High school internships are back, for now
Stamford reverses course on change to program for the current year
“We understand that many of this year’s seniors were disappointed that the (three-week) internship opportunity was eliminated, and they were not given the time and communication to take advantage of the new format so we will be offering the end-of-year (three-week) program for the class of 2023.” Michelle Lappas, the youth employment program coordinator for the Mayor’s Youth Service Bureau
STAMFORD — Westhill High School seniors Lilly Lapine and Jackie Brzoska expected the last month of this school year to be a reward, and they may still get it.
The two students were eagerly anticipating the start of their senior internships in the spring, as Stamford high schools have allowed seniors in good academic standing to essentially freeze their grades in all classes for the last few weeks of the school year while attending an unpaid internship during school hours.
But in October, they found out their plans would be impossible.
An email from the school district informed them and other seniors that the internship program had been revamped, and students would only be able to attend during the school day if they had a free fourth period, the last class of the school day. That communication came after students had already selected their class schedule — and while students were told they could also attend an internship after their last class of the day, many found that unworkable because of after-school commitments, including clubs, sports, jobs and family responsibilities.
The result was a dramatic drop in participation, from 320 students in the program last year to eight students this year. Westhill had the highest participation previously, with slightly more than 200 students taking internships. This year, that figure is
four.
Now, after The Stamford Advocate talked to the students and asked the district about the program change, it seems Lapine and Brzoska will likely be able to realize their plans. Michelle Lappas, the youth employment program coordinator for the Mayor’s Youth Service Bureau, wrote in an emailed message late Tuesday afternoon that the district will allow students to attend internships in the old model after all.
“We understand that many of this year’s seniors were disappointed that the (three-week) internship opportunity was eliminated, and they were not given the time and communication to take advantage of the new format so we will be offering the end-of-year (three-week) program for the class of 2023,” she wrote. “Our goal remains the same, which is to work with Stamford Public Schools and support them in their efforts to increase opportunities for students to explore their career options.”
Lappas said the move to a new internship plan was because of the switch to a new block schedule at both Westhill and Stamford High School. But that decision was a controversial one, and the district didn’t settle on a preferred schedule until June.
“This year was not the ideal model of communication based on just the moving parts of all the change,” she said.
Nonetheless, Lappas said administrators wanted to make the internship program more meaningful for students, not the opposite. And that the new model will still be the goal moving forward.
“There were some really good intentions of building robust programming,” she said.
Lapine and Brzoska, both members of student government and other after-school clubs at Westhill, realized the new format wouldn’t be compatible with the work experiences they had set up. Brzoska was planning to spend her internship at a clinical trial lab in the Bronx, while Lapine was going to work at a preschool center in Stamford for children with developmental disabilities.
“Last year, you didn’t have school to focus on as well as the internship,” Lapine said. “It was one or the other. It was very black and white. Now there’s this grey area.”
Brzoska and Lapine are friends, but once they discovered they wouldn’t be able to attend the internships they had been looking forward to at the end of this school year, they grew even closer. The two created an Instagram page in December to protest the new internship program. In their first post, they introduced themselves as “two seniors who feel unheard and disheartened.”
“This bonded us even more,” Lapine said. “We were both so frustrated about this.”
They also recorded a podcast and wrote a column about the topic for Westhill’s student publication “The Westword Online” and set up a change-org petition to return to the previous internship model.
The new internship format was designed to allow students to take an internship for fewer hours a day, but for a longer stretch of time, starting in January and ending in June.
Amy Beldotti, associate superintendent for teaching and learning, said this is a model state officials much prefer, as opposed to the previous set-up where students would attend an internship for just under a month.
The goal, she said, is to move to a system where internships last longer and with “more opportunities to work with students on reflections and skills learned — rather than the end of the year where there is limited time for reflection and support if needed.”
She said employers who offer internship opportunities for Stamford students seem to prefer the new system, which includes shorter days.
“They would prefer to have students come over a longer period of time for shorter days than full-time for three weeks,” she said.
The previous format meant much longer days for students, sometimes from 8 or 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
“I think the biggest thing was keeping an 18-year- or 17-year-old busy for an entire work day for most days was very challenging for our mentors,” Beldotti said.
The associate superintendent said that before this year, senior internship was the only way seniors could leave school early with permission. This year, the high schools are allowing seniors in good standing to leave early or come in late, and there are many students taking part.
At Westhill and Stamford combined, about 475 students leave early, while 300 come in late. While many could be using that time for jobs, or to come in later after working late the night prior, Beldotti said the district does not track what students do during the time.
“We don’t know how many for sure are leaving for jobs,” Beldotti wrote.
Looking forward, Beldotti said participation numbers could go up next school year as students will have more time to plan and will know the requirements well before selecting classes.
“Any time you start a new program it takes a while to build,” she said.