For eight students at Wareham High School, presenting their final projects was the last thing between them and their diplomas.

Instead of doing the required exit interviews and electronic portfolios, students could choose to do a final project otherwise known as a capstone project. From there the students would choose a topic personal to them and present it in a showcase.

Art teacher Amy Dion oversaw the process that started when the class were juniors.

"They're sort of trailblazers," Dion said. 

The projects were done in the students' free time outside of school with routine check-ins. Students chose to show off their skills in multiple different ways ranging from an artificially intelligent chatbot that teaches guitar to culinary exploration.

For students like Makenzie Craig, passion fueled her final projects.

"I just love sharks so much," she said.

Craig did her project on sharks and educated those attending the showcase with photos and a papier-mache hammerhead shark. She said sharks are misunderstood and was concerned over a recent increase in shark-related human deaths.

"A bunch of sharks were attacking and killing people and it's just because of global warming. Which is our fault. Everything is our fault which is hard," Craig said.

Future author Delsin Abbis used the capstone project to write a book.

Abbis said that he has been creatively writing since he was in kindergarten and always enjoyed putting pen to paper. Using the videogame Sims 4 to create character designs and handing out copies of the first three chapters, Abbis said the project was refreshing.

"For a really long time I doubted my ability," he said. "But now I'm more confident in it."

Abbis added he was nervous to have people read his work and  he struggled with punctuation. 

"As for the actual writing part though it's kind of easy for me. It just happens naturally," he said.

The cover of the book was drawn by Teagan Baptiste, another senior who opted to do a project. Due to his interest in the environment, Baptiste chose to make a model of a sustainable city.

"There's public transportation and it's designed to be walkable so there's less cars on the road and less carbon emissions," he said.

The buildings featured gardens on roofs and every neighborhood contained a greenhouse. Baptiste said he would like to see more community gardens around Wareham and hopes to make change as an environmental scientist. 

" When I was planning the project I saw the opportunity to combine my passion for environmental science with a physical art project," Baptiste said. "That was a very exciting idea because art and the environment are two things I care greatly about."

Graduation for seniors like the ones who completed the capstone showcase is on the horizon. Students will cross the stage Friday, June 6 starting at 6:30 p.m.