Palms sweaty, stomach churning, the student hesitates outside the classroom door.  A knock. The door opens.  The student extends his hand and introduces himself.  Walking to the front of the room, he clears his voice.  The dreaded Stand and Deliver begins.

The senior literature classes are currently in the process of presenting senior projects. Most students can agree that Stand and Deliver in front of their peers is more nerve-wracking than doing so in front of the judges.

“Presenting in front of my classmates made me nervous, but presenting in front of the judges will be easy,” Ethan Underwood, senior, said.

AP literature students presented their senior boards in January, while seniors enrolled in college prep literature are scheduled to present April 25 and 26.

“I created a documentary for my church, and it took me about two months to plan and complete everything required,” Carlos Abreu, senior, said.

All of the assignments regarding senior project in the first semester are 25 percent of the student’s grade. Going into second semester, this increases to 35 percent. The Stand and Deliver and the product are graded separately. Students also receive an important grade for their senior boards in front of judges. Students are given a template and rubric to follow when creating their presentation. The content of the presentation is worth 70 points of the grade, and the delivery itself is worth 30.

“I expect the students to be proficient presenters by this time of the year,” Marsha Loversky, 12th lit teacher, said. Her students are no strangers to presentations as they have been doing them all year.

The sooner students come up with their product, the easier Stand and Deliver will be. Rising seniors: find what you are interested in, and run with it. And most importantly, do not procrastinate. Then, senior boards should be a breeze! Good luck to all current seniors presenting this week.