Sterling High School course provides glimpse into world of work

STERLING — Sterling High School’s Internship course lets students get a closer look at life after high school with hands-on experience.

SHS’s Internship students work with local businesses and organizations, such as CGH Medical Center, the Sterling Police Department, Sauk Valley Bank, Sterling Steel and many others, to gain practical career insights and help them decide what they want to do after high school while building connections with potential future employers.

Internship Supervisor Rebecca Koerner said the course started three years ago and is open to third- and fourth-year high school students.

“We have some students at the police station, in the theater department creating the sets for the upcoming plays and musicals,” Koerner said. “We’ve partnered with CGH for the medical and also the business side. Sauk Valley Bank for marketing and accounting. I have some students in place at the steel mill for work in construction. It’s a whole gamut of opportunities.”

Sterling Deputy Police Chief Pat Bartel said intern and senior student Presley Wintes gained firsthand experience in how patrolling, dispatch, detective work, evidence processing and other areas of policing work.

“They sent me to the State Police station, which opened my eyes to that option,” Wintes said. “I really liked that. It was a lot of hands-on work. I took fingerprints off of bottles and some other stuff.”

Before their internship, students spend three weeks of in-class work where they learn how to build a resume, practice interviewing and work on other soft skills. They are then required to work a minimum of 2 1/2 hours per week at their internship.

Students also submit a timecard with their supervisor’s signature and maintain a job journal to document their experiences.

“Then they share what they’ve experienced and what they’ve enjoyed,” Koerner said. “Sometimes, it’s what they didn’t enjoy. It’s figuring out that this wasn’t really what they wanted in a career, and so they try something else before going into college and gaining debt for something they find they didn’t want to do with their life.”

Some internships also have the potential to turn into paid opportunities.

CGH’s Nursing Program Director Jen Grobe said that in the past, CGH has hired several certified nursing assistants who interned through the course.

SHS Theater Director Timothy Schlegel said he pays SHS Internship student Kaitlyn Moore to help design and build many of the sets for the plays and productions taking place at Challand Middle School and Woodlawn Arts Academy.

“I go out there every single day,” Moore said. “We’re always continuing the project from the day before and we’re always building. I am also there outside of school and I do tech for the auditorium as well, which is something I was able to do through my internship to open those doors for myself.”

Local businesses interested in partnering with the SHS Internship course, as well as parents seeking more information, can contact Koerner at 815-625-6800, Ext. 1227.