WOODBURY — As the final weeks at Nonnewaug cause students stress over work, there’s also a project that seniors need to finish in order to meet graduation requirements.

The Mastery Based Learning Experience, also known to students as MBLE, is a project that shows students’ effort and success in something they know or want to know.

This graduation requirement was added for the class of 2023 as a state requirement in an effort to encourage students to engage in a learning pathway that assists them in finding a passion for life after high school.

As the deadline quickly approaches, many seniors are frantically trying to add the finishing touches to their presentations to meet the final showcase deadline of May 22. Not only do students have to propose and complete a project, but they also have to discuss the experience and field questions from faculty members.

“The idea of presenting your work and speaking about your work in an unfamiliar situation can be extra stressful,” said Darcy Lockwood, NHS literacy interventionist.

Many upperclassmen get the privilege of leaving campus during study hall time that might otherwise be used to complete an MBLE. Pushing off this project each day could make it an ongoing problem to worry about. Seniors who don’t have their MBLE finished in the second semester lose their leave-and-return privileges until the project is finished.

“Leave-and-return is a privilege that kids can earn,” said Nonnewaug assistant principal Nicole Lewis, “ad part of the ways that kids can earn leave-and-return is through passing all classes, having good attendance, and also doing what you need to do to graduate, and MBLE is part of that.”

On the other hand, for the seniors who have already finished their MBLE, they get the stress-free feeling to end their high school career.

“So many people told me to get my MBLE done junior year, and I did exactly that,” said senior Campbell Bologna. “Doing that gave me less stress for [being eligible to attend] field trips and for my leave and return.”