Not all high school graduation requirements are a drag for students. At Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, the Senior Project lets students apply what they’ve learned to create something that helps others. The possibilities are endless, ranging from major volunteer work to deeply personal projects. And they all go through one teacher, Senior Projects Adviser Brewster Burns. A Waterford native and Oxford Hills graduate, Burns has been teaching English for 21 years. Recently, he’s organized a volunteer fair at the high school, allowing nonprofits and government groups to recruit volunteers. Many students incorporate volunteer work into their senior projects.

Name: Brewster Burns

Age: 49

Occupation: English teacher and senior projects adviser at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School.

What’s the Senior Project? The senior project is an independent undertaking performed by all seniors at OHCHS as a graduation requirement. In order for a project to meet Senior Project standards it must involve significant new learning, be independent in creation and execution, and create a real-world product or service that has a positive impact on others. The great thing about the senior project is that at an intuitive level, nearly everyone understands what a project is and what it involves. The other great thing about it is that the student has unlimited possibilities as to what they can do.

What makes a great Senior Project? Great senior projects have two elements: personal importance and commitment. The projects that involve kids doing something they care about and following through with all the details are the greatest projects.

What has the reaction been from area nonprofits? The nonprofits were really excited about the nonprofit fair we had here at the high school. I think it might have been the first time they were all under one roof. And in addition to connecting to students they seemed to appreciate being able to connect with each other. Next year we plan on offering a buffet lunch and some kind of training session about how to utilize student volunteers — I think that’s a missing piece of the puzzle. It’s easy to collect a bunch of names and e-mails, it’s not so easy to get all those volunteers to actually show up.

Why did you agree to become the adviser? How long have you been doing it? I’ve been involved with the senior project for about seven years now. To be honest , I don’t know exactly how I became the advisor. It might have been one of those things where I was standing in a line and when they said, “Whoever wants to manage the senior project, please step forward,” everyone else stepped backward. Seriously, I really enjoy doing it. Although not all the projects are great, there are some really good ones. And in some respects, these projects are the most “real” thing that some kids get to do in school. For me, some of the best conversations I’ve had as a teacher have come with seniors working on their projects.

Do you have any favorite student projects from recent years? A couple really stick out, but you have to know that there are many, many really cool ones. One that I really liked was a student who created a memoir of his senior year. The writing was really good, and the struggles the kid faced made me realize how tough some kids have it while trying to get through school. Another good one was done by a student who was unable to speak in school because of severe anxiety. What he did was to produce an audio recording of what it was like for him to go through school with his debilitating anxiety. It was really touching and, like the other one I mentioned, really gave me an insight into something that I really didn’t know about or understand. Other than those, many others stick out: Some kids built dugouts for Norway Rec last year, another kid produced a talent show, another student surveyed some foreclosed land in Waterford and presented a plan to turn it into a public beach to the Waterford selectmen. There are really too many to list.