Senior year is a time of change as students prepare for their next step, and at Darlington School through the Student Ventures Program, a select group of students get the opportunity to build essential skills to help their transition.
In the year long program, students combine their interests with community outreach. The projects are extensive, with students hosting events, creating products for the community or building a legacy that will remain at Darlington after graduation.
“It’s very self-led by the students,” said Jordan West, the coordinator for Senior Ventures. “I’m there to support and give them whatever feedback they need, but ultimately it’s their project and they’re passionate about it.”
The students were responsible for every aspect of their projects. They had to organize their events and lead community outreach efforts while learning key skills like time management and communication. Many students had to learn how to build websites and organize a schoolwide fundraiser.
“It taught us to be adults, almost. We were in meetings with teachers and faculty planning out the Light the Lake event for months ahead of time,” senior Atlas Kosedag said. “We were also making a website, communicating with all the faculty to make sure everything was on there. It was just a big learning experience; it’s not something you’d learn in a classroom.”
The Student Ventures Program produced nine projects involving 12 students this year. Most students completed independent projects, but two projects, Robotics Outreach and Servant Leadership Committee, were group efforts.
The nine projects are:
While the nine projects focused on different areas, many of them shared common themes. All of these projects were a manifestation of the students’ passions, and a few of the students used their projects to bring back forgotten traditions.
The Servant Leadership Committee used to be an organization at Darlington many years ago, but Kosedag said it died out alongside the Light the Lake event. Light the Lake used to be an annual event that raised money and awareness for the cancer community.
Through Senior Ventures, Kosedag and Patel brought back both the committee and the event this year and plan to pass them down to the younger students in the hope that they aren’t forgotten again.
“It was a lot of work, but there was a lot of benefit to it,” Enverga said.
Students in the Senior Ventures Program helped Patel and Kosedag put together the fundraiser. The robotics team made pins for people to wear and James hosted a design competition for the event.
“We wanted to get as many people involved as possible,” Patel said. “It was a great experience.”
Projects like Learning Lacrosse and Art in 3D didn’t bring back forgotten programs, but they shined lights on what these students believe were underappreciated programs. The projects taught students about the fine arts and lacrosse, with the goal of increasing student involvement in the years to come.
“I’m making sure that the next generation of athletes understands the sport of lacrosse is something they can enjoy too,” Laliberte said.
Student Ventures is meant to encourage students to get more involved in community outreach and the 2025 seniors dedicated their year to that goal. Whether working with community partners or collaborating amongst themselves, every project and student impacted their community in a unique way.
“We got to accomplish all of our goals of trying to spread awareness and connect more with our community,” Pandya said.
To highlight the students’ accomplishments, the school held a Senior Ventures Showcase on April 30. The seniors set up their presentations throughout the library — some with poster board displays, others with more interactive presentations like the robot programmed by the robotics team or the art table set up for Art in 3D.
“Everyone did something different, and this is a culmination of their work,” West said.
This article was originally published in the Rome News-Tribune on May 5, 2025.
Rachel Hartdegen, Rome News-Tribune
Rachel Hartdegen, Rome News-Tribune
