From Ukulele to Environmental Research, Austin Prep Students Bring Their Passion Projects to Life

By Andrew Skeirik ’27

At Austin Prep, students in AP Language and Composition are using schoolwork to pursue something more personal: their own passions. From learning to play the ukulele to conducting environmental research with Gunstock Mountain, students are spending months building skills, exploring interests, and creating projects that reflect who they are and what matters to them. The multi-semester-long Passion Project concluded in March with a museum-style presentation, where classmates and faculty explored the wide range of student work.

Student-Driven Projects Take Center Stage

My project featured an environmental study with Gunstock Mountain, exploring how different environmental and operational factors affect the quality and safety of ski trails throughout the winter season. The project monitored multiple variables with the end goal of analyzing common factors that may contribute to an unknown problem. Understanding how trails changed over time demonstrated the ski industry's commitment to efficiency and safety.

“My passion project is learning how to play the ukulele, and it stemmed from middle school when I played the saxophone and realized that I enjoyed playing instruments,” Austin Prep junior Stella Masciarelli of Reading said. “I've always wanted to learn another instrument because I think it is a good skill to have. This Passion Project assignment helped me to turn a fun idea into a reality. The Passion Project has been so much fun, as it is combining something I'm interested in with schoolwork.”

Austin Prep junior James Aprahamian of Salem, New Hampshire, is learning how to draw a self-portrait. “My project is not one singular thing being improved upon over a long period of time, it is mostly about building a skill to complete a project at the end to demonstrate the development of this skill,” Aprahamian said. “As I begin working on the final product, the project has turned out about as expected, and I have high hopes for the final result.”

A Project Built Around Curiosity and Growth

According to AP Language and Composition teacher Stephanie Choate, that range is part of what makes the Passion Project so meaningful. “In the past, students have learned how to play instruments and speak other languages,” Choate said. “They have learned construction and created tables, bird houses, guitars, skis, and more. Students have also written books, poems, code and photographic reflections.”

As part of a summer reading assignment, students in the AP Language and Composition class read The Element by Ken Robinson. The novel offers students a path toward self-discovery and discusses the intersection of natural talent and personal passions. Rather than taking a traditional test after finishing the book, students were encouraged to use their time to discover their own passion. The six-month process allowed students to reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, and untapped potential as they developed a project centered on personal exploration.

Passion Is More Than an Assignment

While many school projects are based on class content and ask all students to complete the same task, the Austin Prep Passion Project challenges each student in a new and personal way. It asks students not just what they learned, but what they care about. Students choose their own topics, allowing them to dive into a subject that genuinely matters to them. The overall goal of the project is to show that real-world success is not just about remembering information, but about developing problem-solving skills and the ability to explore something meaningful.

In the final months of the academic year, when focus often shifts to AP exams, final projects, and commencement, the Passion Project gives Austin Prep students a rare opportunity to explore new interests and bring fresh energy to their work.