Only one year left! Being a senior is one of the most exciting years of a student’s life, but not all of it is fun and games. They still have a few more tasks left to do, including the senior portfolio project.

The senior portfolio is an exit portfolio that seniors must complete in order to graduate. The idea is that students will be able to have a final product to show off about themselves to future employers or colleges.

Some of the requirements the seniors have to complete for the portfolios include: a table of contents, a cover letter or resumé, artifacts (or previous works), essays and a letter of recommendation.

“Students gain practice for the real world because they will have formal interviews,” said Ms. Wyse, an English teacher who is one of the organizers of the whole process. “They will also obtain a complete portfolio that is job or College Board ready.”

The process, which was originally established by Charles County Superintendent Mr. James Richmond, has been around for a while. “I did it when I was in high school,” said Ms. Kirby, another English teacher and organizer.

At NEST seniors can be found getting a little guidance at Senior Portfolio Support. Some seniors enjoy and take advantage of the portfolios.

“It [Senior Portfolios] gets you ready for college interviews and job applications,” said Jeffery Bell (’12). “It gets you used to setting up a resumé for colleges, and then you’ll only have to make a few changes later.”

Not all students were as optimistic as Jeffery, though. Ceaser Rocha (’12), for example, is sour on the concept of Senior Portfolio Support. He does however believe it will help him with getting a job in the future.

Whether students find the senior portfolio process appealing or tedious, the English teachers have one goal in mind: for students not to see this as just another roadblock to graduation, but an experience to take with them to use in the future.