Exploring Possibilities

Students Explore Interests and Passions through Directed Independent Studies

When planning high school courses and electives, students consider their interests, skills and future plans. At Paul VI, Directed Independent Study (DIS) provides an opportunity for students to pursue a project of interest beyond the normal curricular requirements under the aegis of a faculty advisor. Students completing DIS this year studied a variety of topics, while showcasing their talents, initiative and creativity.

Under the guidance of Mr. Tom Burkat, three students completed Directed Independent Studies in engineering.

Katie Boland ’24 and Jillian Villaver ’24 researched and presented on “Active Radiation Shielding to Protect Astronauts on a Mission to Mars.”

Katie attended a summer program where she researched radiation in space and the shielding technologies NASA uses to protect astronauts from radiation. “I learned that radiation can be deflected by magnetic fields, so Jillian and I wanted to see if we really could protect a spaceship with a magnetic ’force field,’” Katie shares.

“Our central question was: could a method of active shielding be designed to safely redirect radiation from outer space away from the Orion crew module long enough for a manned mission to Mars?” Jillian explains.

The endeavor helped prepare Jillian and Katie for what’s next. “This DIS was a really good opportunity for us to experience the design process we will have to go through as engineers in the future. We gained a lot of new research and technical skills that I think will really help us as aspiring engineers,” Katie said.

“This DIS was a really good opportunity for us to experience the design process we will have to go through as engineers in the future. We gained a lot of new research and technical skills that I think will really help us as aspiring engineers.”

— Katie Boland ’24

Jacob Ramsey ’24 was inspired by a common problem experienced by teachers and through his DIS developed a software add-on to Google Classroom called Grouper.

“The question I was trying to answer was: is there a more efficient way for teachers to create groups of students easily?” shares Jacob. Through his DIS, he successfully created a software application that integrates with Google Classroom that allows teachers to select a class and create groups within a minute.

“My experience with DIS at PVI was instrumental in figuring out what I want to do in the future. Before the year, I was unsure about whether I wanted to go into Aerospace Engineering or Computer Science; however, I realized throughout the year that computer science is what I’m passionate about.”

Under the direction of Ms. Sara Prince, two students completed DIS in music.

Katy Schrock ’24 studied solo vocal literature and vocal health. She learned a wide variety of musical styles from classical to pop to country.

“I wanted to do a DIS in music to prepare for my college auditions and have more opportunities to work on solo repertoire. I do not get many chances to sing solo in a choir, so this course let me work on music that I liked at my own pace…I had a recital full of music from many different genres; I also played piano and guitar at the recital to accompany myself.”

The DIS experience helped Katie prepare for future musical pursuits. “My DIS made me more confident in my college auditions. Taking this course showed me what a lot of my college work in music classes would be like, working by myself a lot of the time on solo repertoire. It also helped me grow as a solo singer by focusing on improving my musical weaknesses.”

Roy Wulf ’26 studied the sacred music of the Catholic Church, including the history of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony.

Roy hoped to discover exactly how and why Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony had declined in use in the liturgy in recent decades and how its use might be revived. According to Roy, he wanted to study the traditional sacred music of the Catholic Church in part because of his own faith journey. “The profound experience I had hearing and singing this transcendent music was definitely a big influence on my own personal conversion to Catholicism.”

“No matter what else I do in my life, I know that I will continue to sing this sacred music. I certainly enjoy making music for the purpose of entertainment, but this sacred music is used not for entertainment, but for prayer, and I will obviously continue to pray. In addition, it is even possible that I will somehow incorporate traditional Catholic sacred music into a future career.”

For her DIS, Nisha Downey ’25 created a nonprofit called Braille Buddies, through which visually impaired students in India connect with others around the world.

Working under the direction of Dr. Adam Bigbee, Nisha hoped to create a network across the globe built on true friendships and education. “Every summer I always spend time at a school for the blind in India, and I felt particularly motivated to take action this year when the girls were asking me questions about life in the United States. I had the idea to connect these girls directly to other blind students in America by writing letters in braille to each other, thus creating Braille Buddies.”

An additional goal for Nisha was to educate outside observers on what it means to be blind and how a visual impairment can affect someone’s daily life.

Nisha considers her DIS a success and is excited for the future of Braille Buddies.

My DIS experience helped me prepare to continue Braille Buddies in the future. I hope to strengthen the relationships made and involve more students in the coming years. DIS truly allowed me to turn an idea into a reality.”

— Nisha Downey ’25

“I was able to set up a solid foundation for future friendships to build off of. My DIS experience helped me prepare to continue Braille Buddies in the future. I hope to strengthen the relationships made and involve more students in the coming years. DIS truly allowed me to turn an idea into a reality.”