The internship program allows seniors to use the last two blocks of the school day to extend their learning to a research center, business, or organization. Students work with Ms. FitzGerald, the Internship and Service-Learning Specialist, to secure a placement and to develop a learning plan that ensures both accountability and a structured on-site experience. Participating students meet with Ms. FitzGerald for the in-school seminar at least twice a month for support, connections, and to broaden the experience with research and reflection. Each student creates and presents a portfolio based on the collective work of the internship and seminar. Internship sites have varied from the Center for New Media Literacies at MIT, to Cambridge City Hall, to Skyline Realty.
“What does it mean to do work that is ethical, excellent, and engaging; and how do I know if my work comprises these qualities?”
This is one of the Essential Questions that students grapple with in the Senior Internship GoodWork© Seminar. The seminar’s curriculum is based on research from the GoodWork© Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; but it is the work that students do beyond the school walls that provide the lessons, experiences, and challenges to support an honest exploration of those questions.