Somerville High outlines five-week senior ECHO pilot to give all seniors a real-world culminating experience

Somerville High School plans to pilot a five-week, student-driven senior experience called the ECHO project next school year that would let seniors pursue externships, independent passion projects, volunteer positions or college coursework and culminate in a public showcase.

The project, presented Feb. 3 to the Somerville School Committee by Principal Alicia Kirsten and program leads Megan Spinelli and Megan McDevitt, is described as a way for seniors to “pursue a passion project and hone those Highlander habits,” and to provide equitable access to beyond-the-classroom opportunities for all students. “The ECHO project is really what we've been envisioning for probably the past 10 or 12 years,” Principal Alicia Kirsten told the committee.

Committee members pressed for operational details and safeguards, and presenters said next year will be an opt-in pilot focused on a limited cohort while staff work through scheduling, grading and equity concerns. “It stands for experiential culminating hands on opportunity,” said Megan Spinelli, English department chair, describing the program’s goals to build soft skills, create resume/portfolio material and give every senior a chance to present work at a final ECHO showcase.

How it would work: students would apply and must be on track to graduate; placements or projects would be secured with school support; students would keep weekly timesheets and journals; advisors would meet with participants; and the five weeks would culminate in a public exhibition. Options include supervised externships (on‑the‑job training), independent projects (art, building projects, performances), volunteer work in Somerville or neighboring towns, or taking a college course arranged with the district’s college-and-career team.

Administrators said the ECHO rollout will be phased. Next academic year will be an opt‑in pilot; the district plans broader expansion in subsequent years with the aim that by the 2027–28 school year more seniors will participate and that by the 2028–29 school year the program could be considered as a graduation requirement. Presenters emphasized they will not make it a requirement until they can demonstrate equitable access for all students.

Committee members repeatedly urged detailed documentation and evaluation during the pilot. Member Michael Green asked the team to “document all the weird stuff that happened” during the pilot so future votes on making ECHO a graduation requirement would be informed by concrete cases and solutions. Presenters said they would collect feedback from students, families and staff and refine rubrics and procedures, including options for students who must remain for required classes such as AP or CTE testing.

District supports and partners: presenters said the high school will use existing work‑based learning staff and partnerships — including MassHire job coaching and the district's CTE program — to help students secure placements and reduce barriers such as transportation. They are exploring dual‑enrollment and “mini‑masters” arrangements with local colleges including Bunker Hill Community College and Middlesex Community College. Presenters did not specify additional funding required for a full rollout.

No formal action was taken by the School Committee on Feb. 3; the presentation generated questions the committee asked staff to address as ECHO moves from planning to pilot. Administrators said they will return with additional implementation details, schedules and evaluation metrics before proposing any change to graduation requirements.