萝卜AV视频

The Promise-Keeper blog series is part of AASA's 鈥�Promise in Action鈥� back-to-school campaign, celebrating 萝卜AV视频members who are delivering on the commitments they make to their school communities through courageous decisions, transparent leadership, and student-centered action.

In St. Helena Parish, we鈥檝e never been afraid of a challenge.

In fact, we are always faced with challenges when creating access and opportunities for our learners. These obstacles force us to come together and innovate in ways that larger districts with more resources sometimes don鈥檛 have to. That鈥檚 why, when the Louisiana Department of Education rolled out its new "Grow. Achieve. Thrive." accountability system, with its heavy emphasis on career readiness, internships, and postsecondary success, we rolled up our sleeves and went to work.

To be clear, this hasn鈥檛 been easy. Small, rural districts like ours don鈥檛 have large companies down the street waiting to scoop up high school interns. We don鈥檛 have an abundance of businesses with the flexibility to hire high schoolers, let alone underage ones. We navigate transportation challenges, limited funding, and the need to build systems from the ground up. But if there鈥檚 one thing our district is known for, it鈥檚 punching above our weight.

Our promise to our school community is simple: every child will leave St. Helena College and Career Academy not only with academic knowledge, but also with experiences that prepare them for their next step in life.

What Sparked Our Internship Program

The spark came directly from the state鈥檚 new accountability system. Under "Grow. Achieve. Thrive.," internships, workforce readiness, and postsecondary experiences have become an essential part of the high school experience for our kids. That meant we had to rethink how we prepare our learners, not just for graduation, but for life after high school.

Our promise to our school community is simple: every child will leave St. Helena College and Career Academy not only with academic knowledge, but also with experiences that prepare them for their next step in life.

Forging Business Partnerships

Identifying business partners in a small town is less about choosing and more about asking鈥攕ometimes pleading. We didn鈥檛 have a long list of options, so we went to everyone who was willing to listen.

We visited with our police jury members, hospital board, nursing home, economic development board and other local businesses. We explained the accountability system, the opportunities it created for our kids, and the challenges we faced in making it a reality. And you know what? They listened. They understood the stakes and stepped up. Some could offer internships. Others helped brainstorm solutions. Each one, in their own way, made it clear that our learners鈥� futures weren鈥檛 just the school district鈥檚 responsibility, they belonged to the entire community.

Serenity鈥檚 Story

One of my favorite success stories from year one is Serenity. She interned with Flying Ghost Productions, a local company that records board meetings, games, and special activities. They gave her a camera and let her take photos during sporting events.

It may not sound like much, but for Serenity, it was life changing. She discovered she loved capturing moments through photography. Today, she鈥檚 studying photography at a local university and pursuing a career she might never have considered if not for that internship. It proves that one opportunity can ignite a passion that lasts a lifetime.

Each one, in their own way, made it clear that our learners鈥� futures weren鈥檛 just the school district鈥檚 responsibility, they belonged to the entire community.

Lessons Learned Heading Into Year Two

Now that we鈥檙e heading into year two of this program, we鈥檝e learned some important lessons:

First, we must start earlier. Placing interns takes time, especially when you鈥檙e navigating state guidelines, course scheduling, age requirements, and work hours. The sooner we begin, the smoother things go.

Second, we must do more to support our learners in developing durable skills. Teaching things like showing up on time, communicating professionally, and problem-solving are essential skills needed in the workplace.

Third, we must be crystal clear with our business partners, school staff, parents and learners about the expectations from the Louisiana Department of Education. The accountability system has specific requirements, and if we don鈥檛 communicate those clearly, we risk losing the credit our learners and district deserve for all of this hard work.

Our Promise

At the end of the day, our promise in St. Helena Parish is to keep fighting for every child. We may be small, and the odds may sometimes feel stacked against us, but we refuse to let that define us. Our learners deserve opportunities, and we will do whatever it takes to provide them.

This accountability system is a challenge, yes. But it鈥檚 also an opportunity to build stronger bridges between school and community, to show our learners what鈥檚 possible, and to remind ourselves that education is about preparing young people not just for tests, but for life. And that鈥檚 a fight we are more than ready to take on.