7 minute read
The Launchpad
Preparing Laurel Girls to Soar After Graduation
By Sarah Hibshman Miller
The college guidance program at Laurel has long had a reputation for being robust. Experiential learning opportunities through the Capstone Experience and Protégé Career Exploration Program are nothing new and students have been partaking in entrepreneurship courses and extracurricular opportunities for many years. Each of these programs and supports on their own provides opportunities for students to hone in on their passions and explore unique opportunities to shine as they look toward applying to college and beyond. When these programs work in concert with one another, students have the benefit of truly understanding how they can apply new skills—often passions—to their resumes to help set them apart in the college application process. In 2021 Laurel created “The Launchpad” to bring College Guidance, entrepreneurship, and other signature programming together under one roof, so to speak. Faculty in these areas now work collaboratively to “launch” students in the right direction as they look toward their future, keeping their passions central to the process.
Protégé gives students clarity and understanding as they think about what they want to do when they leave Laurel.
~Tami PerkinsDirector of Student Engagement, Grades 6-12
Tami Perkins leads Laurel’s Protégé Career Exploration Program, which is available to Upper School students beginning in their second semester of Ninth Grade. Protégé helps students identify what they like, and dislike, about specific career paths. Students start by sharing a specific career they wish to explore and Mrs. Perkins works to broaden it. “We refer to this as starting at the bottom of the funnel where it is narrow and working our way up,” she said. “Protégé gives students clarity and understanding as they think about what they want to do when they leave Laurel.”
Howard Schott works with Laurel students on long-term projects through the Capstone Experience, which begins in Tenth Grade. Typically, these are very motivated students who love to learn and want to commit to a two-year learning project that involves working with a mentor—sometimes outside of Laurel—to pursue a passion. Students have written books, designed nature playscapes, explored how to fundraise, built telescopes for astronomy research, and more.
Capstone shows that there is more than one path to success. That work in the real world is much more circular and interactive.
~Howard Schott, Director of Capstone
Laurel’s Capstone Experience gives students the opportunity to delve deep into something that interests them and explore what it might be like to work in that particular area in the real world. This learning process is not your typical classroom learning. “So much about education is linear—point A to point B,” commented Mr. Schott. “Capstone shows that there is more than one path to success. That work in the real world is much more circular and interactive. Capstone also is about working on a long-term project and how you adapt to any changes along the way.”
[Launchpad is] a meaningful and intentional experience for students to pursue their career interests with the guidance of encouraging adults.
~Kimberly CorriganDirector of STEAM Engagement
Every year there are several students whose Protégé or Capstone work falls under STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) and Kimberly Corrigan, Director of STEAM Engagement, plays a vital role in fostering confidence and empowering them to reach new heights beyond the confines of the school environment. Mrs. Corrigan says that “To achieve this, there must be a strong collaboration between our staff and faculty experts within the Launchpad. This ultimately paves the way to a meaningful and intentional experience for students to pursue their career interests with the guidance of encouraging adults—a winning combo for successful programming.”
Mrs. Corrigan serves as an advisor and sounding board partner with both Mrs. Perkins and Mr. Schott as they navigate student projects in STEAM fields. For example, one student is interested in a biomedical engineering project and plans to enter science fairs once her prototype is complete. Mrs. Corrigan has supported this student in her efforts to connect with professionals within the community and refine her scientific communication to a larger audience.
Other examples of STEAM work coming out of the Launchpad include two Upper School students who are partnering with NASA Glenn professionals to complete a semester-long comprehensive project: one project involving modeling power management and distribution on the International Space Station (ISS), and the other consisting of a water quality assessment of a Butler Campus pond. Laurel’s partnership with Case Western Reserve University is also strong, and with Mrs. Corrigan’s support, has allowed several students to tackle experimental physics, theoretical physics, and material science research investigations under the guidance of a Ph.D. mentor.
The goal is to meet each girl where she is.
~Joe Corsaro, Entrepreneurship Program Leader
Joe Corsaro is the Entrepreneurship Program Leader, which includes programming related to business or entrepreneurship. Mr. Corsaro wears many hats. He teaches a Principles of Economics elective for Eleventh and Twelfth Graders, works with students to manage One Coffee Circle, a hugely successful student-run cafe that serves a variety of coffee and other beverages as well as merchandise, moderates the Student Investment Committee, which manages a fund of $15K, and works with many students on their own businesses or other side projects. “The goal is to meet each girl where she is,” said Mr. Corsaro. While students are not required to participate in any of the Signature Programming offered at Laurel, there is a great deal of interest, with more than 50 students working together on One Coffee Circle, as just one example.
The Launchpad is about helping students create their narratives and providing a space to discover and explore their interests. The Protégé Career Exploration Program is connected to all of that. In some cases, a student will complete a Protégé that leads them to Capstone. In other cases, Capstone students will use Protégé to deepen their understanding of their existing Capstone Project. Sometimes a Capstone or Protégé student will work with Mr. Corsaro to uncover a business grant opportunity to apply to their work.
College guidance is the last stop but it is also the thread that weaves everything together.
~Hillary Teague, Associate Director, College Guidance
Each area of programming under the Launchpad interconnects and can lead to additional opportunities for students throughout their Upper School careers. All along the way, Andrew Cruse and Hillary Teague, who lead Laurel’s College Guidance program, are working hand-in-hand with their Launchpad colleagues to ensure that whatever opportunities students pursue, they are thinking about how to apply it to college. “College guidance is the last stop but it is also the thread that weaves everything together,” said Mrs. Teague. “All of the other Launchpad programming leads up to helping students to differentiate themselves when presenting themselves to colleges. The work we are doing with our Launchpad colleagues is ensuring we understand the path students want to take,” continued Mr. Cruse.
All of the other Launchpad programming leads up to helping students to differentiate themselves when presenting themselves to colleges.
~Andrew Cruse, Director of College Guidance
If Ms. Perkins is working with a Protégé student who has her heart set on a particular career path, College Guidance might offer insight early on in that process to help identify which schools support that academic path.
The Launchpad Primer Series began during the 2023-2024 school year, presenting skills that are so important for students as they move through Upper School, into college, and beyond. Students attend six sessions throughout the year focused on topics like goal setting and communication. The first series was a session about how to give presentations. It truly is an art! Students learned how to create compelling content, make visual aids, practice their stage presence, and more. During the session, each member of the Launchpad presented to illustrate how best to co-present.
Everything Launchpad faculty do is with intention, and with the goal of supporting students on their path to success once they leave Laurel, and it is a collaborative process. Laurel is excited to implement this model for all Upper School students and set them on an early path to long-term success.
