Most Schools don’t have Senior Capstones, so it wouldn’t be surprising if you didn’t know what it was. Senior Capstones are projects that leave a positive impact on the community, where the senior students partner with an non-profit organization and through them make a difference in the community. And Sophie Jones did just that.

Jones says, “My organization which is Healing Heartbeats Thru Hoofbeats, it’s like an equine therapy organization so it helps people with their anxiety, depression, PTSD, and stuff. You can have a therapy session with the horse, where you just talk, and then the horses are very connecting on an emotional level, so they react physically to how you are feeling, kind of. When horses have a lot of anxiety they release it in multiple ways, so they release it by just like yawning, taking a deep breath, and you can always tell when you calm down because the horse calms down.” 

The first step of making a Senior Capstone project is choosing an organization. It’s heavily encouraged to not just pick a organization, but rather to pick one that means something to you, as Jones did. “I chose the organization because my best friend’s mom first of all is the owner of the organization, and I am a close part of the organization because I used to take therapy from her, but also I am at the barn, my horse is at the barn where it takes place. I have seen first hand how horses can help with your mental state, and just horses helping therapy wise,” Jones said. 

The main point of Senior Capstone is helping the community, and that requires action steps to raise awareness for your chosen organization. Jones said, “I chose to create an event where a ton of vendors and food trucks come and then we get donated tack and we sell that, and we raise a ton of money for the organization. We raised over $2,000.”

Through the connections and real-world impacts made through the Capstone Projects Spectrum senior gain valuable skills that follow them past the classroom.