Awarded to the student or student team that demonstrated the most resiliency throughout their Capstone project, and in certain cases, prior to the semester. This student or student team embraced challenges and exhibited a relentless commitment to their goals. This prize is awarded to a student or student team that plans to continue their work beyond the Capstone program.

Driven by a desire to reduce waste and recycle the school's cooking oils into biofuel, this dynamic team of Aisling Daly and Lila Bodeman has been exploring the chemistry of the transformation as well as the economics of the process.  Looking into the future they hope to expand their model to other schools and universities, both as a source for cooking oils and also as consumers of the biodiesel they will be producing.  At each roadblock to their project they worked until they figured a way around it and moved on to the next challenge.  I look forward to smelling the sweet success of their solution as the school buses begin to smell like french fries as they pass by the school.

Mrs. Knutson | Food Fuel by Aisling Daly & Lila Bodeman '25

Awarded to the student or student team that went “beyond the classroom” in pursuit of their Capstone project. These students sought resources and knowledge that weren’t readily available. They worked with external mentors, and utilized tools and technologies in a unique and inventive fashion. This prize is awarded to a student team that made great use of their resources and took full advantage of the Capstone program.

When a student brings an existing business into Capstone that they have invested their time and effort into developing well before the start of the class, they can often run into the challenge of how they should spend their class time.  This is not the case for Nolan.  He was able to expand his business by creating a beautiful and professional website to make his existing fishing lure business even more enticing to customers.  In addition to this, his marketing work goes well beyond the classroom by making connections with influencers in the fishing world to promote his incredible products.

Mr. Kreher | NEM Baits by Nolan McShane '25

This student chose to spend his semester working on an idea that is not only a unique and interesting business opportunity, but a valuable addition to our community here at SCH.  Griffy will be reviving the campus newspaper in the coming year, chasing his passion for writing and using his natural talents in business and commerce by finding local businesses to advertise in his publication.  Because of how much effort Griffy put into working with outside mentorship from our English faculty and in talking to the campus news organizations at many other institutions, I am please to recognize him with the Capstone award for Resourcefulness.

Mr. Kreher | SCH News by Griffy Whitman '25

Awarded to the student or student team that identified the most interesting opportunity of all Capstone projects. This prize is intended for a student or student team that seeks to both solve problems and to make a broad, real-world impact with their solution. This prize is awarded to a student or student team that identified an opportunity independently, rather than from a list of project prompts.

Mackenzie Hines and Aurie Brown came into this semester with a plan: to reintroduce composting to our SCH community. Throughout the term, they embraced every opportunity for dialogue that came their way, meeting with a variety of stakeholders and engaging different community constituents. They even leaned into the chance to craft a grant proposal in which they outlined a path forward, one which would bring post-consumer composting back to our cafeterias. These two “Students for Sustainability” will formally launch their efforts next fall, beginning in the lower school cafeteria space. 

Mrs. Knutson | Students for Sustainability by Aurie Brown '25 & Mackenzie Hines '25

Awarded to the student or student team that approached their Capstone project with the most creativity. This prize has two interpretations, either of which can be applied according to student merit. The first is a student or student team who took a creative approach to solving a difficult problem. They looked at the problem with a unique perspective, and developed an elegant solution. The second would be a student or student team whose Capstone project demonstrates outstanding artistic accomplishment.

Evelyn's project, Stacket, is by far one of the best projects I have had the blessing of mentoring in the New Media Studio. Evelyn is hardworking, ambitious, dedicated, and best of all, super Creative. Her design is one of a kind - I've not seen anything like it. She had a very clear problem to solve - to design and make space saving furniture in a contemporary Scandinavian style. She solved that problem with a unique and innovative solution in the Stacket Chair. It takes a lot of planning and trial and error to get to the first prototype of a life size build. Furniture is especially difficult because it has to accommodate the human body and work both aesthetically and functionally. We are going to feature the chair here in the CEL space to showcase as an example of what happens when passion, hard work, and ingenuity all come together through the design process. 

Mrs. Fajardo | Stacket by Evelyn Quinn Seawright '25

Awarded to the student team that expertly delegated tasks, effectively communicated as a group, and treated one another with respect. This prize is intended for a team that was able to clearly express their mission and roles in a way that demonstrated personal and professional alignment.

What Elliot and Trey achieved this semester is the result of no mere chance: it's the manifestation of a real passion, and incredible teamwork. They diligently weaved together a unique, gamified curriculum, an odyssey of learning to craft a comic, complete with vibrant illustrations, engaging boss fights, and useful instruction at each stage. It's clear that each part of their project was made with love and determination.
However, the journey was not without its trials. Yet, I saw how each challenge, each moment of uncertainty and resistance only fueled their determination. Time and again, they demonstrated the kind of resilience that commands respect. Their journey served as a powerful testament to their ability to pivot, delegate, and harmonize. From the first stepping stone, they embraced their unity. Their synergy was evident as they played to each of their strengths, amplifying the collective force. As the momentum of their project grew, their ability to connect, motivate, and inspire each other remained undiminished—a testament to their formidable team spirit. 

Mr. B.W. | How to Make a Comic by Eliot Villasis '25 & Trey Angell '25

SquadUp, the app Brendan designed this semester is a fantastic example of a student taking an idea they thought of in Middle School and using Capstone to take it further and bring it closer to completion. Brendan had a clear vision for both what he wanted his app to do and who he wanted to target it towards, and had the internal motivation and dedication to keep his focus throughout the semester. I was impressed by Brendan’s determination and willingness to ask for help when he encountered challenges translating the features developed in his wireframe to the aesthetic design and prototyping in Adobe XD. The prototype he ultimately created is cohesive, clear, and provides a solid foundation he could use should he wish to bring this app to developers in the future. Brendan’s attention to the UX of his app, commitment to learning new skills, and finding ways to prototype his vision are emblematic of what we’re striving for in the App Studio, and he should be very proud of what he has created!

Ms. Maidenbaum | SquadUp by Brendan Russell '25

It's a simple concept — reduce packaging waste by purchasing food with more environmentally sensitive packaging. But how do you know and how do you get this information to a wide community of purchasers such that they can influence the sellers to use more environmentally sensitive packaging in the first place? Sage and Georgia have taken on the difficult task of taking these ratings and getting them to the consumer. Their EcoList App allows you to look up an item by scanning the UPC bar code on the package to discover its rating even if the producer hasn't published it themselves. Furthermore, they have developed a prototype app that allows the shopper to find the best choice by food category and eventually hope to provide a guided shopping experience to the shopper. In a semester without our talented App Development teacher, they have done a great job of prototyping and mashing together apps to demonstrate functionality and features.

Mr. Randall & Mr. Ervin | Eco-List by Sage Palmer '25 & Georgia Barrick '25

Alex and Noah have been hard at work since day 1 of Capstone. I still remember they wanted to download Adobe Illustrator when project proposals were being submitted and created their logo during that first class. Both of them have a passion for surfing and sunstainability and that is how their brand emerged. Since the first day, Noah and Alex have sold a number of tshirts, and were always creating more and more designs, not settling for 1, 2, 3 designs but ended up producing over 7 or 8 unique graphics that have been heat pressed onto tshirts made out of recycled water bottles, as well as thrifted t's they went to on weekends and outside the classroom. They persevered through learning how to print onto inkjet vinyl, using the vinyl cutter and heat press, and were in the fabrication lab for way more hours than the regular classroom hours. 

Mrs. Fajardo | Marino Surf by Noah McLaughlin '25 & Alex Zeka '25

Jenna Seidman and Maille Colin channeled their passion for athletics into a Capstone project with tangible results. In an attempt to ensure that all people have access to sports, the pair sought out partnerships beyond SCH. A mere month into the semester, they established a working relationship with the nonprofit Level the Playing Field, coordinating an equipment drive in which they collected more than $4,000 worth of golf clubs, soccer balls, and lacrosse sticks for distribution across the Philadelphia area. Not intent to rest on this achievement, they are also planning a walk-a-thon to raise additional funds to ensure that more children will be able to experience athletics. 

Mrs. Knutson | Fitness for All by Jenna Seidman'25 & Maille Colin '25

For their outstanding work in building and operating a business, Michael and Connor are my choice for the Startup Studio Award. This team worked together in the most harmonious way, with each partner choosing which aspects of the business and project they would specialize in and executing their work to the highest degree. They have embodied the startup studio mission by creating a fully realized business with thousands of dollars of revenue in just a short time of operation. 

Mr. Kreher | Mellor Lawn Maintenance by Michael Mellor '25 & Conor Murphey '25