A hallmark of the middle school experience at Woodland is the Eighth Grade Capstone Project. Capstone provides students with a yearlong, intensive opportunity to research a topic of local or global significance and ultimately present their findings. Students use the Design Thinking Process to increase empathy with those who are impacted by the problem they are researching. Students design their “Action Piece” around the needs of those being impacted, to ensure proposed solutions are impactful and sustainable.

Students presented their Capstone research, action pieces, and experiences to family, teachers, and bystanders at Stanford Mall. Students shared how they were carrying out Woodland’s mission of making a difference through their successful action pieces. Action pieces included organizing a blood drive, having a mailbox relocated from a sidewalk to allow for wheelchair passage, campaigns to reduce meat consumption and water usage, and presentations on shark conservation and skin cancer prevention.