A tradition at the School, graduating seniors dedicate their time in May to creating senior projects–independent experiences that allow students to explore a personal passion in or outside of the classroom.
These projects vary, but often include assistant teaching, research, service work, and artworks.
Seniors also present their projects in a symposium open to students, faculty, and parents later in May. This year, Seniors did their presentations on Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Nicholas Kozhemiakin ’25: A Smarter Way to Train As a Lacrosse Goalie
Nick Kozhemekian ‘25 wanted his senior project to be based on his passion for lacrosse.
Kozhemekian was goalie for the School’s Varsity Boys Lacrosse team, and practicing as a lacrosse goalie usually requires having someone shoot on you.
“It’s very hard to train for goalie by myself because I need someone else there constantly to be shooting at me,” Kozhemiakin said. “With a lacrosse shooting machine, that means I can essentially be taking shots by myself. I don’t need someone else there.”
Kozemekian created a machine that throws lacrosse balls at the net, so that goalies can practice without needing others’ assistance. The balls in his machine shootout at 70-80 miles per hour, simulating a realistic lacrosse shot.
“It essentially works like an air cannon that uses multiple air tanks,” Kozhemiakin said. “You essentially fill them up with air, pressurize them, and then each air tank will then guarantee one shot.”
The design process required a great deal of work. Through trial and error–figuring out what was working and what was not–Kozhemiakin used his knowledge in lacrosse to make the machine as helpful as possible. Every step was essential to his progress.
“Eight air tanks can shoot eight balls, and the machine itself can store up to 24 balls,” Kozhemiakin siad. “You basically load up the balls, you fill up the tanks, then you press what’s essentially this trigger, and they shoot out.”
Kozemkian is currently putting the final touches on his project, eager to share it with the the School’s lacrosse community.
Patrick Whalen ’25: Streaming Into Space
Patrick Whalen ’25 has long been fascinated by topics like the colonization of Mars and the mechanics of rocket launches.
Since 2020, Patrick Whalen ‘25 has been making videos on topics such as science and planetary systems, but primarily focusing on rocketry and space-flight.
He has gained over 100,000 followers on his TikTok channel, @thespaceflightguy, while also hosting a large following on his YouTube, Instagram, and X profiles.
For his senior project, Whalen has been producing more informative videos on space flight, as well as covering news regarding NASA and other large space companies.
Whalen constructed various LEGO diagrams of the Apollo 11 space shuttle–the first moon landing, and models of more recent space exploration vehicles.
All of this was done on a livestream on TikTok, where Whalen was able to gain “a few hundred dollars in donation”.
“Since 2020, I’ve been trying to work to help inspire people in science, history, and educational content on social media, with the main goal in the space and science fields,” Whalen said.
Aside from his space exploration videos,
Whalen also has released multiple videos on his TikTok and YouTube channels covering the recent Winterim trip to Austria and Germany, highlighting specific regions the group travelled to.
“I’ve started to get some viral videos on YouTube, which is good. Most of my big videos are on TikTok, as that’s where most of my viewerbase is,” Whalen said.
According to Whalen, his most popular video has gained over 4.2 million views.
“I think the videos of mine have helped to inspire more people to learn about commercial space flight and things like that,” Whalen said.
Whalen has grown his following over the past five years, achieving millions of views and emerging as one of the largest creators in TikTok’s space exploration community.
