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Kings Local board hears expansion of student internship program; students describe hospital and psychology placements
Summary
The board heard an update on an expanding internship program that now lists 137 confirmed placement opportunities, including clinical and business experiences at UCHealth West Chester and a customized psychology placement for a student, and heard two students describe their experiences.
The Kings Local School District board heard an update on the district’s growing internship program Tuesday and heard two students describe workplace experiences that staff said are helping seniors explore career pathways.
Carrie Snyder, the district internship teacher, told the board the program has grown from about 15 students last year to roughly 40 this year and that the district currently has 137 confirmed internship placement opportunities across health, engineering, architecture, hospitality and other fields.
"They identified the skills and things that they learned…these are the things the kids identified," Snyder said, describing how the internships connect to the district’s Power 5 skill set. The placements run roughly eight to 10 hours per week on average, Snyder said, and can take place in fall, spring or both semesters.
Two students addressed the board about their placements. Zach described an internship at UCHealth West Chester where he shadowed clinical departments and volunteered in the hospital. "The more I was actually doing things, I was in the hospital, I was around people in the operating room, actual surgeons," Zach said. That experience, he said, helped him decide to pursue a role on a surgical team but to target nurse‑anesthesia rather than a surgical residency for work‑life balance.
Ava Andro described a personalized psychology internship plan that includes time with career services at the high school, small‑group work at an elementary school counselor’s program and meetings with professionals at a community behavioral health provider and a company industrial/organizational psychologist. "Talking to all these professionals and their journey, I think it's really gonna be beneficial in picking what I do after college," she said.
Snyder said the program pairs students with continuing partners (including UCHealth and local architecture and engineering firms) and is expanding to include pre‑apprenticeship‑style placements for trade fields. She also plans a parental information meeting and a scheduling phase in February to place students for next school year.
Board members applauded the student speakers and the program’s growth; no board action was requested or taken.
