8th Grade Internships - Grace-St Luke's Episcopal School

Experiential 8th Grade Learning

Since the 2007-08 school year, GSL's 8th graders have each secured a 3-day business internship in the "real world" as part of their culminating year of studies. The goal of this signature GSL program is to teach students academic skills that will help them more effectively navigate the working world, including how to ask for and acquire an internship in a particular field, while helping them begin to think about professions that might be of interest to them in the future.

Ava interned at Leo Events with mentors and business owners Kevin and Cindy Brewer.

Before the internship, students are asked to:

Discern which profession they would like to pursue
Write a thorough proposal explaining why they would like this particular profession
Draft a business email to a potential mentor, inquiring for an internship position
Practice phone and email etiquette, as well as intrapersonal communication skills
Get to know their business and mentor using web research

At the internship, students are asked to:

Spend 6-8 hours per day for three days with their mentor and business in February
Dress professionally (as dictated by the business or mentor)
Be punctual and professional in their behaviors and communication
Keep a journal of what they learn while with their mentors and other workers
Be an inquisitive and active learner
Photograph their experience of their internship

After the internship, students are asked to:

Organize their journal entries, web research, and photographs
Create a science-fair style presentation board documenting their experience
Present their experience to teachers, students, and parents at an 8th Grade Internship Fair in early March
Write a handwritten thank you note to their mentor explaining what they learned

We hope you will consider hosting a Grace-St. Luke’s student in the future! If you have any questions about our program, please contact Internship Coordinator and Middle School Dean of Students Kimberly White.

Letter to Mentors

Thank you for considering serving as business mentors for GSL's 8th Grade Internship Program. This program was created to give our 8th graders a chance to use the skills they are learning in real-world settings, and to help them begin to think about possible career paths as they continue their educational journey. Our hope is that our students will develop their leadership skills and independence while applying their classroom learning to the world of work. This is a signature program for GSL, and an exceptional and innovative opportunity for our Middle School students.

Students will be graded on the steps leading up to the final product, but the final product will be evaluated by the community at large, including students, teachers, and parents. Just as in the real world of work, the evaluation will involve peers and superiors commenting on the student’s efforts. We want the students to focus more on the process of preparing for the project and completing the internship, rather than producing a final presentation for a letter grade. This is an invaluable experience for all of our students. We could not do it without your support, and we thank you!

Sincerely,
Andy Surber
Head of School

Selected businesses that have participated as mentors in recent years:

92.9 ESPN Radio	Central Animal Hospital	Martin Music	New Ballet Ensemble
98.1 The Max	Central BBQ	McEwen's Restaurant	Orpheum Theater
Alchemy Restaurant	Duncan Williams	McLaren / Fisker - San Francisco	Playhouse on the Square
All Better Pediatrics	GCD Interiors	Medtronic	Pink Palace Museum
Anna Lattimore Interior Design	HBO	Memphis Flyer	Red Door Wealth
Archer Malmo	Hemline	Memphis Grizzlies	Roadshow BMW
Archimania	Hnedak Bobo	Memphis Humane Society	Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Ardent Studios	Judge Phyllis Gardner	Memphis Magazine	Sun Studio
Baker Donelson Law	Judge Sherry Lipman	Memphis Tigers Basketball	Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
Bell Fine Art Jewelry	Le Bonheur Hospital	Memphis Zoo	Wilson Air Center
Big River Engineering	Leo Events	Montgomery Martin Contractors	WMC-TV News Channel 5
Campbell Clinic	Linkous Construction	Muddy’s Bakery