Program Name: Senior Experience
Nominator's Name: Gordana "Dana" Picinich
Title: Senior Experience Coordinator
Address: 200 Hackensack Avenue
City/State/Zip: Hackensack, NJ 07601
Nominator's Telephone Number: 201-343-6000 x 1-3379
Organization: Bergen County Academies (A.A.S.T.)
Address: 200 Hackensack Avenue
City/State/Zip: Hackensack, NJ 07601
List of Community Partners: See below
The nominated program focuses on the following grade level or area: Vocational-Technical School
District:  Bergen County Technical Schools
County: Bergen
Address: East 64 Midland Avenue
City/State/Zip: Paramus, NJ 07652
District Superintendent: John Grieco, Ed.D.
District Telephone Number: 201-265-6300
Date of Program Initiation: August 1995

Area 1: Goals:

The Senior Experience program establishes partnerships with the professional community and provides hands-on learning opportunities that bridge the world beyond the campus for Academy seniors. Classroom projects are replaced by field research in scientific, corporate, and university settings where professional in the role of mentor takes the place of the teacher. Mentorship opportunities have furthered such educational pursuits as scientific investigation, exploration in the humanities and arts, application of technology, exposure to business practices, immersion in world languages, introduction to heath care procedures, familiarization with legal practices, and a variety of other professional endeavors. Partnerships with the business community have included such fields as engineering, law, architecture, performing arts, graphic design, health care, business management, engineering, science research, telecommunications, aviation, computer programming, banking, social services, etc.

In addition to the specific knowledge and skills gained in a multitude of disciplines, the program satisfies the New Jersey Care Curriculum Content Standards in Cross-Content Workplace Readiness in the following ways:

Standard 1: Students develop career planning and workplace readiness skills through a course in junior year called Gateway Seminar.

Standard 2: Students use technology, information and other tools both in researching internship opportunities and directly on-site as interns in technological settings.

Standard 3; Students use critical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving skills throughout the internship process, as active participants in a wide variety of disciplines cited above.

Standard 4: Students demonstrate self-management skills initially in the selection process, secondly in the performance of weekly duties, and finally in preparation for Senior Exhibitions.

Standard 5: Students apply safety principles appropriate to selected field of study. (Special safety training is provided by mentors directly in situations deemed necessary by the organization; for example, Teterboro Airport provides safety instruction to all airport personnel, including interns, and the Veterinary Referral Center focuses on animal safe procedures with its staff.)

Area 2: Activities:

The Senior Experience program is offered to Academy seniors one full day per week (every Wednesday), throughout the academic year. Over the past four years, over 200 seniors have participated in this program and the number of mentors who have partnered in this educational, endeavor exceeds 100 organizations. A partial list includes Paine Paine Webber Inc., Mercedes-Benz of North America, TIME Magazine, SONY Music, Princeton University, Columbia University Medical Center, A&P, Becton Dickinson, Paper Mill Playhouse, NJ Sports & Exhibition Authority, Ford Modeling Agency, ACLU, Memorial Sloan Kettering, NYU, Reckitt & Colman Inc., The Record, ABC-TV, Teterboro Airport, The Smithsonian Institution and WNET-13, Hackensack University Medical Center, and many others in the local and metropolitan community.

Senior Experience extends education beyond school walls and provides genuine opportunities to learn by doing. Under the guidance of a mentor, students conduct scientific research in such areas as genetics, biochemistry, orthopedics, and neuroscience; "master" CD's in recording studios; design computer programs in hospitals; edit videos in post production; monitor airplane flight patterns; observe surgical procedures; conduct product analysis on automobiles; analyze financial data; operate architectural design programs; troubleshoot Internet related problems; develop health-care presentation packages; design web pages; translate foreign languages; test environmental samples for toxicity; assist a kindergarten teachers; design biomedical products, publish an online magazine; broadcast a live cable television show; and perform innumerable other functions in a myriad of professional settings. As such, students achieve the goal of increasing in depth and scope their knowledge and abilities in an area of personal choice.

Area 3: Outside Resources:

Individuals who agree to enter into educational partnership as mentors are the chief resource of this program. In every instance, they have demonstrated a commitment to developing the student's knowledge of the chosen field by guiding the student's project and exposing the student to the professional standards and processes acceptable to the profession. The mentor's willingness to serve as a role model in teaching the rituals, language, standards and expectations of the profession is key to the success of the Senior Experience program. In addition to the vital role played by the mentor, the program's effectiveness is contingent upon students who have are motivated to pursue a particular interest, prepared with technological skills, engaged as problem-solvers, trained as team players, and focused in their pursuit of knowledge. Additional "human" resources include the parents who are involved in all stages of the process, beginning with the preliminary internship selection process to transportation arrangements for their child. Finally, faculty members assume the role of "advisor" as seniors prepare for the culminating activity of the program which includes an in-depth presentation before the Academy community (including mentors, family and friends) in a school-wide event known as Senior Exhibitions. With regard to financial resources, none are required since the students receive no monetary compensation for their service. A faculty member, who is also a member of the Humanities Department, coordinates the program.

Area 4: Evaluation:

The Senior Experience program has had a profound effect on Academy students, many of whom consider the experience a "highlight" of their high school career. As a regular procedure throughout the year, students keep a written record of their weekly visits in a "learning log" which is first reviewed by the mentor and then submitted to the program coordinator. In this log, students not only record the activities of the day, but, more importantly, reflect on the situations encountered and evaluate their significance. In most cases, the internship experience has confirmed the student's interest in the chosen field and solidified his/her career focus; just as valuable, the experience has also caused students to rethink their career choice based on newly discovered information. Mentors applaud the program for its connectivity to "the world of work" and the high level of student abilities, especially in computer technology where students come prepared with knowledge of a variety of software programs and platforms. Written evaluations completed by the mentors at the conclusion of the program attest to the high level of work students perform as interns. Parental involvement is also a critical component of this program as parents are invited to provide regular feedback. In general, these comments reflect the substantial personal growth experienced by their child as a result of the internship experience. Additionally, Senior Exhibitions are judged by a team of faculty evaluators and presentations are assessed for form and content. Finally, students assess the experience and reflect on its significance in a written essay called the Reflection Paper.

Area 5: Stability:

Implemented in 1995 with the first graduating class of the Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology, the Senior Experience program has expanded from the initial 39 seniors to include over 200 seniors who have successfully been placed in a wide variety of internships throughout the local and metropolitan community. While many mentors have partnered with the Academy from year to year, new mentors are added annually to accommodate the great variety of interests of the senior classes. Referrals for new mentors come from a variety of sources, including parents, faculty and participating mentors. Prior to accepting an internship, each senior is required to visit the internship and meet with the mentor. A plan of action is developed in collaboration with the mentor and a contract letter confirms the specific internship hours which encompass "the full business day." For the past four years, Gordana Picinich, a faculty member, has been coordinating the program in all its stages, from holding parent meetings, to consulting with seniors, to communicating with mentors and monitoring the internships with on-site visits. Additionally, a course called Gateway Seminar prepares students in junior year for workplace readiness necessary for a successful internship. While the culminating activity of the Senior Exhibition is a time for seniors to showcase their "expertise," it is also an occasion to honor participating mentors for their contributions to the student. From beginning to end, the program's strong foundation guarantees its future stability and success.

Area 6: Endorsements:

Over four years, the Senior Experience program has been written about in local newspapers, lauded by participating mentors, enthusiastically endorsed by parents and profoundly embraced by the participating seniors. The following three statements represent the individual perspective of a student, mentor, and parent directly involved in the program:

"A mentor program is a two way street. Too often we think in terms of what the student may learn, and this is noble; however, we also benefit from having this young mind working among us, as well. These students hold the seeds of the future and there is much we adults can learn from their dreams that may maybe been lost through cynicism."

- Mentor Rich Gigli, Director, Photography Department, The Record

"Throughout the year I came to know a few children with serious or rare conditions. One of these children was a little boy who was born with Downs syndrome and a heart defect, and a little girl who was diagnosed with Glycogen Storage Disease Type I. Because of my involvement with these children, I came to see the difficult side of pediatrics as well as the fun side. It was impossible to leave Broadway Pediatrics in the evening and forget about these children until the following week. You cannot walk away after seeing a baby who has not had anything resembling a fair chance in life without feeling some sort of sadness for him. Seeing these patients made me realize that pediatrics is not only about seeing happy families and cute children. It also involves hardships and learning to deal with other people's grief. The doctors have to remain strong in front of these children's parents even when they feel sad and overwhelmed. My internship was definitely worthwhile and one of the most exciting and most valuable experiences of my high school career."

Academy Graduate Christine Asgar, Class of 1998, Swarthmore College, Class of 2002

"The independence inherent in this experience has been as valuable as the skills and knowledge gained. From a parental perspective, the Senior Experience serves a critical purpose at a critical, time. As seniors apply to college, they axe forced to reflect on who they are and who they want to become. Each Wednesday, students move outside their daily routine to focus on an area of interest in a new setting. The learning partnerships established with mentors provide experiences and perspectives that could not be simulated in the classroom setting. The opportunity to function independently and responsibly in the workplace while meeting time-lines of the program enables students to take on a more realistic view of what it means to be part of a chosen profession."

Parent Andree Rolfe, Class of 1999