Ponca City reports growth in Wildcat internship program; coordinator cites more than 540 participants since 2016

Kristen, the Wildcat internship coordinator, told the Ponca City Board of Education that the district's internship program has grown steadily since it began in 2016 and has enrolled more than 540 students to date.

The coordinator said the program works with about 130 local businesses and organizations and that next year's enrollment already stands at about 160; she said the number is likely to rise toward 200 as registration continues. She described juniors taking up to two hours of internship time during the school day and seniors up to three hours; students receive one credit for the internship.

"It's not just a plan on paper, but it's real world experience that help[s] them find direction and confidence," Kristen said. She told the board the program began with six students and grew steadily, with 25 students reported in early 2018 and significant year-to-year growth since.

The coordinator outlined the range of placements and partners: health-care providers, construction and manufacturing firms, legal and professional offices, tribal partners, the U.S. Army recruitment center, arts organizations, and district departments. She credited the Ponca City Development Authority for helping with business connections and marketing.

She described supports designed to reduce barriers to participation: roughly 10% of interns use school bus transportation to reach placements, and the district is working to streamline enrollment and position descriptions for clearer expectations. Interns complete weekly reflections, monthly check-ins with the coordinator, and an end-of-semester evaluation.

On outcomes, the coordinator said tracking is a priority and reported that for the current year about half of interns who participated reported that the placement led to a job offer or hire in the local area. When a board member asked how many interns obtained full-time local employment overall, she said tracking is ongoing and the district is trying to improve long-term follow-up.

When asked about attrition, the coordinator said the dropout rate is "very minimal" and estimated "about 3 to 4," without specifying whether that was a raw count or a percentage; that detail was not specified in the meeting record.

The presentation emphasized postsecondary planning alignment: the internship program is connected to ICAP (individual career and academic planning) requirements and to district efforts to increase career literacy, resume and interview readiness, and community mentorship. The coordinator said the district held a career fair that drew more than 700 students and that follow-up surveys of participating businesses showed around 70% were interested in hosting interns next year and about 36% identified students they planned to hire.

Board members and the superintendent praised the program's growth and thanked community partners. The coordinator urged continuing investment in staff and systems to sustain expansion and to improve tracking of hires and longer-term outcomes.

Looking ahead, the coordinator said the program will expand internship position descriptions, increase outreach to middle schools, and pilot job-readiness boot camps to address students' reported fears about the transition out of high school.

Clarifying details recorded during the meeting include the program's founding year (2016), participation totals since inception (more than 540 students), current and projected enrollment (about 160 enrolled for next year, with a goal approaching 200), and partner count (about 130 local businesses and organizations). The coordinator said about 10% of interns use district transportation to reach placements and that juniors may earn up to two hours of internship credit per day while seniors may earn up to three hours.

The board did not take a formal vote on the presentation; the session was informational.