“The world is their oyster. They believe they’re destined for great things, just like many of you. Their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable?”

This speech by Robin Williams in the famous movie, Dead Poet’s Society inspires youth everywhere to “carpe diem.” But, why do we make students wait until they have left high school before they can seize the day? Why can’t high schools do more to help students see what they are capable of while they are in school?

The Department of Education cites that by high school, “at least half of students feel disconnected and disengaged from their studies.” http://www.ed.gov/highschool This is exactly why this past school year, Millbrook High School embarked on a new journey to implement a Senior Internship Program. MHS introduced the EXPLORE Program for students to experience a more meaningful twelfth grade year with less “senioritis” and more authentic real life experiences in a career area of interest. Through the hard work of our Senior Internship Directors, Carolyn Hotaling (@chotaling61) and Frank Fiorenza, along with our teacher mentors, our students were offered amazing opportunities at local businesses, presidential libraries, radio networks and more. Additionally, Mrs. Hotaling and Mr. Fiorenza provided a majority of our students with individualized internship meetings where each child was given the time to self reflect on his or her goals and interests. This was a time for students to identify a true area of passion that could be turned into an internship. Our Directors used questioning as a way to coach our students towards their greatest potential and discourage students from settling for anything. This important stage of self-reflection before setting up the internship, provided students with individualized career counseling that they normally would not get in a traditional year of high school and was a huge positive for the students and the overall program.

However, even with this coaching, there were some students who were ready to embrace the program and those who were still hesitant. For students who found the traditional school environment restricting, they could not wait to hit the ground running. These students eagerly went out to find their own internships, while others who had been very comfortable in the safe school environment, were less than enthusiastic about leaving the nest for the last six weeks of school. However, each student came to the idea that the benefits of the internship far outweighed their fears about leaving the high school experience behind. Students learned traditional guidance about appropriate dress for work, being prompt, advocating for themselves and how to communicate effectively. However, more importantly, they learned that if they truly follow their passion, the world is full of opportunities for them to explore.

Moreover, the school benefited from building stronger community partnerships where our students were highlighted in a positive way. Our Internship Supervisors were fantastic and we were thrilled with the opportunities that they gave our students. The range and variety of work was exceptional. We had students who worked with patients in physical therapy, students who did important research and those that provided invaluable help to organizations and businesses. Students that fully embraced the internship had an enriching and worthwhile time. This experience helped each child make important self discoveries. Whether this meant learning that he/she could never sit in an office all day, or that a long train commute is not desirable, students now had a greater idea of what they wanted to do for a living while also learning how to balance the responsibilities of work, school, sports and other activities to prepare them for their soon to be independence.

As we all know, the industrial workforce of the 19^th and 20^th century has changed dramatically. In order to best prepare students for the new era that we are in, secondary schools need to change profoundly, especially in the senior year. As Tony Wagner states in the Global Achievement Gap, “all students need new skills for work, citizenship and college readiness.” Based on the positive experiences and growth that our students encountered, career exploration is an excellent avenue to help redesign our high schools and move in a more rigorous direction.  From internships to shadowing programs to general career inquiry, there are many possibilities for schools to explore in this area.

• “Career Centers” located in our high schools is one place to begin. Besides, the traditional Guidance Office, a true “Career Counseling Center” that guides students in various career opportunities along with resume building and career coaching would be an outstanding addition for any high school especially schools in urban areas.
• A “Career Development Coordinator” position to help develop and design career programs within the school should be a new requirement for secondary schools. This person would be responsible for facilitating the connections between students, school and community to best set up students for success beyond high school. Robert Hans (@NMHS_JobCoach) at New Milford High School is an excellent example of the quality work this position can accomplish to help students bridge to the workforce.
• Well developed career objectives and standards should be written for each school to focus on. Some states are farther ahead then others. New Jersey has an extremely helpful website for their career standards: http://www.nj.gov/education/cccs/standards/9/9-1.htm The site also has links and resources, including interest surveys for students and teachers to utilize.

Taking steps towards developing job coaching, internships and career training is one of the best ways to redesign our high schools with a more meaningful and rigorous experience for students. MHS made great strides this year working towards this goal. We want to provide our students with the skills and opportunities necessary for a bright and successful future. Please send us any of your career ideas!