For Gregory School students, a great part of constructing one’s class schedule is the opportunity to create an independent study. According to The Gregory School Student Handbook, “an independent study proposal may be made by a student who has a strong academic record, a demonstrated capacity to work independently, and an unusual degree of scholarly interest in a course that is not available in The Gregory School curriculum.”
The student joins forces with a Gregory School faculty member that will help create an independent study in a specialized area of interest. After creating a proposal for their class, the student and faculty member’s independent study will be reviewed by the TGS Academic Committee.
One of the numerous compelling independent studies this school year is a collaboration between junior Liam Conroy and Mrs. Young titled “Creative Writing Styles.” Liam stated that “although [he is] often given the opportunity to write in English classes, [he is] rarely able to write creatively or in styles other than essay form.”
The independent study will focus on a unique story that will be told in five contrasting ways by five different characters. An example of this could be a story focused on a legal trial. Liam could write a first person narrative on the perspectives of the criminal, the person the crime was inflicted upon, a witness of the crime, the policeman who arrived at the scene, and the judge ruling on the case. To conclude, Liam Conroy and Mrs. Young are teaming up to produce a fascinating independent study that will help Liam hone in on different writing styles and perspectives.
Most independent studies are taught by a teacher to a single student, however the “Advanced World History” independent study is a little different. The class is taught by sophomore Ashling Lee and supervised by Ms. Wevill. Over the summer Ashling wrote a 22 page long curriculum for what her class will cover this year. Ashling’s students are sophomores Madison Harland and Skye Paulus.
The three sophomores took Mr. Young’s freshman World Civilizations class a year ago and were captivated by his teaching and the course material. While the overarching goal of the class is to prepare the students for the AP World History exam, the three students hope that they can expand on what they learned last year and obtain an in-depth knowledge of world history.
Ashling said the independent study is a way for the three sophomores “to have a deeper understanding of how the world became what it is today, how individual cultures and societies met tragedies and had great triumphs, and how to connect all of those thoughts to form a new knowledge of world history.”
Finally, senior Lauren Wiedebush and Ms. Barnett have created the “Forensic Psychology” independent study focused on preparing Lauren for her life after high school. Lauren has found forensic psychology interesting for many years and plans on studying sociopathy and psychopathy in college. After college, she hopes to become a forensic psychologist.
Forensic psychologists assist crime scene profilers, suspect based profilers, and psychological autopsy investigators in gathering information relating to the behavior of criminals. The class will focus on different aspects of sociopathy, psychopathy, and investigative psychology. Lauren said that she plans on giving two presentations during Friday explorations on what forensic psychology is and what she learned from her independent study. In summary, the “Forensic Psychology” independent study will give Lauren a taste of what to look forward to in her professional life.
The Gregory School is unique by giving serious high school students an opportunity to further explore subjects that they are passionate about. TGS students are fortunate to be able to take part in independent studies and work closely with skilled faculty members to get a deeper understanding of a topic that is meaningful to them.
Written by Drew Messing (staff reporter)