can't control, is
not just sympathy but I found my will to fight these injustices.

10. What grade would you give yourself on the project? Justify the evaluation of your grade in at least 25
words.

Grade: 84

Justification: Although I feel that my impact was tangible and my project went well, I could have
managed my time better and made my project less stressful by the end.