BROOKINGS – The Brookings High School Internship class volunteered during the United Way Week of Impact last month. Shown, from left, are: Nick Schnaidt, Adam Hartman, Austin Goetzke, Matt Osmanski, Carson Gullickson, Michelle Mileham, Andrea Hult, Rachel Stout, Grace Vanderzee and instructor Laura Quail. Not pictured is Rachel Retterath.
The Salvation Army project created hygiene kits for children, men and women along with laundry and cleaning packs. These kits were then distributed to nine other nonprofits in Brookings. This community event was also supported by Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership, and Thrivent Financial Services supported the project as a community grant.
“It is important for students to understand the importance of giving back to their community – and the many ways they can do that,” instructor Laura Quail said.
Over the past five years, the Brookings community has embraced mentoring high school seniors by allowing them to come in to their place of work to learn about a variety of careers through the internship program. This program allows seniors the opportunity to apply the learning from their high school coursework into a meaningful and relevant on-the-job experience. Students are able to make connections between what they have learned in the classroom and the application to a future career.
