De'Naiza Watson Capstone 2025

For my Capstone, I created and ran an eight-week mini-course about sharks and ocean conservation for the Class of 2028. I’ve always been passionate about marine life, so I wanted to share that with younger students in a way that was both educational and fun. Each week, I taught a lesson on topics like shark biology, ocean pollution, and how humans affect the environment, followed by a game or activity to help reinforce what we talked about. One of my favorite parts was teaming up with the Photography mini-course for a creative lesson that brought the two subjects together. I worked closely with my mentor, Ms. Bradley, and asked for advice from other students who had led mini-courses before. There were definitely challenges—especially with keeping students focused and balancing everything with my other responsibilities—but I learned how to adapt and improve with each class. This project helped me grow in leadership, time management, and communication. I’m proud that I was able to create a space where students could learn something new and have fun doing it. I hope my mini-course left them more curious about the world and more aware of how important it is to protect the ocean.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IcM_-4RBrIcWZm0Gd7uXBKZgz84QJkljnzeibYZvlaQ/edit?usp=sharing