School to Career summer programMayor Charles V. Ryan and Springfield City Hall would like to thank the students who participated in the School-to-Career program at City Hall this summer. Now in its 14th year, the School-to-Career program fosters a work and learning environment for participating students. Read more  Tenth, eleventh and twelfth graders from all of the public schools in the City attend classes in English, language arts and mathematics in the morning while applying those academic skills in a real world work site in the afternoon. In addition to City Hall, the 75 participating students worked at other sites across the City including Bay State Medical Center, Big Y’s corporate offices and Milton Bradley. "The kids involved in work and learning programs during the summer do better on the MCAS re-test than those enrolled in a regular academic program," said Mary Kay Brown, supervisor of Springfield’s School-to-Career program. "They also gain workplace skills and see the relevance of learning when they get to put their academic skills into action." Over the course of the program, students designed mock business plans for which they were required to write mission statements, create a budget, write cover letters and résumés, and even "purchase" office furniture. All facets of the project enabled them to use what they learned in their English, language arts and math classes which, in turn, will help them on the MCAS and give them a better chance of finding gainful employment after graduation, Brown said. "This is real world application to education," said Brown. "It helps both the kids and work force development for the City. There is a need for competent employees here in Springfield when the bar is constantly being raised, and that’s what we do here. We raise the bar." - Lauren Foley Springfield News:
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