Eighth grade students' culminating project allows them to choose something they are passionate about and to work with a mentor from the community to complete a special project. The program begins in the seventh grade with the Community Learning Project. Students choose an area of work they are interested in, find a mentor(s) in their chosen field, and job-shadow them for a week. In Eighth grade, they challenge themselves further by working with a mentor all year to plan and execute a project. This provides opportunities for students to pursue their own interests and questions and to make decisions about how they will find answers, solve problems, and complete a long-term project. In the spring, students "defend" their project to a panel of teachers, administrators, board and community members. Some highlights of past graduate projects included students who:

• Wrote and published a book on the complete care of raising a kitten after working with a veterinarian;

• Designed and made a guitar from scratch;

• Wrote and performed a musical score for Robin Hood;

 • Researched climate change with the Scripps Institute; and inspired by Al Gore's , "An Inconvenient Truth," decided to research the five major criticisms of the film; developed his own powerpoint presentation; started his own non-profit; and now gives speeches to students all over California; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpMYkjyNJuw&feature=channel

• Created and designed a photography exhibit and posted on the internet;

• Designed a portable shade structure for migrant farm workers after working with an architect.