Mission Statement

 The objective of the Cougar Challenge is to provide students with an opportunity to begin preparing for life after high school. This challenge urges students to take stock of their skills, demonstrate problem solving, practice self-directed learning, use decision-making capabilities, and to engage in rigorous academic research, writing, and speaking while using multimedia technology.

Requirements 2007-2008

 Students should be aware that the physical project (coaching, designing, job-shadowing, building, etc.) has been eliminated in order that we may focus on our literacy goals of solid reading, research, writing, and speaking skills. All seniors must complete the requirements below with passing scores in order to participate in the graduation ceremony. There will be opportunities given to improve papers and presentations which score below 60% initially. Those students who are not currently taking English on the FHS campus (except those enrolled at College Connection) are advised to choose an on-campus teacher to assist them with the paper and presentation.

1. Write a 10-page minimum research paper on a topic of interest that is approved beforehand by faculty. Follow MLA guidelines. The paper must state a position, or thesis, and be supported with research; all sources used in research must be cited using in-text citations and a works cited page. Further requirements regarding number and types of sources will be posted later and addressed in English classes.

2. Develop and present an 8-minute minimum presentation about the content of your paper. Use a multimedia program such as PowerPoint as a visual aide during your presentation, which will be judged by FHS staff and community judges.

 While some instructional time will include lessons on topic selection, writing a thesis, MLA, etc., students should expect to use time outside of class to work on this challenge.