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Final Step to Success

Seniors share their capstone projects

Lameta Taleb, Staff Writer • November 12, 2024

SWHS college and career center where students can go to work on their capstone projects.

On October 24th, while underclassmen were taking the PSAT’s, seniors were presenting their capstone projects to a panel. Here are a few of the capstone projects that were presented during this first wave of presentations.

Senior Capstone Highlights

A slide from Isabella Giammarino’s capstone project of her family and Rylan who she dedicated her children’s book to. (Isabella Giammarino)

Isabella Giammarino

Isabella Giammarino, chose a deeply personal path for her capstone project. Inspired by her love for reading, she decided to represent a children’s book in honor of her late baby cousin.

“Capstone allowed me to connect with my family and learn more about my cousin,” Giammarino said.

The project, which she found “exhausting most of the time,” was a labor of love. Despite the challenges, Giammarino believes the experience was worthwhile. “It was a lot of work; it kept me busy,” she said.

Giammarino wanted her project to be more than just a school assignment. She envisioned something unique and meaningful, something that would honor her cousin’s memory and inspire others.

“I wanted to create something that would make people ask questions,” she said, describing her goal to make the project “inspirational and interesting.”

In the end, Giammarino felt accomplished with her work and proud of what she achieved through the book.
At Vernon Collision, a corvette’s bumper is removed to fix a rock chip. (Andrew Kronenwetter)

Andrew Kronenwetter

Kronenwetter decided to bring his passion for cars to life through his capstone project. Instead of traditional capstone options, Kronenwetter chose to design a unique project centered on his job at Vernon Collision, where he has worked for about five months.

“Other options were not for me,” he said, explaining that he wanted a project that aligned with his automotive interests and would capture his audience’s attention.

Kronenwetter's capstone included elements of job shadowing and a focus on his experience working at the repair shop. “I work fixing crashed cars,” he said.

Cars have been a part of Andrew’s life from an early age. His father, who worked with cars extensively, built his own car before Andrew was born. The two spent years working together on various projects, even building ATVs in their garage when Kronenwetter was just 10 years old.

By merging his capstone with his career goals, Kronenwetter aims to share his love of automotive work with others, creating a project that’s both personal and engaging.
Senior Jillian Venzie shared a slide from her capstone presentation on teaching children with disabilities dance. (Jillian Venzie)

Jillian Venzie

Venzie took a unique approach to her capstone project by incorporating her love of dance with her interest in therapeutic work. Using Unified Therapy Pediatrics as her focus, Venzie designed a project that aimed to help children with various physical and mental disabilities through dance.

“The therapy clinic works with kids who have all different kinds of disabilities, physically and mentally,” Venzie said, explaining her motivation to create something meaningful.

Venzie's project involved research and interviews with professionals who work with children with disabilities. “I researched how to make my class more inclusive and accessible to multiple needs,” she said. She also met with her mentor, Mrs. Quinn, to ensure her project met all requirements while adding her own creative touch.

Jillian later developed choreography and detailed plans for her classes, creating slideshows to guide her sessions. This allowed her to share her teaching skills and passion for dance in a way that fostered inclusion and joy.

One moment in particular left a lasting impact on Venzie. “A kid asked me when the next class was,” she said. That question gave her inspiration, as she saw firsthand the joy her class brought to her students.

Reflecting on her experience, Venzie felt that her capstone not only allowed her to express herself but also to connect with people of different abilities. “I had many ways to open up to people with different abilities than me,” she said.

By blending dance with therapeutic goals, Jillian created a project that celebrated who she is and the power of dance to bring people together.

About the Contributors

Lameta Taleb, Staff Writer

Lameta Taleb is a senior at South Windsor High school and it is her first year writing for The Bobcat Prowl. She chose this class because of her passion for news, information, and writing. She has 3 siblings: 2 sisters and 1 brother. Lameta is Lebanese, and goes to the middle east every summer. In her free time she loves to shop at the mall, bake, and draw.

Andrew Kronenwetter, Staff Writer

Andrew Kronenwetter is a 17-year-old Senior at South Windsor High School. He lives off making people happy and driving his car to shows. Andrew admires his family and has a passion for working as a Tear-Down/Rebuild Tech at Vernon Collision. This is Andrew's second year taking journalism and he is excited to be part of The Bobcat Prowl!