During the spring at Williston, senior English classes are starting to look more like college classes, with students working on their Capstone projects.

For the project, students get to choose an author and read books suggested by their teachers. While reading these books they are looking to find connections between the author and the story.

Authors on the list are: James Baldwin, T.C. Boyle, Kate Chopin, Junot Diaz, Ernest Hemingway, Amy Hempel,  Denis Johnson, Jack Kerouac, Herman Melville, Toni Morrison, Edgar Allan Poe, J.D. Salinger, Mark Twain, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

For senior Williston students, the Capstone project is the last thing they do in English class in their time here at Williston. While some students find the project frustrating, others find it very useful, even enjoyable.

“This project is awesome for me personally,” said senior Gabby Mercier. “I really enjoy reading and making connections with the characters in the stories. I think it is awesome how our teachers know us well enough to recommend books that have characters similar to our own personalities.”

The senior Capstone is a project that has been in Williston’s history for three years “The project is an opportunity to get ready for college level research,” said Mr. Hanford, a senior English teacher. “So that when you go to college you have at least some kind of understanding of what it will look like.”

For senior Don Battimelli, the project is something he has been dreading for a while. “When I came here as a sophomore, I heard all sorts of things about the project, and I’m not going to lie I was not happy about it.”

Battimelli’s thoughts have changed now that the project’s begun. “Now that I am doing it, I am starting to enjoy it. I am reading Ernest Hemingway and I love it.”

Former Williston student Danny Mahoney found the project more helpful then anyone.

“When I did this project, it was a huge wake up call for college,” said Mahoney, a current freshman at High Point University in High Point, North Carolina. “I think I have done at least two more projects like this in college so far and I am very thankful that I got to practice it at Williston. For the senior students there now, I strongly recommend taking full advantage of the Writing Center and extra help sessions with teachers. Anything helps.”