Senior Internships

An internship is a senior year experience during which a student spends an extended period of time (usually a semester) working with and learning from an adult in a local business or not-for-profit organization. The internship is an intensive and personalized field experience that caps their 3 or 4 year Career Academy sequence of study.

The internship has multiple benefits. By connecting what is learned in school with how it’s applied in the workplace, students see the relevance of their current high school academic coursework. As they become excited about career possibilities, they focus more thoughtfully on post-secondary education. By working with and learning from professionals in a field of interest, they acquire the 21st Century Skills required for success in all career areas. The goals of an internship are to:

Connect what is learned in school with how it’s applied in the workplace, resulting in motivation to stay in school
Excite students about career opportunities and related post-secondary options
Increase confidence by working and networking with local professionals
Acquire transferable skills, such as teamwork, time management, creative thinking, problem-solving
Become familiar with workplace issues such as discrimination, harassment, nontraditional careers, and stress management

The internships are structured and rigorous. Learning takes place both at the worksite and in the classroom. At the worksite, a meaningful internship will find a student engaged and challenged, supervised and productive. Based upon a careful analysis of the worksite learning opportunities, the student will perform work that is both important to the organization and of personal interest to the student. Throughout the internship, interns meet with their internship supervisor, receiving constructive feedback, instruction and training from a caring adult.

The internship culminates in a product or demonstration of learning that is assessed by the Internship supervisor and by the CTE and/or the Seminar teacher. Each intern makes a presentation to the class and invited guests about his/her internship experience and the learning project. Selected products from the internship will be added to the student Portfolio.

In the classroom, students integrate their worksite experiences with related learning during a weekly Internship Seminar. The Seminar teacher uses the context of the worksites to stimulate interest in academic skills as they teach problem-solving, communication skills, and positive work attitudes. Interns build literacy skills while they solve real problems at their worksites and in the classroom. A successful internship helps interns understand the need for continuous learning, thus increasing interest in college and/or other post-secondary options

The Internship Seminar meets weekly for between 45 and 90 minutes during the period of the internship. Because it is a structured class that includes time for “checking in”, guided instruction, research, writing, individual/group problem-solving, and reflection/assessment, it guarantees that the internship is a learning experience as well as a working experience. There is an emphasis on vocabulary development, research and reflection. Each intern maintains a Research and Reflection Log that links the topic of the weekly seminar to the real work of the internship.

The Seminar curriculum uses multiple teaching strategies designed to mimic the real world of work: team work, individual work, visual and hands-on projects, oral and written communication. The curriculum activities are motivating, meaningful, and engaging. In addition to structured seminars, students meet individually with the Seminar instructor for individual consultations about their internship experience.


	Senior Internships An internship is a senior year experience during which a student spends an extended period of time (usually a semester) working with and learning from an adult in a local business or not-for-profit organization. The internship is an intensive and personalized field experience that caps their 3 or 4 year Career Academy sequence of study. The internship has multiple benefits. By connecting what is learned in school with how it’s applied in the workplace, students see the relevance of their current high school academic coursework. As they become excited about career possibilities, they focus more thoughtfully on post-secondary education. By working with and learning from professionals in a field of interest, they acquire the 21st Century Skills required for success in all career areas. The goals of an internship are to: Connect what is learned in school with how it’s applied in the workplace, resulting in motivation to stay in school Excite students about career opportunities and related post-secondary options Increase confidence by working and networking with local professionals Acquire transferable skills, such as teamwork, time management, creative thinking, problem-solving Become familiar with workplace issues such as discrimination, harassment, nontraditional careers, and stress management The internships are structured and rigorous. Learning takes place both at the worksite and in the classroom. At the worksite, a meaningful internship will find a student engaged and challenged, supervised and productive. Based upon a careful analysis of the worksite learning opportunities, the student will perform work that is both important to the organization and of personal interest to the student. Throughout the internship, interns meet with their internship supervisor, receiving constructive feedback, instruction and training from a caring adult. The internship culminates in a product or demonstration of learning that is assessed by the Internship supervisor and by the CTE and/or the Seminar teacher. Each intern makes a presentation to the class and invited guests about his/her internship experience and the learning project. Selected products from the internship will be added to the student Portfolio. In the classroom, students integrate their worksite experiences with related learning during a weekly Internship Seminar. The Seminar teacher uses the context of the worksites to stimulate interest in academic skills as they teach problem-solving, communication skills, and positive work attitudes. Interns build literacy skills while they solve real problems at their worksites and in the classroom. A successful internship helps interns understand the need for continuous learning, thus increasing interest in college and/or other post-secondary options The Internship Seminar meets weekly for between 45 and 90 minutes during the period of the internship. Because it is a structured class that includes time for “checking in”, guided instruction, research, writing, individual/group problem-solving, and reflection/assessment, it guarantees that the internship is a learning experience as well as a working experience. There is an emphasis on vocabulary development, research and reflection. Each intern maintains a Research and Reflection Log that links the topic of the weekly seminar to the real work of the internship. The Seminar curriculum uses multiple teaching strategies designed to mimic the real world of work: team work, individual work, visual and hands-on projects, oral and written communication. The curriculum activities are motivating, meaningful, and engaging. In addition to structured seminars, students meet individually with the Seminar instructor for individual consultations about their internship experience.