CRANBERRY TWP — Twenty residents of the Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community recently were judges for Seneca Valley High School students who presented their senior projects to the group.

The residents volunteered during the judging process, which included a training course and two trips to Seneca Valley to read individual student portfolios as well as judge the oral presentations.

Every senior in a public school in Pennsylvania is required to do a senior project to graduate.

While the Sherwood Oaks judges didn’t pick winners and there weren’t any prizes issued to students, the judges did decide on whether the project met the state standards.

Senior projects cover a wide range of topics including community service, visual and performing arts, humanities, construction and more. The projects usually involve a yearlong period of student research, implementation and oral presentations.

Sherwood Oaks resident Madelin Clements came up with the idea three years ago to judge the senior projects.

She saw an advertisement in a newspaper that the school district was looking for community judges and, in that first year, she was the only Sherwood Oaks resident to participate.

Now, two years later, that number is up to 20 and is expected to grow.

“I am exhilarated by the experience and am so impressed by the quality work shown by the students,” Clements said. “My association with this program, along with other residents who have been judges, has been so positive that we always have volunteers from Sherwood Oaks who are interested in partnering with Seneca Valley for this important program.”

Clements added that residents, many of whom bring years of experience in diverse career fields, are good models for judges.

“Residents of Sherwood Oaks are retired or semi-retired people who have been business leaders, medical professionals, teachers, lawyers, engineers and more,” said Katherine Vojtko, vice president of the facility. “They have done great things with their lives and have so much more to offer as well as being great role models for the students.”

Linda Andreassi, Seneca Valley director of communications, said the district is grateful to have such dedicated volunteers who have years of practical experience when giving advice to and judging students’ senior projects.

“They are valuable resources and bring with them a wealth of real world experience and provide excellent feedback to our students as they complete this important project,” Andreassi said.

“Additionally, I believe our students and staff enjoy having them participate as it also allows all parties to interact and network with individuals they may not have had the pleasure to know.”