Letter of Intent

Cassandra Pennebaker
1120 Simpson St
Eden, NC 27288
February 27, 2017

Morehead Capstone Experience Committee

John M Morehead High School
134 N Pierce St
Eden, NC 27288

Dear Committee:

The topic I have chosen for my Capstone experience is modern education and how to improve it.
Currently all public schools teach according the the Common Core curriculum. Before, the
Trivium approach was used, and I found that students being taught by the Trivium had better test
scores as well as a higher retention rate because the students were being taught based on the
stage of mental development. This was a learning stretch as I did not know much about the
education system nor the various curriculums that came before.

Trivium schools should be brought back because of the effective division of education, focused
curriculum, and the superior outcome compared to modern education. I first looked at what the
Trivium was. This teaching style became significant to me as I researched it because it seemed to
be a more logical approach to teaching a person that wants to learn. As I became more interested
in the Trivium, I researched the reason why it was highly effective. Since the Trivium focuses on
the developmental process of the student and teaches information based on what the brain can
process and retain the easiest, students actually learned the information and did not only
memorized the concepts being taught for a grade. This teaching style does not only sound good
on paper but its effectiveness can be seen when comparing Trivium students exam scores to
Common Core students exam scores.

I am going to be creating a website explaining in depth the benefits and the processes of the
Trivium education. This will be a challenge for me because I do not know how to create my own
website though I know of many websites that can help me as well as offer a free template I could
use. I chose a teacher who is passionate about working towards a more effective curriculum to
guide me through my research and how to present it to others. I am working with this person
because they know first hand how the current curriculum works and can help support me in my
endeavor to re-introduce a curriculum better suited for todays students.
I understand that I must do my own work and give credit to the people whose ideas I use. In
failure to do so, I understand the consequences I will face. Academic honesty is important
because it shows that as a student, I am able to be accountable for my actions. Plagiarism should
not be taken lightly because it is a serious offense that would ruin my status as a reputable
student and could potentially create a negative stereotype of my school.

Sincerely,

Cassandra P Pennebaker