LEGAL
STUDIES
ACADEMY
SENIOR PROJECT PROPOSAL
Natalie Napolitano
Legal Research and Writing
October 31st, 2014
Senior Project Proposal
A.
Abstract
There are over 1.1 million homeless students currently enrolled in United States
public schools. It is very difficult for these students to have a normal schooling
experience when they don’t have a stable place to go home to every day after school.
Knowing this, the topic that I would like to use for my senior project is homeless
students. The title of my paper will be “Taking Care of Our Own,” the title of the first
part of my project will be “The Bigger Picture,” and the title of the second part of my
project will be “Everyone Deserves a Fairy Godmother.” Last year, I was the City-Wide
SCA Historian and we hosted a benefit project to raise money for an organization called
“Project Hope Virginia Beach.” This organization provides tutoring, school supplies,
transportation, and activities fees for homeless students in Virginia Beach. It really
inspired me to choose to support local homeless students throughout my senior project
because I realized how terrible it is that there are thousands upon thousands of homeless
students, all across America, who struggle to have normal high school careers. I will be
successful because this is an issue everyone can relate to. Students are struggling to do
school work because they lack the technology to do so, can’t buy a simple pencil, and are
wondering where they’ll sleep tonight. These students are our peers. We need to take care
of each other.
The driving questions for my research will be as follows: How far does the
“safety net” of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act
extend? What will happen to the funds for homeless students while budget cuts continue
to get worse? What tools or guidelines are being provided to faculty to aid them in
determining homeless students? What are the monetary consequences, if any, of not
properly identifying homeless students in a timely manner? What constitutes the timely
manner previously mentioned?
For my project I will be working with Project Hope and raising funds to donate to
them so they can use them to help homeless students purchase their cap and gown senior
pictures. I will raise these funds by opening my senior photo services up to all seniors in
Virginia Beach. The money I make from taking those senior pictures will all go towards
the funds that I am donating to Project Hope. I think this will get more people involved in
my project because it provides a student-to-student relationship where both my peers and
the homeless seniors benefit. I want to make sure that the homeless seniors are able to
have a normal high school career, or at least as normal as it can get when they don’t have
a place to call home. The second part of my project would include a dress drive to donate
prom and/or ring dance dresses for the homeless students who clearly would not be able
to afford them. I will talk to the SCA Presidents from the Virginia Beach City Public
High Schools and request that they advertise and hold the dress drive in each of their
schools. Since dresses can’t just be thrown in a box, I will create wooden racks to hang
the dresses on for each school that agrees to help me. The first part of my project, taking
photos and monetary donations, will take place starting in November and go until about
March, depending on the times that work for the seniors as well as what kind of setting
they want. The second part of my project, the dress drive, will take place throughout the
month of February.
My audience is the City of Virginia Beach as a whole. We need to take care of
our children because most of the time it’s not their fault that they are homeless. They are
the future and need to be provided with the materials and opportunities they need to
succeed. I hope to make a difference by being a part of providing those children with
opportunities and clothing through my project. I’m hoping that the majority of the
homeless students at the local homeless shelter will benefit through the completion of my
project.
My consultant through this project will be Mr. Adam Roth. Mr. Roth is the
photography and graphic communications teacher here at First Colonial and I truly think
that he will be able to help me with the taking and editing of my senior photos. I will also
have help from a mentor, Mrs. MaryAnn Lafler, who is the Coordinator of Student
Leadership and knowledgeable about the funds granted to Virginia Beach for homeless
students.
The materials I will need for my project include:

A camera

A photo editing program

Wooden racks

Photo paper and ink to print pictures

Flyers to advertise the dress drive
I currently possess all of these materials, other than the flyers and photo paper, which I
will gather at a later date, and am not worried about getting them to use throughout my
project.
B.
Learning Skills

I will need to learn to enhance my photo editing techniques and try to master
“iPhoto”

I will need to learn how to use Photoshop to provide my peers with studio-worthy
senior photos

I will need to learn how to build with wooden planks and get stable racks

I will need to learn how to create shaped, creative flyers to catch people’s eye and
make them donate dresses
C.
Project Steps
Part 1:
Preliminary Set up a meetings with anyone 2 Hours
Steps
interested in having their senior
photos taken
Midway
Set up dates with all of the seniors 10 Hours
Steps
and take all of the photos
Later Steps
Edit the photos and meet with the 3 Hours
seniors to give them their photos
and collect the monetary donations
Follow up
Donate the proceeds to Project 1 Hour
Hope so they can aid homeless
seniors in the purchase of their cap
and gown photos
Part 2:
Preliminary Get approval from principals to 1 Hour
Steps
host the dress drive
Midway
Advertise the drive to SCA 4 Hours
Steps
presidents and get boxes/ racks
set up
Later Steps
Collect the donations from all of the 4 Hours
high schools
Follow up
D.
Turn in donations to Project Hope
2 Hours
Project Documentation
I will document my project through:

The senior photos themselves

Receipts from the printing of the senior photos

Journals

A time log

Emails from organizations I’ve worked with/ tried to work with

Progress Reports

Photos of the dress drive/ donation in action

Flyers advertising the dress drive
E.

Permission slips for release/non-release of senior photos

Interview questions for Project Hope adviser
Project Justification
This is a quality project because I am reaching out to the youth in my community
as a youth myself. Homeless students don’t always get the opportunities that other high
school students receive. While funds are granted to them for school needs, they don’t get
the chance to pick out a prom dress or purchase their cap and gown senior photos. I hope
that through my project I will be able to provide them with these chances and, at the very
least, put a smile on their face.
F.
Project-Paper Connection
This project connects to my paper because it deals with the funds that are not
provided to school systems for homeless students. My project supports donations that the
governmental funds for homeless students provided to each school system do not cover.
Through the money donated so they can purchase cap and gown pictures and the donation
of prom and ring dance dresses I will be able to deliver opportunities that are otherwise
not available to the homeless students of Virginia Beach.
G.
Academic Honesty
I understand that any academic dishonesty by me on any part of the project will result
in failure of the Senior Project and forfeiture of the Legal Studies Seal on my High
School diploma.
H.
Completion Dates
Dates
Project Part 1
11/21/14- 3/6/15
All senior photos will be taken and all
proceeds made from the service within this
time period will be donated to Project Hope
3/25/15
All seniors will have received their edited
senior photos and all money for Project Hope
will have been collected
3/27/15
All monetary donations for Project Hope will
be sent in
Dates
Project Part 2
1/21/15
Inform schools of dress drive project
1/28/15
Have a solidified and approved list of who
will be participating
2/2/15- 2/27/15
Dress Drive occurs
3/2/15- 3/3/15
Collect dresses
3/5/15
Donate dress so that they are available for
homeless students to wear during the prom
and ring dance season
I.
Faculties Impact Form- N/A