Seniors cap off the semester at Etowah with their Senior Capstone projects. Students have the option to  focus on solving real world problems, gaining leadership skills, or gaining post-secondary skills. The final product is worth twenty percent of a senior’s English grade.

“The Senior Capstone really guided me through the whole journey of figuring out what college I wanted to go, and it helped me through the process of applying to my dream school,” Litzi Perez said.

Etowah senior, Antonio Deleo-Perrera, raised money for the Cherokee County Humane Society, an animal rescue center. He hosted a video game tournament to attract high schoolers. The money Deleo-Perrera raised went to feeding puppies at the rescue.

“I decided that if I had an issue, or there was something that I didn’t like, and I had the power to do something about, I should do it,” Deleo-Perrera said.

Ella Stewart’s project focused on protecting the environment. She hosted outdoor cleanups at Etowah and surrounding areas. Her goal was to spread awareness and encourage people to work against environmental issues.

“Seeing a positive change in my community directed toward helping the environment makes me feel hopeful as well as if my hard work has paid off,” Stewart said.

Salome Rodriguez collected clothes for less fortunate families in Colombia. She set up an Instagram page (@arropados_clothed) and asked for donations on the account. Students could talk with Rodriguez through Instagram to contribute to her project.

At the end of the semester, students can look at how their five-month project has helped them grow. Students learned more about themselves and where they can improve throughout this time period.

“It’s taught me a lot about what I want to do after [high school], and it taught me that I need to be more on top of things and not procrastinate,” Anthony Smith said.

Students will come back after winter break armed with knowledge from their capstone project.