After twenty-one years, Placer’s senior project will no longer be apart of the Placer High School senior English curriculum.

On July 12, the board of trustees held a meeting to discuss whether or not senior project should continue to be a graduation requirement or not. Every school in the Placer Union High School District, excluding Placer, has decided to drop or modify how the project will be done. Placer has decided to keep the project as a requirement for one last year before modifying it and ending the twenty-one year tradition.

“As of right now, Placer is the only school to continue the senior project.” Principal, Peter Efstathiu said.

The project has been a part of the curriculum and has been rooted in the English department since 1990 as well as in the graduation requirements. The English teachers have decided to keep the project one last year because it’s so intertwined with their lessons and they wouldn’t have had the ability to make up a new lesson plan.

“We felt like three weeks turn around was not enough time to make a new ample curriculum to put in its place.” Placer High School English Department Chair Brittany Haydon said. “We also had a couple of kids who had approval to start their project early and I didn’t have the heart to tell them they couldn’t do it. We also didn’t feel like it would be fair for the teachers with such short notice.”

When the project is gone, it will be replaced with something new. It hasn’t been quite clear of what it will be exactly but there will be a different requirement to go with the senior English class.

“I have no idea what the district has in mind to replace it. The English department is disappointed with losing the project. We wouldn’t still be doing it if we didn’t think it would have a positive effect.” Haydon continued, “It teaches the kids great life skills. So we are really disappointed and it’ll be interesting to see what happens with the new project.”

Although senior project challenges students to push past their comfort zone, some are sad that it’s being cut from the senior English program next year.

“Yes it is stressful just thinking about it, but I like it. It should stay as a requirement. It’s a good thing to do.” senior, Kymberly Coffin said.

This project has been a big part of many students high school career and has taught them many things but maybe the replacement project will too, for the class of 2013 and beyond.