PHOTOS: High School Students Impact Society With Senior Projects

They rode along with Hingham firefighters, made their own music albums, raised money for third world countries, worked with real estate agents, found historical glitches with one town building, and designed murals on school walls.

These were just a few examples of the over 20 Hingham High School Senior Projects presented at the school on Wednesday evening.

The Senior Project Program allows qualified seniors to spend the fourth term working on a substantive project of their own design for twenty or more hours a week with guidance from faculty members. The successful completion of this project is required for graduation.

Students are responsible for making sure their targets are met and they are required to keep a journal to document their progress.

TJ Freda displayed his various art work in one Hingham classroom.  His work ranged from graphic design pieces to portraits and paintings, to his very own designed skateboard.  Some of his work dated back to his freshman year while others were done as recent as his senior year.

LV Phan is designing a mural on one of the corridor walls at Hingham High School thanks to the approval of Principal Dr. Paula Girourd McCann. The mural is based on his idea of a quote by Marianne Williamson, a spiritual activist, author, lecturer and founder of The Peace Alliance:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Phan hopes to stay late after school every night so that he can finish the mural before graduation.

Phillip Agostino wants to be a firefighter and paramedic after graduation, and with his senior project, the beginning steps of his dream came true.  Agostino rode along with the where he got to stand at the scene of a dumpster fire and car crash.  If patients gave him permission, he was able to ride along in a back of an ambulance during emergencies.

“It was awesome,” he said. “I’m in EMT school now, so It really compliments what I’m doing now.”

Amanda Robinson and Cori DeMelis volunteered at Dolly’s Nursery School in Hingham with a goal to effectively run a pre-school and communicate with young children.   Both seniors described the experience of working with 4 and 5 year olds as both “fun” and “exhausting.”

Jacob Vigneau, Amanda Todd and Megan O’Shea are all members of the Anti-Defamation League at Hingham High School so they decided to educate younger Hingham students about  bully-prevention.

“We heard it would work, and we just thought it would be a great idea,” Vigneau said.

The three seniors shared ideas, met with each other every day, and designed their own lesson plan.  They said all of the children they worked with were willing to learn.

Steven Dickey will work for his grandparents’ Real Estate company, Ridgewood Custom Homes after graduation and with his senior project, he was able to jump off to a head start with his future career.  By working with his grandparent’s Belchertown based company, Dickey learned about  the home buying process and  store-water management.

Matt Blomberg and Robert Danis organized a fundraiser walk and cookout at Bare Cove Park/ Lynch Field for classmate James Gordon who is battling cancer. The cookout served hotdogs donated by Hingham Chef Paul Wahlberg of and the auction featured donated prizes which included Red Sox tickets, two kayak rentals from EMS on Lincoln Street, a three month membership and one hour training session from in Hingham, sporting goods from in Hingham, a gift basket from and many more prizes.

From their event on May 6, the two seniors raised over $6,000. Danis and Bloomberg also sold bracelets to High School and Middle School to raise funds.

Malorie DiPesa and Emma McCann organized after school activities to special needs students at Cardinal Cushing School in Hanover.  DiPesa and McCann each were impacted by the project.  DiPesa helped one of the shyest students gain self confidence by winning a special Olympics contest while McCann said the companionship with her students opened her eyes.  Both earned summer jobs with the Cardinal Cushing School from their hard work with the project.

Olivia Shea and Holly Sudbey organized a benefit concert at Hingham High School where students could display their talents.  The concert featured poetry, dancing, and singing.   From the concert, Shea and Sudbey raised $1,650 to benefit Cure International, which transforms the lives of children with physical disabilities in the developing world through medical and spiritual healing.

Chris Nevins and Kevin McCallum produced their own five-track music album titled “Peaches & Cream.”  The musically talented students performed and recorded their own music and made their own album cover with the help of friend Ben Williams.  Nevins plays the guitar and sings and McCallum plays various instruments including the bass and keyboard.

Elika Peyvan and Julia McCabe are in the process of painting a mural of Motown in the school’s chorus room.  The girls hope the mural lights up the room and gets students in the musical spirit.  The mural will be the second in the chorus room and will join the existing painting of the Beatles.

Julia Spruill sold chocolate bars and calendars to raise money for the Nurses Cure for Haitian Children which is helping the community that was affected by the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Molly Clark and Lindsey Constantine organized Take the Lead Dog Walk on May 5 at Bare Cove Park and raised $1,195 to the Scituate Animal Shelter.

 At Wednesday night’s Senior Project Nights, they brought in Clark’s dog, Bow as each senior has a passion for animals.

 The seniors were inspired to put on this fundraiser after Stanley, a 7 year-old Australian cattle dog and German Sheppard mix on Chamberlain Run by an unknown killer. 

“It was horrifying to us,” said Constantine. “And we started researching more and more and found out how many unwanted animals there really… each year  5 to 8 million are euthanized.”

The seniors wanted to support the Scituate Animal Shelter to spread awareness that there is a place to send unwanted animals.  They made t-shirts and posters to publicize the event and were happy with the turnout.

Ann Marie Hanabury interned at the Hingham Community Center and for her Senior Project she researched the history of this building. The Historical Society and the Hingham Community Center each list that the property was built in 1718, but Hanabury conducted research and found that it was actually constructed 23 years earlier in 1695. 

“This makes it a 17th century home, which is one of the oldest in Hingham,” she said.

Hanabury’s proof comes from a few different sources from the Hingham Historical Society and the Hingham Library. Hanabury said the building has been used as a parochial house for St. Paul's, and a men’s club before it became the Hingham Community Center.  The location was even used t for a celebration when Hingham resident Herbert Foss was awarded the Congregational Medal of Honor for  his bravery in the Spanish American War.

Ashley Hendricksen organized a dancing through creative movement class for special needs students.  The class was designed to promote self expression and fitness for students.

Gretchen Gallagher provided financial assistance for the YMCA.

Tatiana Forde volunteered in the infant room at the Little Sprouts Daycare in Roxbury.  She said she learned how different each child is and hopes the experience will help her become a pediatrician in her future.