Dear Senior Project Coordinators:

The area I will be focusing on for my Senior Project will be recreational sports. I chose the topic of recreational sports because I am considering a career in sports training. Also I have always been into athletics and think that it is important to have in ones’ life no matter what age. Through out my life I have had good role models in my parents who have stayed active and healthy. Although I have tried kayaking and rock climbing in the past I have never had the opportunity to take my skills to a level that I could teach others. My learning stretch will be both mental and physical, for I will be learning how to structure a class for beginners that will encourage them to be successful. The physical stretch will be to see if I have the endurance to reach my goals.

My focus for my research paper is going to be how recreational sports help people grow and have more healthy lives. I have talked about the topic with my mentor who has seen a growth in recreational sports and how people use them for mental and physical reasons. A question I have identified concerns whether someone with little money still can do all the recreational sports they want or will money determine who has access to this form of exercise. Another question I would like to explore is the importance of finding the right match of sport to the individual.

For my fieldwork I will be learning how to surf kayak, rock climb, and learn more about other recreational sports. My mentor will be Ellen Pagnano, General Manager of Ocean State Adventures. Ocean State Adventures is a recreational sport business that focuses on kayaking and rock climbing. Ms. Pagnano will be giving me individual instruction as well as letting me assist her in classes.

My link between my research paper and fieldwork is that I will be researching how recreational sports helps in one’s life and then I will observe the effects of the sports in real life. What I hope to find out through both research and fieldwork is how recreational sports can be used to improve the quality of a person’s life both mentally and physically. This link between my research paper and fieldwork is important because it will help me better understand the role of a sports trainer.

The three graduation outcomes I will demonstrate through this project are communicating, problem solving, and responsibility. Communicating is very important to recreational sports because of health and safety issues. Also communicating with others, sharing how I am feeling and my limitations will be part of my job. I will be communicating a lot with my mentor on every aspect of this project. Problem solving will be demonstrated on a daily basis because of all the decisions that have to be made in the two sports I have chosen. Also I will have to figure out ways to become an effective instructor so my students will have fun and meet with success. Responsibility will be the biggest outcome demonstrated. I will learn how to manage my time, be a responsible assistant to my mentor and encourage my students to adopt a responsible attitude with regard to safety issues.

"I understand that I am required to successfully complete a Senior Project in order to graduate with my class in June according to School Committee policy. If I fail to meet this graduation requirement, I will have the opportunity to do so after my classmates graduate and receive my diploma at a later date. Furthermore, I understand that honesty and integrity are highly valued elements of the Barrington High School Community. As such, I will demonstrate these qualities by not cheating on any part of my Senior Project; this means I will not plagiarize any of the written portions, and I will not lie about or exaggerate any part of my fieldwork. I know that is I decide to cheat on the final draft of my research paper, fieldwork, or portfolio, I will not be allowed to deliver a Senior Board Presentation on May 21 and will have to successfully complete my Senior Project after my classmates graduate in June in order to receive my diploma."

Sincerely yours,

Jenna M.