For over five decades, the Woodlands Individualized Senior Experience (WISE) program has been defined by student choice. WHS seniors who participate dive into their passions, plan their journeys, reflect through journaling, explore new interests, and connect their projects to the world around them.
Woodlands High School officially launched this year’s Woodlands Individualized Senior Experience (WISE) with a February Kick-Off event that brought students and community mentors together to begin shaping months of personalized, passion-driven work.
WISE is more than a senior project. It is an opportunity for students to design an experience rooted in who they are, what they care about, and where they see themselves going. This year’s working titles reflect that range of interests and ambitions: Evening Wear: Fashion Show; Falcon’s Talent Show: Event Planning; Pieces of Me: Art Portfolio; Becoming a Pilot; Art, Language and Emotion: Art Portfolio; Album/EP; Life of a Dancer; Cosplay: Design and Creation; Making Art Look Realistic; Personal AI Assistant: AI Development; and Exploring Finance.
Guided by WISE Coordinators Ms. Angilletta and Mr. Greaves, seniors will spend the coming months researching, creating, refining, and problem-solving. The process asks students to think critically, manage time independently, seek feedback, and engage with mentors beyond the classroom.
That mentorship begins early. Each year, in addition to District staff mentors, community members are invited to the Kick-Off event to serve as advisors and resources, reinforcing that meaningful learning happens in partnership with the broader community.
Among this year’s guests was Lisa Chaser Lee, Class of 1977, who completed her own WISE project teaching dance at Highview Elementary School, a passion she continues to pursue today. John McClean, a former Woodlands English teacher of 35 years who was involved with the WISE program from 1986 to 2012, also returned. For more than two decades, he has continued to support and mentor students in the program. Sonal Patel-Sheth, a former leave replacement ENL teacher at Richard J. Bailey and current School District Leadership intern with Dr. Farooqi, shared why she prioritizes participating in the event: “Connecting the community and bridging the schools benefits all students. Any connection makes a difference.” Board Trustee David Warner noted that many former WISE students have gone on to build careers connected to the work they began as seniors.
Throughout the evening, students rotated through conversations with community members, discussing their ideas, identifying potential challenges, and exploring what support they might need along the way. Before leaving, each student was expected to secure at least three contacts, a valuable reminder that ambitious work is rarely done alone.
Senior Timothy Williams’ project, Personal AI Assistant: AI Development, reflects both technical curiosity and personal growth. “I want to create a better version of me,” he said. What drives him, he explained, is motivation. “It keeps me going.”
Timothy describes himself as hands-on and has always enjoyed building, from LEGO sets as a child to the coding projects he now experiments with independently. He has been reading about visual learning systems and developing mini coding projects as he explores artificial intelligence. “There are a lot of good uses for AI,” he said, “but not everyone is attuned. They don’t understand the good as much as the bad.”
His goal is to design an AI assistant that can help with practical decision-making, including investing, saving, and spending, while also serving as a tool for organization and growth.
As the Class of 2026 begins its WISE journey, the projects reflect not only students’ talents and aspirations but also the strength of a community committed to supporting them. Over the coming months, ideas will evolve, challenges will surface, and solutions will take shape, preparing students not just to complete a project but to step forward with confidence into whatever comes next.