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Greenwich High School Senior Internship Program

Find out what GHS Seniors are doing now outside of school.

The “crown jewel of education programs” and “one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.” These are the words of Chris Winters, Greenwich High School Headmaster and Dan Silkman, GHS Student President as they describe the GHS Senior Internship. An innovative program which is nearly 15 years old, Winters says the program has the interest of the entire state, noting that it gives students an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills as well as creating strong relations between the schools and the community.

Between 400 and 500 seniors annually spend 4 to 5 weeks in a variety of roles, in private companies in Greenwich or surrounding areas as well as in New York City or in positions within the school district, Greenwich Town Hall, Greenwich Hospital and a wide range of charitable organizations. Some 250 entities or “sites” offered more than 300 positions for students to apply for this year. The remaining students self-designed positions working with companies of their choosing that met the requirements of the program. In order to participate, students must have met all their academic requirements, have a good attendance and disciplinary record, and be approved by their respective housemasters.

Students must upload their resumes to a the internship website, rank their preferences and go through an interview process to be selected. Among the more popular sites are RCA Records in NYC (part of the Sony Music Group), working in the maternity and pediatric units at Greenwich Hospital, roles in banking and finance, and working close to home actually within the Greenwich Pubic School System.

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Every intern has a “mentor” who is a member of the GHS staff (140 of them take part) including teachers, secretaries, security guards and nurses. The mentors provide continuity with the sites but also ensure that the roles are appropriate.  They also will visit the students at least twice during the internship including an introductory meeting with the student and point person at the site to discuss behavior norms and expectations. The students must submit a weekly journal describing their experiences to their mentor.

This innovative program came about in 1997 when GHS Administration lead by then-Headmaster Eileen Petruzillo and included Ralph Mayo, John Whalen and Rocky DeClaro, worked to find a solution to combat the end of year senior burn out, which was resulting in a difficult climate at GHS. Then First Selectwoman Lolly Prince remembers she and Petruzillo seeing a similar program in another district they were visiting and discussing whether they could pull together such a program in Greenwich. Prince recalls, "the impetus was to expose children to the real world and keep them engaged during that last month of the school year." There was a collective recognition that the end of senior year was problematic with the future grads checking out as they finished their course work and their focus on academics was done.

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The task of creating the solution that the committee came up with was given to Becky Stone, who was then the Coordinator of the Media Center/Career Center at GHS.  The recently deceased Stone is credited as being the main driver behind the program. She faced the immediate challenge of finding sites. Her husband, Bob, credits Prince for being especially supportive, bringing interns to her office and encouraging other town department heads to do the same.   Prince proudly recalls that "over the years I have had past interns come up to me- just recently a young woman said to me- you probably don't remember me, but I was an intern and had my picture taken with you- it was probably one of the most important experiences of my young life."

In the inaugural year, some 20 students participated mainly through internships provided at Town Hall. John Whalen, retired GPS Guidance Counselor, said that Prince "lit the match that started the commitment." In the second year, Stone also recalls that Greenwich Hospital played a significant role and the number of interns essentially more than doubled to 50.

If Prince lit the match, it was definitely Becky Stone who kept the fire burning long and bright. She was known for having a knack for matching the right student with the right site. She also spent a great deal of time and effort cultivating new sites and then nurturing the relationship to ensure they would continue to participate in future years. Her husband said that her pay off was seeing students return to sites first as part-time employees during summer breaks and, in some instances, returning post-college graduation to full time jobs. In her distinguished career, Stone said that she was most proud of the Internship Program and the famed GHS College Night.

For the past five years, college and career counselor Randi Green has kept the Internship fire burning strongly. Green speaks passionately about the program and the value that it brings to the students and the sites. "I see first hand that the students really do get something out of it," says Green. She adds that she knows of at least 3 college students who will be returning to the sites where they interned as GHS Seniors - this time getting paid for their work.That kind of pay off is nothing new. Whalen recalls that he cultivated relationship with local veterinarian Dr. David Kramer encouraging him to particpate in the program. Kramer, who owns Greenwich Animal Hospital, agreed and took in an intern who not only went on to study veterinary medicine in college, but is now a practicing vet herself. 

The best testaments, however, are from the students themselves:Silkman is interning with a new local nonprofit organization called The Life and Light Foundation, which supports impoverished children primarily in Bogota, Columbia. His work will include web design, piloting a sponsorship program where people can pay for the medical and education needs of a specific child and other publicity work. Silkman has been involved with an orphanage in Bogota previously so he sees this as an extension of his work to provide support for them. While he admits getting out of the classroom and away from the academic pressure is a benefit, he also sees the program as a chance to “become exposed to the real world before college."

Silkman says that being with "the Foundation is opening my eyes to what a career might look like,” and goes on to say that “I’m learning the ins and outs of this nonprofit, developing a passion and trying new things that I have never had the opportunity to take advantage of before."

Senior Class President Corey Bloes is working at Eastern Middle School with Ms. Romero, her previous Spanish teacher. She is assisting with teaching vocabulary and verb usage, helping students with projects and even helping with grading tests and homework. She said that it is great to interact with the younger students and “knowing you have accumulated enough knowledge through high school to teach others confidently.”With other schools throughout the state looking to copy the program, one can say that it is a case of imitation being the greatest form of flattery.

The Senior Internship program truly shows how the passion of a few visionary educators given the opportunity to be innovative can result in great experiences for the children of this town. The program is also a prime example of the level of support and opportunity Greenwich High School provides its students. 

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