A-School Students Enter the Working World

At the Scarsdale Alternative School, January internships are a key part of the program. It is one of the first high school internship programs in the United States and was the model for Scarsdale's Senior Option program for graduating high school seniors. For students, January internships provide a break from the intense stress and work routine that accompanies school, and offers a glimpse into the working world and what it might hold for their futures. A-school students in their Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years are required to find internships during the month of January, giving them ample opportunity to learn the basics of many different fields of study that may interest them down the road. There are hundreds of options to choose from, including working at hospitals, photography studios, or even for the Scarsdale Inquirer. Howard Rodstein, Director of the Alternative School, praised the program, saying, "By accessing the working world, we would break open the fourth wall of the school." He also mentioned that students learn to problem solve in a way that you couldn't necessarily learn to in a math or english class. "The students later have an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and share them with the rest of the students," he added. It is one of the most exciting aspects of the year for students who participate.

Here are a few experiences of this year's A-School interns:

Senior Hannah Cooperman, chose to work as a dental assistant for Prosthodontic and Implant Associates in Mamaroneck. She works six days a week, while still attending non A-school classes. Hannah was both impressed by the office and excited to help out. She commented, "I learned a lot on my first day so hopefully I will continue to do that throughout the month." Although she mostly follows the paid dental assistants for now, she is hopeful that as she learns her way around she will be allowed more independence. About the internship program she exclaimed, "I love it. I feel like I have more of a purpose than I do during the rest of the school year and it helps to manage my time."

Another student, junior Austin Serling, is working at Platinum Drive Realty in the Golden Horseshoe. For the company, he will be creating reports by gathering statistics and researching trends in real estate. Austin explained that this data will then be distributed to the clients. "I am working every morning and some afternoons," he said. His first impression of the company was that, "They were all very quick to get to work, and they are always trying hard to get the clients to do what is best for them." As of now Austin has been working a lot with his sponsor, but in the future he will need to work at home, similar to the experience of many adults.

While some students have internships that are exciting and fun, others end up sitting and watching. Natalie Keith is a junior who is a very talented photographer. This year she is working as an assistant for Peter Hurley Photography, hoping to learn even more about the art of picture taking. Unfortunately, she is not taking pictures on her own, but "running errands and answering phone calls." Natalie works every day and has to commute back and forth to the city. "It's not annoying to go back and forth," she said of the commute made daily by so many adults. The good thing is that she is very familiar with the city and has no trouble navigating the busy streets. During her first week at work, she was able to observe a photo shoot. "It's really fast paced but a good learning experience," she explained.

Junior Hannah Wolloch has one of the more novel internships this year. Hannah is working with the owner of Gotham Comedy Club and Manhattan Comedy School. "I'm basically promoting their classes and their 'new talent shows' (where people who want to showcase their talent get up and perform rough standup routines at the club). I'm also helping with video shoots and comedy seminars." Hannah works 2-5 hours a day from Monday through Friday and some Saturdays. When asked about the commute by train to the city, she exclaimed, "It's actually one of my favorite parts of the day! It's so relaxing and it gives me time to organize myself before work and relax on the way home." She oftentimes works alongside her sponsor, but has many opportunities to work on her own as well. Her first impressions of the internship were great. Hannah explained, "The environment seemed really cool, but I could tell I would be doing a lot of work." The workload didn't matter to her though, as she was just fortunate that she wouldn't be running pointless errands.

Sarah Lipsitz, a sophomore who is new to the internship program is working at Kids' B.A.S.E.. She is helping the teachers prepare for class and take care of the kids. Sarah works from Monday to Friday from 3:30 to 5:30 in the afternoon. "I like working there but it's intimidating because there are a lot of people," she said. About the internship experience Sarah commented just that, "It's different being in the working world."

Eliza Auchincloss is also a sophomore. She opted to work at the Amber Charter School in East Harlem where she is assisting in a second grade class. Eliza teaches, helps out, and observes all day from Tuesday to Friday. "It's a lot more exhausting than I expected, and it's sometimes hard to work with other people because they get in the way," Eliza said about her first day at work. In addition, she said that the internship is very different from anything she has done before but she likes the independence that comes with it and the ability to work while her friends are in school.

One of the best parts of the A-School is that it keeps records of all past internships. This way, subsequent students can easily find somewhere they want to work. A-Schoolers seeking internships can visit the A-school schoolwires page and find contact information for hundreds of different employers from all types of companies. These student internships are a great introduction to the working world and what it has to proffer for them.