Hurting Heads and Hopeful Hearts: Celebrating Capstone Day
庆尖石顶级课程日：即便脑壳“爆炸”也要心存希望
Who knew? Geospatial analysis can help stem the spread of HIV/AIDS in Ghana, and enhanced weathering of olivine can slow the decline of the crustacean population due to ocean acidity. And who knew that discrete element methodology could help design better wheels and grousers for the Mars rovers or that using lexical functional grammar and metonymy, emojis could become a universal pictographic language? These were just some of the things I learned from seniors John Gaston, Ethan Bushey, Annie Cunningham, and Lily Sullivan, respectively, on Capstone Day. Needless to say, by the end of the day, my head hurt.
有谁知道，地理空间分析有助于阻止HIV/AIDS在加纳的传播，橄榄石的增强风化可以减缓由于海洋酸度而造成的甲壳动物种群的下降。又有谁知道，离散元素方法有助于为火星探测器设计更好的轮子和集群，或者使用词汇功能语法和转喻，表情符号可以成为一种通用的象形文字？这些仅仅是我从John Gaston、Ethan Bushey、Annie Cunningham和Lily Sullivan在尖石顶级课程日学到的一些东西。当然，那天快要结束时，我的脑壳都要“爆炸”了。
Capstone was first established as a response to the standards movement in the 1990’s. We tried to leverage the benefits of defining what students should know, be able to do, and be like as adults while we simultaneously safeguarded our unique standards as an independent mission-based school. Since its inception as part of the English curriculum, Senior Capstone has asked students to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and character in a public presentation. On Friday, the latest iteration of Capstones showed that the program, now its own department, continues to improve under the leadership of Hank Eaton, Charles Hosmer Morse Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
尖石顶级课程日最初在20世纪90年代创立是为了响应标准化运动，我们试图在秉承独立学校办学理念维护独特标准的同时，教会学生应该知道、能做以及像成年人一样做的事。自英语课程开课以来，一直都要求学生在公开演讲中展示自己的知识、技能和品格。周五，尖石顶尖课程日在创新和企业家Charles Hosmer Morse Chair主席Hank Eaton的带领下，继续发扬光大。
Besides the projects mentioned above, I also heard presentations on a variety of other topics, ranging from culturally and currently significant issues to personal passions. Some were focused on healthcare, specifically bacterial infection: Hannah Guss advocated for wider adoption of antimicrobial stewardship programs to diminish the threat of antibiotic resistance in healthcare settings, and Calvin Tianshang Zhang showed that while warm air hand dryers might be more environmentally friendly and cost-effective, they could be spreading bacteria more than paper towels would. Others were focused on improving the effectiveness of law enforcement programs regarding mental health: Quinn Nelson Mayo proved that using Crisis Intervention Teams and Mental Health Courts results in greater well-being and significant cost savings when dealing with mentally ill people who commit crimes in New Hampshire, and Cara Benjamin explored the effectiveness of the distribution of naloxone and education about the Good Samaritan Law as ways to curb the opiate crisis in Vermont. Still others had a political bent: Noah Glenshaw investigated the gender bias in political cable news coverage, and Hannah Pandya advocated for more civil dialogue on gun violence.
除上述项目外，我还听取了其他各种主题的展示介绍，从文化主体和当前社会问题到个人爱好，应有尽有。有些学生把重点放在医疗保健上，特别是细菌感染：Hannah Guss主张更广泛地采用抗菌管理计划，以减弱医疗保健环境中抗生素耐药性的威胁，而Calvin Tianshang Zhang则向大家展示了虽然暖气烘干机的环保性能和经济效益或许比较高，但是它比纸巾更容易传播细菌。其他学生则致力于提高有关心理健康的执法项目的有效性：Quinn Nelson Mayo证明，在为新罕布什而犯罪的精神病患者治疗时，使用危机干预小组和心理健康法庭会为其带来更大的幸福感，并且可以大幅度节约成本；Cara Benjamin探讨了纳洛酮分布的有效性以及Good Samaritan法律对遏制佛蒙特州鸦片危机的研究。还有一些学生的主题有关政治倾向：Noah Glenshaw调查了政治有线新闻报道中的性别偏见，Hannah Pandya主张在枪支暴力问题上进行更多的民事对话。
Regardless of the topic, whether it was Ben Hammer presenting his notational analysis of goal scoring patterns in the English Premier League, or Emma Forster advocating for more education about “authoritative parenting styles” and the impact that parents can have on their child’s self-esteem, these students showed impressive adeptness with statistical analysis and advanced research skills. While the presentations were sometimes over the heads of audience members, the expertise demonstrated by these students was undeniable and unimaginable in my teen-aged self.
不管是哪种主题，也无论是Ben Hammer在英超联赛中对进球模式的诠释分析，还是Emma Forster主张对“权威性父母教养方式”进行更多的教育，以及父母对孩子自尊心的影响，这些学生在统计分析和高级研究技能方面表现出惊人的娴熟度。尽管演讲有时是在观众面前进行的，但这些学生所展示的专业知识是不可否认的，至少在我十几岁时是难以想象的。
Though I only got to witness these 12 performances in Fuller Hall, I heard other anecdotes from other venues throughout the day. Students presented with confidence and poise—some speaking energetically without notes or podium to a hundred people, fluently explaining their research and data—and they handled even thorny questions with grace and good humor. Outside of the presentations, I heard of the good work sophomores and freshmen did in performing acts of stewardship and community service throughout the day, and I heard both students and faculty speak of the community bonds that formed as a result.
虽然我只在Full大厅见证了这12场展示，但我还是听到了来自其他场馆的轶事。学生们自信、稳重地发表演讲，有些同学甚至没有发言稿或讲台，直接面对一百位观众，流利地向他们解释研究数据，在处理棘手的问题时也极具风度和幽默感。除此之外，我也听说了十年级学生和九年级学生在一整天的管理和社区服务中所做的出色工作，并且听到学生和教员都在谈论由此形成的社区纽带。
I walked away from Capstone Day with renewed pride in our young people. Sure, my brain had exploded, and my head hurt, but as one of the dozens of guest evaluators said on her way out, “I always come away from these days with so much hope for the future.” Capstone Day provided us with lots of reasons to hope in the intelligence, resilience, and goodness of our young people. More than any headaches we might encounter as parents, teachers, and supporters of youth, this hope is at the heart of our relationship with them.
在我离开尖石顶级课程日的时候，我再一次为我们的年轻学生感到自豪。当然，我的脑袋也快要“爆炸”了，但正如其中一位客座评估员在她离开的路上所说：“我总是想要逃离这些日子，同时对未来充满希望。”尖石顶级课程日让我们有很多理由对年轻人的智慧、韧性和善良抱有期望。我们作为父母、老师和年轻人的支持者，可能会有头疼的时候，但是我们与他们之间关系的核心就是要对他们有信心。
