If you entered Room 164 of the Columbia Heights Education Campus (better known as CHEC) on June 5, you might think you stumbled into a college lecture hall.

A PowerPoint slide full of bar graphs and bullet points is on the screen. A poised young man or woman is explaining his or her research methodology, findings, and recommendations on a pressing world problem—women’s rights in India, educational inequities, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, nuclear weapons, or worldwide consumption of hormone-treated meat, for example. A question and answer session is peppered with inquiries from the students’ advisor, Ms. Keishia Thorpe, who also teaches AP Literature.

It’s not college, but it might as well be. Just like collegians, CHEC students undertake rigorous independent research, critical thinking, and public speaking skills to carry out their project. It is all on display at Exhibition Night for the Senior Capstone on June 5, which is required of all CHEC seniors before they graduate. 

Early in the year, students brainstorm and select an issue that reflects their interests and passions and conduct research with the help of an advisor and outside mentor. Students then explore solutions and propose recommendations. The product is a 10-page research paper that is transformed into a PowerPoint presented before an audience of the student’s peers, family members and friends during Senior Exhibition Night.

In this particular Capstone Project Seminar, students have tackled a range of important and provocative topics that allow them to delve deep into the fields of sociology, politics and government, religion, and the environment, to name a few.

David Valencia studied the effects of terrorism and concluded that to end it, whole societies and governments must act, but so too must the individual.

“It’s important to spread positivity and peace even through things like social media. Not one person can end terrorism or the feelings that fuel it. It takes all of us,” said David.

Keisna Sosa interviewed an oil expert at the Department of Energy as part of her project, which answers the question, “Is the United States importing and consuming too much oil?”

She concluded yes, and Keisna herself will join the green revolution—she will major in engineering at the University of the District of Columbia and focus on solar energy.

Like Keisna, each student seemed to have a personal connection with the topic they chose.

“I have always been interested in women’s rights and opportunities,” said Karen Ferrufino, who studied women’s rights in India and will attend Montgomery College in the fall. “This project made me realize I’d like to study it even more.”

Ms. Thorpe emphasized that students used the same reasoning and writing skills that would be valuable to them in college.

In addition, she said, “I was most impressed by the ‘Eureka’ moments students experience when learning about the topics, as well as their passion in searching for solutions to these global problems.”