The Alberta Teachers’ Association

It’s not every day that high school students get to see their work published in a peer-reviewed journal. But this fall, Bianca Sacchi, a Grade 12 student in Strathcona High School’s Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone Research Diploma Program, will do just that. “This is an amazing opportunity,” says Sacchi. “We have worked really hard on our research projects and seeing that work in a peer-reviewed journal will make it seem like so much more than just a high school project.”

Tentatively named The Cornerstone, the Strathcona High School publication will be housed on the University of Alberta Libraries’ open journal hosting service, an electronic platform that already hosts 29 peer-reviewed academic journals related to U of A research. “We don’t know of any high school-university publishing partnerships like this in Canada,” says Leah Vanderjagt, digital repository services librarian and administrator of the Strathcona High School project at the U of A. “But when we were given the opportunity to provide a valuable service like this to the community outside the walls of the university, we jumped at the chance.”

With the first issue set to be published in the fall, the 25 Capstone students are buckling down to ensure their projects are ready for the review process. Sacchi has been examining the motivation behind Quebec’s secular policies; one of her classmates is exploring the current status and history of the Canadian Space Program; another is curious about the ins and outs of successful social enterprises. “The Capstone program requires its teachers to be very hands-off,” explains Greg Henkleman, AP curriculum coordinator and Capstone coordinator at Strathcona High School. “I teach research methodologies and encourage academic rigour and integrity in the research process. But the students’ work is truly their own.”

With The Cornerstone, Strathcona High School students are beginning to lay the foundation for future academic pursuits.  ❚