What is SSP?
In the Spring term of Senior year, students get to design their own 8-week-long schedules that follow the 5 pillars. The pillars are meant to promote well-being, productivity, work & social balance, and education. SSP is an opportunity for students to practice new skills, initiative, responsibility, time management, and workplace standards. It is a great chance for students to prepare for both college and employment.
The 5 Pillars
SSP is made up of 4 critical pillars that we must spend 5 hours of our week completing, and 1 pillar that we must spend 20 hours on. Wellness refers to hours spent bettering ourselves mentally and/or physically. The Intellectual pillar is for hours spent learning and sharpening our minds. Community Engagement is hours spent on community service. The fourth pillar is a New Experience, where we must learn a skill that we've never done before. Finally, Remaining Hours are at least 20 hours a week dedicated to other activities.
Required Reading
During SSP, each student selects a book of their choice to read individually. For my book, I chose to read The War Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson A. Denis. My dad recommended this book to me, saying that if I wanted to learn more about Puerto Rican history, which I wouldn't be taught at school, this is the book to read. I read this book sporadically, some weeks reading 5 chapters and other weeks none. I ended up finishing the book the last week of SSP. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history and/or politics. This book touches on many dark moments in history that might upset the
reader and really put into question, "Why wasn't I taught this
at school?"
Written Reflections
