All students graduating in BC must complete a capstone project on a subject of their choosing. Students are encouraged to choose an area of passion and are each guided in this process by one of our school's Career Life Connections teachers. Towards the end of each year, grade 12 students present their capstone projects to a panel of school staff.

This year, all grade 12 students were asked to create and submite a five-minute video about their Capstone project and journey. In these videos, students shared their projects and their reflections on their learning. Then, as a means of celebrating success and building a stronger sense of school community, McNair introduced a Capstone Film Festival at the end of May.

On the day of the Film Festival, all regular classes were replaced with four sessions in which all grade 8-11 students had the opportunity to view multiple videos by grade 12 students. Grade 12 students were asked to introduce themselves, share their video, speak about their journey, and answer questions from younger students.

Our younger students were highly engaged throughout the day and asked many thoughtful questions of our grade 12s. Students of all ages have now been exposed early on to the idea of Capstone and are encouraged to begin thinking about what they might choose when they are in grade 12. More importantly, the entire school took the time to learn from each other, celebrate learning and success together, and enhance the strong sense of community in our school.