Information for Potential Mentors

Thank you for your interest in mentoring a high school student. We have been developing this ‘Real World Learning’ program over the past 10 years. Every year we find that our pool of mentors grows, our program strengthens, and our students and staff are rewarded in unexpected ways.

In addition to learning new skills, participating in a workplace environment, and pursuing a career path, there is inherent value in the relationships that form as a result of an internship. Meaningful relationships generate feelings of belonging and motivation in students.

Our goal is to place students with supportive adults who have an interest in sharing their time and knowledge with young adults. We are fortunate to have the Internship program as a central aspect of our educational approach, requiring every student to have an internship.

The role of a mentor could include providing resources and support to help develop career interests, fostering essential skills in communication, problem-solving, time management, and interpersonal skills, and just generally being a role model and trusted adult.

We strive to maintain regular communication with our mentors and support them as needed.  Because each student, mentor, and internship structure are unique, mentors can expect personal communication from the student’s advisor and the internship coordinator. 

Wednesdays are our designated internship day

The idea is that all 40 of our students will be engaged in their internship on this day of the week during school hours (generally between 9-3). We are flexible and welcome you to share your ideas, hopes or limitations.

A few nuts and bolts

Communication expectations: Students are responsible for being in regular communication with their mentor, based on the mentor's preferred means (email or text). It is important and required that all communication includes a school staff member on the text or email. Students must give advance notice if they have a planned absence on the day of their internship.

Exhibitions: Student exhibitions at the ILC are a public presentation where students showcase their learning and growth to an audience of teachers, parents, peers, and community mentors. It is a form of authentic assessment that replaces traditional exams, focusing on a student's individual learning plan, their progress in internships, and the development of real-world skills like critical thinking and public speaking. Students prepare for exhibitions by organizing their work, creating visuals, and practicing their presentations to receive feedback and demonstrate their knowledge and achievements.  It's also a great way to get to know your student better and hear more about the context of all the school and project work they're engaged in.

ImBlaze: This is a school based app that allows students to track their internship hours. They use the app to sign in when they arrive at their internship site and then to sign out upon leaving. These are the only times a student should be using their phones while at their internship, unless they want to take a photo for use in their exhibition. Mentors will get an email each week that details hours reported for approval.