McHenry High School adds internship program for seniors

It’s not unusual for a senior in college to do an internship. What is more unusual is a high school student, like Morgan Donovan, having one.

The McHenry High School senior is one of a dozen students who did an internship out in the community as part of the school’s new social science class.

Donovan worked with the McHenry Police Department last semester learning the ins and outs of police work. She saw the internship as a way to explore a possible career.

“I really have been thinking about going into that field, being a police officer, or something like that. I wanted a hands-on experience and thought this class was a good opportunity,” Donovan said.

This school year is the first time the social science internship is being offered, said Sean Sterner, social science division chairman. It’s a program Sterner proposed and developed with help from his colleagues.

“It’s always been the vision of the department to find ways to make social sciences meaningful and relevant for students,” Sterner said.

The social science internship program gives students interested in careers in public service a real-life experience, Sterner said. Students also take the concepts they’ve learned in class and apply them to the job, he said.

Sterner made connections, with help from fellow teachers and staff members, within McHenry’s community organizations to develop the internships. Internships are available with the McHenry Police Department, the Association for Individual Development, McHenry, Youth and Family Center, Kids in Need of McHenry County, Veterans Path to Hope and the city’s Landmark Commission.

Students are matched up with internships based on their interest in a particular field, Sterner said.

For example, Veterans Path to Hope’s interns are students who are going into the military, Sterner said. It’s an opportunity for the students to help veterans while learning about the military from them, he said. Kids in Need was a perfect connection for students interested in social work. McHenry High School students are there to help children in foster homes, he said.

“I just think it’s something that is unique to McHenry. We have a community that really supports its students,” Sterner said of all the partnerships within the community.

McHenry Police Department got a call from Sterner about the program, department spokesman officer Michael Spohn said.

“We thought it was a great idea and worked with Sean to get the program started,” he said.

“We believe in fostering community relationships,” Spohn said. “The idea of having local high school students who were interested in the internal functioning of our police department, spending time here, and having the opportunity to receive hands-on learning in the main sections of the department seemed like a great way to foster another community relationship.”

The police department had two interns last semester and two interns this semester. Each intern gets the opportunity to see how dispatch, patrol and investigations operate, Spohn said. Interns are partnered with an employee in each area and get to experience what they do firsthand, he said.

Spohn has gotten positive feedback from the interns and the high school.

“The interns are professional, eager to learn, and appear very excited to be here. All the students so far want to get involved in law enforcement in one aspect or another,” he said.

Donovan had a positive, enriching experience, she said. She also got some advice from a few officers about college. The officers told her to study psychology or business rather than criminal justice because she’ll learn about criminal justice at the policy academy and on the job, she said.

She’s planning on going to Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin,

The internship program is something she’d recommend to other students, “especially if the person is going into social work, history, or law. I think it’s awesome, and it’s something to put on your resume,” Donovan said.

An internship as a high school student will look impressive on a résumé, she said.

“It’s just a fun opportunity, too,” she said.

The social service internship class is going to evolve and already has changed a bit this semester with different options for the internship, Sterner said.

There were 12 students first semester and 10 this semester, Sterner said. It’s open to seniors who have taken an elective in social sciences. Students have designated internship days with the rest of the week spent on topics that help students prepare for the workforce, he said.

One lesson is about emotional intelligence.

“We’re going through aspects of emotional intelligence that will be important to them as future workers,” he said. It’s been unique and something new for students, he said.

A requirement is doing a portfolio project of their work experiences.

Students have enjoyed the program and internship, Sterner said. There are times it’s frustrating, either it’s a lot of time for them or maybe they didn’t have a positive experience for that day, he said. But that’s part of a job, he said.

“There are ups and downs every day. It’s a learning experience,” Sterner said. Overall, it’s been a good experience for students. “They just like doing something different and for a lot of them this is what they want to do for their career,” he said.

Sterner has gotten positive feedback from community partners, too.

“The students have been outstanding. It takes students who are responsible and students who are mature and students you can trust. Students have done a good job representing our school and our program. I’m just really proud of them,” Sterner said.