At Coginchaug, the Wise Individualized Senior
Experience is a senior elective that provides an opportunity for a student to pursue, for credit, a topic of personal interest. Under the guidance of a teacher-mentor, WISE students design individualized projects reflecting their interest in a particular area. A WISE project can take the form of an internship with a local organization, an creative or performance based activity, intensive research into a selected topic—most anything can become a WISE experience!

The WISE program offers seniors an opportunity to develop their own intellectual focus, extend their thinking beyond the classroom, immerse themselves in an area of personal interest. The intent is to enable WISE students to be responsible for their own learning in an area of their own choosing.

There are several requirements in the WISE program at Coginchaug:
- Weekly meetings between the student and his/her mentor
- A journal kept by the student documenting the entire experience
- Research, writing, interviewing, job-shadowing
- A final presentation of the project before an audience

Students who successfully complete their WISE experience have been able to manage their own time, stay organized, meet deadlines, and get back on track every time they fall off! For many students, WISE is an extremely satisfying focus to their last months of high school.