CHECHS ~ Program Internships

Clear Horizons Early College High School Internships:

Internships are defined as a link between classroom theory and professional practice whereby the student serves to assist or apprentice in an occupation in order to gain practical experience and insight. Internships may be paid or unpaid opportunities in non-profit or for-profit businesses or organizations. Clear Horizons ECHS students in grades 11 and 12 will participate in internships as part of their ECHS experience.

There are four major goals of Clear Horizons ECHS student internships. Internships provide the student an opportunity to:

• Integrate academic knowledge within a suitable field experience and provide for intellectual and professional growth;
• Build critical professional contacts for future employment;
• Identify requisite knowledge and skills needed in particular career options in order to better plan for post-secondary academic work;
• Build a résumé of experiences for future employment.

Students are responsible for securing internships and meeting the agreements outlined by the sponsoring agency. Deliverables of the internship experience are extensive and the student is expected to work in collaboration with the sponsoring agency to complete them.  A culminating presentation describing the project, task, methods, results, etc. is required and we ask that all mentors attend this presentation. Students are required to follow the guidelines provided by the sponsoring agency including any dress standard, work hours, reporting processes, etc.

The internship is completed during the spring of the junior year and fall of the senior year. The Community Partnership Lead Teacher must approve the internship and periodically meet with the intern in order to discuss progress, reflect on student learning and alleviate potential problems with the internship. Additionally, the Community Partnership Lead Teacher will keep in contact with the sponsoring agency throughout the internship as a method of program evaluation for the preparation of Clear Horizons ECHS students for the workforce.