The Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies threw a jubilee on Jan. 17 for students who finished semester-long internships with the Prospect Park Zoo, the city police department, and more than 20 other organizations.
The group of 11th-graders led their younger peers in mock interviews to prepare them for their own upcoming fellowships, which are mandated as part of the Red Hook school’s internship program, after teachers congratulated the would-be workers in an “appreciation” ceremony. The internships give students a leg-up on college applications, the program’s director said.
“We are hoping to improve the New York economy with work-ready young people,” said Jacques Hoffman, who started the program in 2007.
The Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies has a 90-percent graduation rate, and some students have earned grants and scholarships to schools such as Bard College and Cornell University, according to Hoffman. Because the school is exempt from the standardized Regents exams, teachers can create graduation requirements that they believe will better prepare students for college and jobs.
“This program gives students the credentials to compete with their suburban, public, and elite schools counterparts,” Hoffman said.
One student interned with the police department’s 84th Precinct, where he says he learned basic office skills such as filing papers.
“It is something that benefits us in multiple ways,” said junior Enrique Boone, adding that his internship gave him some of the skills he needed to get into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
