Cape High internship program shapes tomorrow’s workforce

Work-based learning programs at Cape Henlopen High School allow for aspiring senior students to give back to the community and get hands-on experience with their future career path before furthering their education. Beginning with 10 students in 2017, the internship program now boasts 135 students who go out into the community as part of the Senior Career Experience Program.

Career Counselor Garnet Rhue is the sole staff member behind supporting students in pursuing their goals and shaping tomorrow’s workforce. The state initiative of the work-based learning practicum is being pushed harder in schools to give students a chance to explore careers. 

For the past eight years, Rhue has invited more businesses in the community to partner with Cape.

“The feedback I’m getting is phenomenal,” Rhue said. “People are saying things like hard worker, ethical, dependable, happy to have an intern, excited. It’s just been very positive.”

Rehoboth Beach Animal Hospital

At the Rehoboth Beach Animal Hospital, Russel Johnson, Jaida Lagonigro and Zach Mendez focus on fundamentals needed to be successful in a veterinary environment. They’ve developed skills such as body language awareness, proper animal restraint, safety protocols, understanding zoonotic disease and learning how to communicate effectively in a clinical setting. By the end of their internship, they will be confidently practicing tasks such as administering vaccines under supervision, taking patient histories with support and assisting the medical team in more advanced ways.

Former interns continue to return to the hospital on college breaks to grow their in-person clinical skills as they pursue their undergraduate degrees. Hospital Manager Lynsey Mohr was a Cape intern at the Rehoboth Beach Animal Hospital in 2014. 

“That early exposure and the support I received absolutely solidified that veterinary medicine was the right path,” she said. “I see this internship as a soft launch into students’ post-graduation career path before they commit to further training.”

Beebe Healthcare

At Beebe Healthcare, there are 25 students volunteering across the health system this year. Each student was placed in a department that aligned with their interests. In addition to their service, students gain valuable professional development experience by interacting with patients and adapting to a new environment using problem-solving and interpersonal skills, while also learning medical terminology. 

Samantha Mayer works on the same-day surgery floor at Beebe Healthcare’s Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus. By organizing and documenting medical information, Mayer prepares for her future as a surgeon and enjoys seeing the before and after of surgeries.

Morgan Bellamy Hicks interns as a patient aide, where she restocks gloves and storage rooms and helps nurses efficiently. With intentions of becoming a nurse, Morgan said, “Being able to see how a hospital runs and how people interact in a professional setting has been super beneficial.”

With dozens of graduated interns and more interns on the horizon, Volunteer Services Manager Stephanie Adams appreciates the added help.

“[Our interns’] enthusiasm and reliability made a meaningful impact through our organization,” she said.

Pivot Physical Therapy

At Pivot Physical Therapy, Sydney Whetzel is preparing to be a physical therapist. Attending West Virginia University in the fall, she plans on studying exercise physiology. Whetzel aids patients by setting up electrical stimulation therapy, instructing them with specific exercises or grabbing ice packs when necessary. 

When asked about her internship so far, she said, “All of this really intrigues me because I really like what the staff does here behind the scenes to help with their patients.”

Love Creek Elementary School

At Love Creek Elementary School, a handful of interns have responsibilities based on different specialities. As aspiring school and sport psychologists, Mallory Terhune and Amalia Fruchtman guide students in classroom environments, sit in on tests, and work with social workers and psychologists.

Fruchtman shadows Sean Laube, the school psychologist.

“Seeing him work with students who are struggling with issues in and outside of the classroom helps showcase my skills with students seeking support … hopefully it will translate to my career as a sports psychologist,” she said. 

Principal Equetta Jones has collaborated with Cape the past four years. By recognizing high school students as practitioners, Jones establishes Love Creek as a place of teaching and learning where anyone can learn and grow, not just at the elementary level, but secondary and postsecondary levels.

“It comes full circle; it gives our younger learners the opportunity to see what they can aspire to be,” she said. “Students begin their education at the elementary school and come back to serve in different capacities.” 

Clear Space Theatre Company

Senior Addison Wood dives into her marketing career at Clear Space Theatre Company in downtown Rehoboth. Wood creates visuals for all of the shows at Clear Space, such as advertisements, posters and flyers. By developing her talents at this internship, she hopes to major in marketing at the University of South Carolina, later getting involved with social media marketing. 

Marketing Manager Gabrielle Glanville advocates for the development of print media skills, especially in the theater industry that benefits from using programs, posters and flyers.

“Social media is becoming more innate, whereas print media is still really important,” she said. “It has been crucial to teach Addison how to make those kinds of print products that are not as intuitive as making a video.”

Bluecoast Seafood Grill & Raw Bar

Laila Sellers is a future private chef who is going to Indiana University of Pennsylvania for culinary arts. At Bluecoast, Sellers prepares food for cooking and helps make Bluecoast’s speciality steamed shrimp dumplings.

“It has been really fun doing this for the past few months, because I love cooking and baking,” she said. “But I am also thankful I can learn more about the restaurant force.”

Rehoboth Beach Police Department

At the Rehoboth Beach Police Department, Dale Edwards gets a sneak peak into his law enforcement career by assisting Lt. Will Sullivan and other officers. Some of his tasks include sorting through evidence, learning how to use equipment such as a LiDAR detector, working with the 911 communications center, and touring support agencies like Delaware State Police and the State Bureau of Identification. Additionally, joining ride-alongs with full-time officers to patrol, stop vehicles and do community checks helps Edwards see what it takes to become a police officer.

Sullivan believes interns should be immersed into the police field to see how it works on not only the administrative level, but also the patrol level.

“It is a good thing to get younger people into this field to show them what police work is,” Sullivan said. “Eventually, after getting their college degree, they can come back and potentially become one of our seasonal officers here.”

While there are 40-plus companies that partner with Cape to get students out into the community, more diverse career paths are welcome to join the Senior Career Experience Program. Not only does this benefit the future education of soon-to-be Cape graduates, it also gives students the opportunity to give back to local businesses and companies they know and love.