Students, businesses partner for internships

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 June 2014 at 12:00 am

Albion students get taste of the workplace

Photo by Tom Rivers – Janie Schutz, second from left, shows a display she made about her internship with Shari Berg, a middle school special education teacher at Albion. About 50 students participated in internships in the community. They all celebrated the program on Thursday at the high school cafeteria.

ALBION – Nearly 50 Albion High School students got a taste of the workplace this school year through internships with 30 businesses and organizations in the community, including some multi-million dollar companies.

The internship program is growing and school officials believe it gives students an advantage as they plan and pursue a career.

“The students have worked hard in a variety of locations this year,” said Sue Starkweather Miller, the district’s internship coordinator. “I think they will have a step above the other students because of it.”

The district celebrated the interns and their host partners on Thursday in the high school cafeteria. Students created display boards about their internships. They spent about 90 minutes four days each week over 20 weeks with the internships.

Josh Girvin interned at Allied Builders in Brockport, working closely with Jeff Baron of Albion, the estimator for the company. He prepares bid for major construction projects, including school additions.

Josh Girvin did an internship with Allied Builders in Brockport, working closely with Jeff Baron, the estimator for the company.

Girvin wants to be a civil engineer. He said the experience with Allied Builders has him more excited about that career. He will attend Widener University near Philadelphia to major in civil engineering and compete in track.

At Allied, he read blueprints, learned about construction materials, saw how the company works with subcontractors and has so much research as it goes through the bidding process.

“It was a lot of fun,” Girvin said. “I saw how much goes into a project.”

Alise Pangrazio split her internship between United Way of Orleans County based in Medina and GCASA, which is across the street from the school in Albion.

Pangrazio is interested in working in human services. She said the internships were eye-opening. She helped track donations at United Way and was impressed by the giving spirit of the community.

The organization is working to raise $325,000 for 22 member agencies. Pangrazio was able to learn about all of those agencies. She also saw how many businesses are in the community. She created a 60-plus page list of the businesses by combining records from the eastern and western Orleans United Way organizations. They recently merged into a single county United Way.

“I didn’t think there was so much here,” Pangrazio said about all of the companies and also the agencies in the community. “It’s great to see we have so many businesses.”

Alise Pangrazio split an internship with Lisa Ireland, left, from the United Way of Orleans County and Patricia Crowley of the GCASA.

Lisa Ireland, the executive director of the United Way, said Pangrazio’s work was helpful to the United Way, which only has two employees.

“She is absolutely a part of our team,” Ireland said.

Pangrazio also spent two days a week with the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, working with prevention educator Patricia Crowley. They planned a town-wide meeting on underage drinking in Medina, teamed with the High School Honor Society for a food giveaway at GCASA, and placed stickers warning about underage tobacco use at retailers in Albion and Holley.

“We try to make it hands-on,” Crowley said about the internship program. “It’s all about getting them out into the community.”

Pangrazio will major in general studies at Genesee Community College. At first she was considering a major in psychology, but wants to work in human services.

“I just like to help people, anything I can do to make their life a little better,” she said.

Albion senior Ben Kirby interned with the school’s tech support department. He was tasked with developing a computer program that would scan student ID cards.

Kirby said the experience was confirmation he wants to pursue computer programming in college and as a career. He will attend Monroe Community College and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Renee Ebbs interned with the Olde Dogge Inn. She answered phones, fed animals and worked with customers. She wants to be a vet tech.

Students with internships include Connor Barleben, Vjosa Bela, Jarod Biemans, Kayla Breeze, Dylan Burkhardt, Brooke Chandler, Rachel Corke, Julissa Curcie, Mitchell DeSmit, Bradlee Driesel, Renee Ebbs, Lydia Erakare, Sabrina Finzer, Kyle Frasier, Mark Gibson, Joshua Girvin, Yasmin Gutierrez Apaez, Justyn Haines, Tierra Hastings, Emily Joslyn, Benjamin Kirby, Johnathan Krieger, Ashley Leis, Taylor Mager, Johaneliz Martinez Tinoco, Michelle Maxwell, Summer Moore, Sierra Morgan, Zachary Neilans, Alise Pangrazio, Kendall Piccirilli, Rebekkah Piedmont, Joshua Raymond, Jenna Reigle, Janie Schutz, Jasmine Scurry, Becca Sills, Arrianna Smith, Jasmyn Smith, Martha Smith, Steven Stauss, Nathanael Sugar, Christopher Taber, Garrett Van Lieshout, Johnathan Warne, Ashley Weigele and Shannan Wells.

The following businesses and organizations hosted interns:

Agape Physical Therapy in Brockport, Advanced Imaging in Batavia, Albion Central School staff, Albion Police Department, Allied Builders in Brockport, Avanti Pizza, Bentley Brothers, CRFS (IT Department), Country Lane Veterinary Services, D & K Auto Body Repair, GCASA, Dr. Karl Heuer DDS, Hoag Library, Keeler Construction Company, LaBella Associates, Little Leapers, Mark’s Pizzeria, Medina Fire Department, Medina Memorial Hospital (Imaging Department), Monroe Tractor in Batavia, Olde Dogge Inn, Orleans Community Health (Physical Therapy Department), Orleans County DSS (Welfare Fraud Department), Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, Relco Systems in Lockport, Sodexho, Saint-Gobain Adfors, Villages of Orleans (social work, dietary and laundry departments), United Way of Orleans County and YMCA Eagle’s Pride Daycare.