NHS Career Center In Search Of Community Volunteers

By Eliza Hallabeck

Between internships, career shadow placements, and Junior/Senior Projects, Peg Ragaini and Kitty Latowicki in Newtown High School’s Career Center said the school needs about 80 to 120 community volunteers each school year to help provide students opportunities to expand their learning experience.

Each program, whether it is completing a 30-hour internship, shadowing a career professional in the area for one day, or being a mentor to a student as he or she completes a Junior/Senior project, helps students expand their knowledge of a potential field of study, according to Ms Latowicki.

“We have people who come in to speak to classes,” said Ms Ragaini.

“We’ve done field trips,” said Ms Latowicki, continuing to list volunteer possibilities for local professionals.

With the start of the 2010-2011 school year on Wednesday, September 1, both Ms Latowicki and Ms Ragaini said volunteers are now to create a list of possible opportunities for students to pursue during the course of the school year. Ms Latowicki said engineers and artists, of all specialties, are most needed at the moment.

Ms Ragaini said some of the most recent internships where students have excelled have been shadowing teachers in the school district.

“The opportunities in teaching,” said Ms Ragaini, “through the public schools are really important for the students, because it is such a different experience being on the other side of a classroom. And it helps the student gain that experience before they start the necessary education.”

Another area where community volunteers are needed, according to Ms Latowicki, is special dducation, a field that can be difficult to find volunteers due to the extra paperwork required.

One successful internship for students each year has been working with Danbury photographer Laurie Klein, who helps students shoot photos and prepare a combined photography exhibit with other interns at the end of the position, according to Ms Ragaini.

NHS student Julia Theaman said she had a successful internship last school year.

“As a high school student I knew I wanted to prepare myself to enter the medical field,” said Julia. “I just wasn’t exactly sure where.”

Julia said when she entered the NHS Career Center, Ms Ragaini was helpful and signed her up for both an internship with Dermatology of Danbury Dr William Notaro and for an EMT class.

“I am now a certified EMT and volunteer at Newtown Ambulance,” said Julia. “And I love it.”

She had considered dermatology before, and her internship with Dr Notaro really helped her discover more about it, she said.

“Even though I have decided that I definitely do not want to go into dermatology, it was a very awarding experience,” Julia said. “The experience opened me to new connections outside of and inside of Danbury Hospital, and it’s getting me out in the career field at a younger age showing possible future employers my dedication.”

Since her internship placement, Julia said she continues to visit Ms Ragaini in the Career Center for help.

Anyone interested in working with the NHS Career Center to provide opportunities for students can contact Ms Latowicki at latowickik@newtown.k12.ct.us, or Ms Ragaini at ragainip@newtown.k12.ct.us.