Senior Practicum

All AACS Seniors complete a year-long project called the Senior Practicum. Students begin by identifying a problem from a Christian worldview perspective. Over the course of the year, each student writes an in-depth research paper, conducts a site visit, develops and implements a service project, and delivers a final presentation reflecting on their learning and impact. The Senior Practicum serves both as the culmination of an AACS education and as a launching point for seniors as they go out into various areas of work and study.

The Senior Practicum is not just a graduation requirement; it is the capstone of the AACS educational experience. It challenges students to explore what it means to bring redemption and restoration to areas of brokenness in our world through a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Principal Dave Intlekofer shared, “We view the Senior Practicum as the culmination of our students’ academic work, and therefore, it should be as close to ‘the portrait of a graduate’ as we have on display.”

Each topic is student-chosen and approved at the beginning of the school year, allowing for a wide range of interests and passions. Every year projects span the globe and disciplines—from science and politics to culture and faith. A few of the 2025 presentations included:

  • Belonging: Community Inclusion for Neurodiversity and Anxiety – Jonathon Hendrickson
  • Digital Disruption in Children’s Brain Growth – Ashlyn Case
  • A Nation in Uniform, A People in Service – Kate Pritchett
  • Fighting Rural Homelessness and Poverty through Faith - Timothy Ballard
  • Numbness to Christianity (Specifically within AACS) - Emma Hughes
  • The Negative Mental Health Effects in Children of Divorce - Emme Foundos
  • Biblical Beauty - Kendall Rampersaud
  • Asylum: The Reality of America's Latin Immigration Crisis - Harrison Fitzgerald
  • Flaws within Short-Term Mission Trips - Georgie Holden
     

Prior to the public presentation day, students had already defended their research and service work before a faculty panel. The final public presentation served as both a celebration and reflection—a chance for students to share the fruit of their learning with the broader AACS community.

Senior Practicum Presentation Day is more than an academic exercise; it’s a moment of transformation and testimony. It’s when our seniors show who they’ve become—and who they’re becoming—as they prepare to step boldly into the world beyond AACS.

Preparing Students to Become a Portrait of a Graduate
AACS graduates are growing believers. The Senior Practicum invites students to understand the effects of sin in a particular area of culture, and then to consider how they and others can work for restoration.

AACS graduates are active learners. Students independently select their topics of study and manage significant projects in research and service.

AACS graduates are responsible stewards. The Senior Practicum gives students an opportunity to interface with experts and organizations who are working to address the problem they're studying. Students learn about and practice stewardship in the community.

AACS graduates are effective communicators. Students share the fruits of their learning through written research and reflection, and the year culminates with a substantial presentation to friends, family, faculty, and members of the community.

AACS graduates are compassionate neighbors. The Senior Practicum helps students to build relationships with people or organizations with whom they might not otherwise interact. Students develop a greater capacity to empathize with and advocate for those who are suffering.