April 22, 2026
By CORY ANN MICHEL
Rutherford County Schools
Since Central Magnet opened its doors in 2010, seniors have been required to complete a thesis project to obtain a diploma.
Designed to prepare students for college and post-graduate school, the project operates as a master’s level thesis.
In the last quarter of their junior year, students begin by choosing the topic of their individual project. Topics may fall under the category of psychology, engineering, product, systematic or biomed.
The project consists of five key components: introduction, conclusion, review of literature, methodology and findings. The final thesis is then graded by the field of study advisor, a mentor from the community, their school advisor and their English teacher. Students must also present their research at the end of their senior year in a walk-through symposium at their school.
“Graduates often return stating their writing skills were much more advanced than their peers when they went to college,” said Central Magnet Assistant Principal, Michelle Huffman.
While challenging and preparing students for the rigor of secondary education, the thesis project also allows students to apply the skills and knowledge they’ve acquired throughout their educational career into bettering the community.
Student Aidan Stricklin focused his project on recycling after noticing a lack of recycling bins in Central’s classrooms.
“I decided to start a renewed recycling program at Central with the hopes of proving its efficacy and spreading the program to multiple schools in Rutherford County,” Stricklin said.
With the help of the Rutherford County Waste Department, every classroom at Central now has a blue recycling bin. Each week Stricklin and a few of his peers empty the bins into recycling dumpsters at the school. In effect, this initiative has diverted thousands of pounds of recyclable material away from the Middle Point landfill.
“This marks an exciting start to a program I hope lasts long after I graduate,” Stricklin said.
His hope is that the recycling program will spread throughout schools in the community and eventually to all schools within Rutherford County.
The senior thesis project also allows students to delve into an area of interest for their future pursuits.
Students, Dexter Trageser and Justis Wagner, developed a car tire tread depth monitor.
The students found that the depth of a tire’s tread determines the overall performance of the car in relation to acceleration, braking and cornering.
Trageser and Wagner note that high level motorsports teams closely monitor car’s tire tread depth, so they applied this monitoring to amateur motorsports.
After graduation, both students plan to pursue a career in engineering. Wagner wants to pursue electrical engineering, while Trageser has his eye on mechanical engineering with a focus on automotives.
The project also allowed students to conduct their own research on hot button issues.
Alicia Moreno sought to uncover whether there is a correlation between restricting student devices, and student engagement and social behavior. The topic came after the implementation of a state level mandate requiring all schools to restrict personal student devices.
Moreno’s study was conducted through surveys completed by teachers observing and comparing student’s overall behavior before and after the mandate took effect.
“The quantitative results showed an average increase in affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement, and the free response survey question presented an average response of increased social interaction,” Moreno said.
Students displayed and presented their projects in late March in the gymnasium.