Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Spring 2017 - 33

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also have the opportunity to engage in challenging course work,
including sixteen advanced placement courses and many dual
enrollment courses with local colleges and universities, some of
which are taught in our high school, online, or on local campuses.

Internship Program

Teachers and Internship Coordinators Gwen Werner and Angela
Morgan work with 11th grade student Holly Schiller and 12th grade
student Faryn Wright on planning their upcoming internships.
the high school stage, when career planning comes to the forefront,
and students select a specific pathway, depending on their interest.
The high school planning phase begins with students visiting
colleges and industries during their ninth grade year. These trips
are made possible by support from the Berks Business Education
Coalition. The director of this coalition, Dr. Solomon Lausch, says that
these business trips are valuable in giving students a more informed
perspective of what businesses expect from employees.
To help with the career planning component, Twin Valley High
School organized our program of studies into two major pathways -
science, technology, engineering and math, or "STEM," and the arts
and humanities. Students can choose from six career clusters. Some
pathways culminate in a capstone course, which is when students
apply what they have learned to a real life situation, working with
experts in the field. Following a pathway allows a student to gain
a more in-depth understanding of the career cluster and their own
interests and skills.

Our district engages employers in the community through our
extensive internship program. This year, over 120 juniors and seniors
are serving as interns in nearly 100 different businesses. Teachers
Angela Morgan and Gwen Werner are responsible for not only
starting the program but also helping it grow. According to Angela,
an internship helps students in several ways; "Students' learning in
school becomes relevant when they can apply it to a job. Besides,
how are you supposed to know if you really like something until
you are actually doing it?" Gwen added that students can also do
a one-day job shadow.
Our internship program has become an innovative template for
career programs in Pennsylvania. These experiences give students the
opportunity to apply their learning in real-world scenarios, under
the guidance of an experienced mentor. Internships prepare our
students for future education and employment as well as improving
Continued on page 35

According to Twin Valley High School Principal Bill Clements,
"Aligning our program of studies with various pathways helps students
be more purposeful in selecting courses for their schedule and finding
areas that really interest them. Once in a pathway, students can
indulge their interest by taking many similar courses." Our students

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Spring 2017
