Internship program gives students real-world experience

Some Ligonier Valley High School students are spending their afternoons assisting veterinarians, learning business operations at a local Pilates studio and working in a dental office. The students are participating in a new internship program offered at the school that gives them experience in a field they may be interested in pursuing after graduation. Participants receive two credits for spending at least 15 hours a week at a non-paying job placement. In turn, they receive mentoring from their job supervisors, whose feedback influences the students’ grades for the internship course. Eight students make up the first class in the new program, but in an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Principal Tim Kantor said that he hopes half of the senior class participates eventually. Ligonier Valley program is modeled after one at Franklin Regional School District.