For the first time, VHHS is offering a Workplace Internship class for juniors and seniors. This class was introduced after many requests from students and parents. Workplace Internship provides students with the opportunity to experience what a job field would be like. Students interested in many different fields take this class.

The Workplace Internship class is a dual credit course, meaning that students get both college and high school credit. Students can take the class for two semesters, but can only get dual credit for one semester.

School counselor Juan Avila explained how the class setting is beneficial to a wide group of students.

“[The class] can [include] students that are working in a hospital setting, students who maybe had prior history of a family business…they want to get their hands involved,” Avila said. “Different areas, like business related students, can intern both inside and outside of school.”

This course was first offered over the summer of 2024; 11 students took the class. Now, there are 18 students taking the class during the school year.

“Students are just learning about it, and it could be based on…feedback from friends. That could have increased the amount of kids who may have requested to take the class later for the fall,” Avila said.

Lynne Benson, the career and technical education department chair and Workplace Internship teacher, explained that this class will be beneficial for the students.

“I feel very good that the community asked for [the class], and [that] we’ve been able to develop it, and that now we’ve launched it,” Benson said. “I think that our students are having good experiences. I think we’re all learning.”

When Benson was in high school, she took the class herself and said it helped her realize that she was interested in teaching through interning at a daycare center.

“I learned [from Workplace Internship] that I enjoyed working with small kids. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the owner of the daycare center, and I have become very close to her. I learned about the business aspect of what she was doing, not just the human development side of it,” Benson said.

Avila also went through a similar experience during college with grad assisting and also finds the experience to be valuable. In his opinion, this class would be helpful to a variety of students.