Scarborough High School (SHS) students are required to spend 90 hours at an internship to receive academic credit. Angelina Harthorne enjoyed hers so much she decided to put in a few extra. Actually, 219.25 extra.
Harthorne interned with Lisa Provencal and Melissa Maddock, 3rd and 4th grade teachers at Wentworth School. She so loved being in their classrooms that she gave up her study hall and arranged her schedule to spend as much time there as possible. “It really solidified that I want to be a teacher,” said Harthorne.
To Christy Zavasnik, SHS Career Pathways Coordinator, that’s what it is all about. “We’re all at our best when we’re doing something we really enjoy,” she says. Zavasnik began this program in 2018 after finding that SHS graduates sometimes struggled to find their way through college and career choices. Since 2004, she had taught Spanish at SHS and talked with former students when they returned during college breaks. They talked about switching majors, transferring between schools, and being uncertain about what they really wanted to do in life. For some, this lack of direction had significant financial repercussions.
Zavasnik started researching ways to help students clarify their goals and plan career pathways. She found an internship program in San Diego that seemed like a good model and contacted its coordinator, who quickly became her mentor. She presented a proposal to SHS’s principal and together they brought it to the school board, which approved a pilot program in 2018.
From the start, Zavasnik says they received great support from the community. The Scarborough Chamber of Commerce and the Scarborough Economic Development Corporation helped her connect with local businesses. “Business partnerships are at the heart of a strong career pathways program,” she says.
In the spring of 2019, the program started with 12 student interns. Now it runs throughout the school year and includes shorter job shadow experiences, workshops with professionals, volunteer opportunities, and even help finding career-oriented summer jobs and internships. Zavasnik says this variety opens doors for students who do not have the time or certainty required for a full internship. It also gives local businesses and professionals multiple ways to support local students.
One day in January, Zavasnik and nine SHS juniors and seniors gathered at the school library for the Fall 2023 Internship Exhibition. A supportive crowd of mentors, administrators, and family members looked on. One by one, each student gave a slide presentation about their experience.
The precise skills they learned varied greatly – from how teachers maintain a grade book to how physical therapists relieve pain through dry needling to how tattoo artists organize their inks. But the more general, professional skills they gained were consistent – punctuality, self-discipline, initiative, and how to communicate, dress, and behave in the environment of their chosen field, whether that is an elementary school, a medical office, or a construction site. Almost universally, students said their internships helped clarify what they want to do after high school. “Without it, I probably would be really unsure going into my future career,” said Grace Thornton. “Now I feel really secure.”
Some confirmed their interest in a general field, while others who already knew their field of interest were able to narrow their interest to a particular position. For instance, Maggie Reynolds knew she wanted to be a physical therapist, and now she knows she would like to work with athletes or people between the ages of 15 and 40. Another student learned she prefers to work with 8th graders rather than 6th graders. Caden Clements’s internship at Gelinas HVAC allowed him to deepen his connection to a business where he plans to work after graduating, while studying for his gas license.
Many students contrasted these real-world experiences with the alternative of sitting in a classroom. They are curious and driven, and sitting in class is not always fulfilling for them. “I was able to focus my energy into something that catered to my interests and career goals instead of random electives simply to fill credits, which has always been a struggle for me,” one student explained.
But SHS internships aren’t completely free of course work, as illustrated by the presentations. Thirty percent of a student’s grade comes from participation in a seminar class they attend before and coincident with the internship. Led by Zavasnik, the course focuses on skills such as “organization, punctuality, time management, ethics, and taking initiative.” Students write goals and submit weekly reflections about their internships.
“She’s been a great mentor,” says senior Maggie Reynolds of Zavasnik. She supported Reynolds and her fellow students through the entire process, from arranging their class schedules to preparing for interviews to managing unforeseen hiccups. Reynolds says the seminar was a safe place where students could talk about what they were experiencing and discuss any problems.
Since this program began, over fifty companies have hosted SHS interns. Zavasnik works with them to design experiences that provide students with firsthand learning opportunities while respecting any limitations that mentors may have. She outlines clear expectations for both parties and is a resource for them as they get to know each other.
Mend Health and Wellness in Scarborough has welcomed four interns interested in becoming physical therapists and helped connect others with providers in related fields. Owner Tracey St. John says, “We have thoroughly enjoyed being in the internship program and the impact that it has on our local youth. We teach them the ins and outs and the good and the bad, so they can have a clear image of the profession. This program propels the kids into a greater knowledge of their profession and an opportunity to make sure this is exactly where they should focus.”
Melissa Maddock was especially glad to welcome Angelina Harthorne into her classroom because Harthorne’s mother, Jacqueline Durant-Harthorne, mentored Maddock years earlier. Durant-Harthorne teaches kindergarten in Gorham and has taken on many student teachers in her career. Maddock delighted in teaching Harthorne some of the same techniques she learned from her mother. Harthorne loved it too, and wished she could spend even more than 309.25 hours by Maddock’s side.
That will have to wait. This program is so popular that students are limited to one internship during their junior or senior year. <>
Photo at top: Fall 2023 SHS Interns. Front row L to R: Ellie Comstock, Angelina Harthorne, Ava Duguay. Back row L to R: Caden Clements, Maggie Reynolds, Madison Collinsworth, Will Glendinning, Grace Thornton, Christy Zavasnik (instructor) Missing: Daryl Hopper
SHS INTERNSHIP BUSINESSES (Current and former)
ACE Hardware Scarborough
Acapello Salons
Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC
Aristelle
BBK Investments, LLC
Blue Point School
Casco Bay Electric
Chiropractic Family Wellness of Maine
Coffee By Design
D Martines & Associates LLC
Denise Gasbarrone Designs
Eight Corners School
Enercon Technologies
Express Employment Professionals
Fern & Flair
Flyte New Media
Foley’s Fitness Center
Gateway Community Services
Groff Video
Gelinas HVAC
Jones & Warren, PA
Jotul North America
Knack Factory
Maine Academy of Modern Music
Maine Medical Center
Maine Properties LLC
MedCOR Professionals
Mend Health & Wellness of Maine
Mill Brook Business Park
Modern Woodmen Financial
New England Realty Group
NXGen Fitness Center
Lucky Clover Stables
Pattie Locke Photography
Pine Tree Seafood & Produce Co.
Pleasant Hill School
Port Harbor Marine
Portland Radio Group
Portland Regency Hotel & Spa
Portland Sea Dogs
Prime Motor Cars Scarborough
Running With Scissors
Salt Air Designs
Scarborough Police & Safety
Scarborough Terrace Assisted Living
Scarborough Travel Basketball
Scarborough Schools Nutrition Program
Shooting Stars Program
SHS Functional Life Skills Department
Southern Maine Remodeling
South Portland Veterinary Hospital
Tech Air
TGK Athletics
The Good Theater
Veterinary Quick Care South Portland
Wentworth School
Westbrook High School Choral Arts Program
