During the last three weeks of school, seniors have the opportunity to dive into the workforce. Senior Experience is the full-time transitional learning period that enables young adults to work with professionals in a specific field of interest. Rather than spending the last month of high school in the classroom, students are able to broaden their horizons and venture outside of classroom walls. Students have flexibility in what they choose to do, but Senior Experience is most often spent in a non-paying internship. There are some requirements, including a minimum number of contact hours required per week, but overall, students have the freedom to work as they wish. Additionally, a final seminar is organized through the school in June for seniors to share their unique experiences. As fourth quarter continues and temperatures rise, seniors are preparing for this special learning opportunity.
From lifeguarding to working in professional firms, this year’s senior class is covering all fields of work during these three weeks. Whether students plan on using this experience towards their future job or just for a unique educational purpose, Senior Experience is worthwhile for all students.
Along with many of her classmates, senior Cate Barrett decided to return to her elementary school for the month and work alongside her elementary school gym teacher. As a teacher’s assistant, high schoolers have the ability to interact with children in an educational setting. Barrett has looked forward to this special experience since she was a student at Nottingham Elementary School and had teacher’s assistants in her classrooms.
“I will be assisting the teachers to set up the classes, plan activities and interact with the kids. I decided to do this because I remember when I was in elementary school, seniors used to come help out and it would be so fun to have them with us in the class. I’ve also always been interested in working with kids, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for fun and learning about a new career,” Barrett said.
Barrett is clearly very excited for the last three weeks of this school year. Although she does not plan on directly using this opportunity towards her future job, she appreciates the independence it allows her to explore.
“I am a big fan of Senior Experience. I think it’s a great way for seniors to finish out their year strong doing something they enjoy. It also can allow students to explore future career paths that they may be interested in, which I think is a great opportunity. I think it’s also a great thing [for] seniors [to] look forward to at the end of the year,” Barrett said.
Others, like senior Camille Pivetta, plan on using this experience as a gateway to future job opportunities. Pivetta knew she was interested in an internship in the theater industry since the beginning of the year.
“For Senior Experience, I will be shadowing director Megan Behm as she puts on a new play at Washington Shakespeare Company’s Avant Bard. From the beginning of the year, I knew I wanted to do something with a professional theatre. I wanted to expand myself into an interest that I haven’t had much experience with, and I guess that [interest] has always been directing. I am currently interested in possibly getting a Bachelor of Arts in theatre with a concentration in performance, but who knows where the wind will take me,” Pivetta said.
Students have the freedom to choose who they wish to work with, and for Pivetta, this specific connection came from previous acting roles.
“I have done a lot with the company in the past. I first performed a staged reading at their theatre and then played Ariel from “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare in my first professional show. This year, I expressed interest in directing to a staff member and fortunately got set up to do an actual internship with Megan starting in April with a portion of it counting as Senior Experience,” Pivetta said.
Senior Laine Stoker chose to spend these weeks working on a unique project: a small scale aquaponic garden system. With a passion for sustainability, Stoker also plans on majoring in a topic related to her Senior Experience.
“For my Senior Experience, I am building a small scale aquaponic garden system that will be temporarily housed at Discovery Elementary School. I will then be speaking to a small group of students in the gifted program about potentials for sustainable renewable energy through the garden. I am extremely interested in environmental sustainability and also enjoy working with kids, so this seemed like the perfect shadowing opportunity …. I plan to study environmental science at Dickinson College this upcoming year,” Stoker said.
Stoker was able to score such an opportunity through her mom’s work.
“My mom works at Discovery Elementary and put me in contact with the gifted teacher there,” Stoker said.
As the school year is coming to an end, the senior class is looking forward to their unique opportunity. Senior Experience is a highlight of senior year for all students who participate. While seniors will not be in the school during this time, they will be gaining an outstanding and unique experience in the outside world.
