Residential Intern Handbook

The Community School
P.O. Box 555
Camden, Maine 04843

The intent of this handbook is to introduce future Residential interns to The Community School and the Residential Program, specifically. It describes the basic expectations of and opportunities available to future interns. By sharing insights gained over the course of the past few years, this handbook will assist you in creating an individualized internship that will be most beneficial to you and the Residential program alike.

Part I: Three Programs, One Building

Located in the small town of Camden, The Community School is the oldest state-approved, independent high school in the state of Maine. The Community School offers a relational learning program that transforms the nature of a high school education. The school provides students with the skills and the experience necessary to discover their strengths, connect with their families, practice personal responsibility, and contribute to their communities. Students with non-traditional learning styles, problematic family and social backgrounds, or a history of disengagement in conventional schools who are motivated to complete high school are welcome applicants. Three programs are offered at The Community School: Residential- a six-month live-in program; Passages - a home based teen parent program; and Outreach - a program for alumni and their families. The Residential Program is described in further detail below, while additional information regarding Passages and Outreach can be found at www.thecommunityschool.org.

The Residential Program

The Residential Program has served high school age students every year since 1973. The students come from diverse backgrounds, but they all share a similar motivation. They have all decided the traditional school system does not work for them and they have actively chosen the school for this reason. Each term, eight students live and study together in a home setting for six months, working with teachers who help them build constructive relationships on the job, in class and with each other. Residential students acquire life skills as they learn to uphold rules for group living which entail completing chores, planning and preparing meals, paying rent and engaging and resolving profound personal issues. As part of the expectation that students pay rent while living at the school, they must secure a job which helps them to acquire basic skills that are key to adult autonomy: responsibility, respect for coworkers, punctuality, and financial independence. Students are also afforded the opportunity to rediscover the joy of learning by completing self-designed academic projects, participating in monthly camping trips, and passing the exams necessary for a high school diploma.

Part II: Internships with the Residential Program

Becoming a Residential Intern

Individuals with an interest in the areas of alternative education, experiential education, secondary education, social work, and substance abuse counseling or in working with at-risk youth will find work with this student population stimulating. Whether you are pursuing an education in one of these specific fields or have developed an interest in these areas through a liberal arts course of studies, you are welcome to apply as an intern. It is expected that Residential interns be willing to tutor students one on one and in classes, to partake in informal peer and student counseling, and to share special skills or interests through the design of pre-classes. Residential internships are largely self-directed, so it is important for you to think about why you have chosen this organization and what you hope to learn from your experience here. While there are some basic guidelines and expectations, there is also plenty of room for flexibility. The following model was developed based on the experiences of former interns.

If you are interested in becoming a Residential intern, the first step is to contact the Residential Director. Send a copy of your resume, a cover letter stating your interest and any reference letters you may have to the address listed on the top of this page, attention Residential Director. Once those materials have been reviewed, you will interview with the Residential Director, either over the phone or in person. Once you have completed your interview with the Director, he or she will decide whether to invite you for a follow-up interview with the full staff. During your interview or anytime while you are working at the school, you may have questions you would like to ask of the staff. Feel free to inquire about specific limitations you will have as an intern, the feasibility of holding a part-time job while interning, how to get in touch with other alternative programs in the area and recommended books on alternative education. Upon notification that you have been accepted as an intern, one of the first things that you will be asked to do, in collaboration with your mentor, is to create an intern contract. Contracts are important at the Community School because they define specific roles and allocate responsibilities in a way that is clear and agreed upon by everyone involved. While a solid contract can serve as an extremely useful tool to turn to when chaos strikes and expectations become unclear, the intent is not to restrict or limit you. If your needs or interests change, and/or the needs or interests of the program change, work with your mentor to amend the contract.

Before you begin your contract, you should think about your expectations going into the internship. Take some time to articulate your interests, areas of expertise, and personal/academic goals. Imagine what you would like to have gained by the time you leave and try to think beyond gaining a particular teaching skill or information. Feel free to explore the different programs and determine if and how you would like to integrate parts of each into your internship. Once you have brainstormed a list of thoughts, ideas and expectations, work with your mentor to create a contract that best meets the needs of everyone involved.

What the Contract Should Contain

Logistics

The logistics section of your contract should contain the exact dates of your internship as well as your weekly schedule. How you structure your weekly schedule will depend largely on your interests and goals. Academics, for example, are held in the evenings while Jobs Class is held in the early mornings and weekly staff meetings are held most of Thursday afternoon and evening. One of the great perks of the Community School is the flexibility of its scheduling, so feel free to try things out before fully committing to a schedule. This will allow you to be present when you will be the most effective for both students and staff as well as in meeting your own personal goals. This section of the contract should also state vacation and sick day allowances, determine mileage and reimbursement arrangements, articulate the financial arrangements and whether you will be offered room and board at the school, and designate the terms of supervision (who and when).

Supervision

This section of the contract outlines the terms of your supervision while working with Residential. Like each staff member in the Residential Program, you will be assigned a mentor. This is an experienced staff person who will work with you and oversee your internship. This person will be there to answer your questions, help you plan projects, classes or events; meet with you on a regular basis; advocate for you with the rest of the staff; and generally make sure you are doing okay. Your interests and the responsibilities your internship entails will influence the extent to which you rely on various other staff members for support and guidance. Emanuel Pariser, co-founder of the Community School, is one such person who may be available to serve as an additional mentor to you during your internship. If specific questions ever arise, feel free to ask your one-to-one or any other staff member. A more formal type of evaluation at least once during the term is also recommended. Asking for an evaluation from all staff members about halfway through the term can be helpful in that you will still have ample time to put some of their comments and suggestions into practice. You may also receive outside clinical supervision, depending on your responsibilities and the extent to which you work directly with students.

Focus Areas and Goals

Here, in collaboration with your mentor, you will outline your areas of interest and expertise, as well as define clearly the list of goals for your internship.

Duties and Responsibilities

Together with your mentor you will clarify the expectations of what your duties will entail. Some expectations will be consistent for all interns: enforce school rules, procedures and policies, attend weekly staff meetings and bi-weekly all school meetings, and participate in staff retreats, conferences and trainings. Depending on your interests, your schedule and the current needs of the program, the expectations for your duties and responsibilities will vary.

The following is a description of some of the duties and responsibilities you may be asked to take on that will be determined on an individual basis. This is a great opportunity for you to brainstorm with your mentor about appropriate responsibilities that will best serve all parties involved. Generally speaking, the definition of your duties will be based on a triangular model with three basic components. First, what duties would directly benefit you, the intern, based on your goals and interests? Second, what duties would directly benefit the Residential administrative and teaching staff? And third, what duties would be mutually beneficial?

Some examples that encompass all three components include: taking part in trainings in the relational model of education, participating in discussions on alternative education and Maine education models, job shadowing staff to observe different teaching and learning styles. You may consider tutoring students during evening academic classes, supporting the staff with tasks such as chore checking in between dinner and class, helping students plan and prepare meals, helping out on Family Day, participating in consequence meetings, updating the school database, updating the internship handbook, and/or researching online job sites. Other more in-depth examples include:

Camping Trips - Weekend long camping trips are held on a monthly basis and incorporate a variety of activities from ice fishing to skiing to kayaking. You may consider assisting the camping coordinator in planning and preparing for camping trips as well as helping to facilitate the weekend.
Food Shopping - This task is generally a once a week affair that you may be asked to do alone or in collaboration with another staff member. The shopping involves making a list, checking it twice, going to the grocery store and writing all over food items, keeping food for certain meals together until it gets home, and having a charge card at Graves (the business manager will set you up), and then listening to students complain that you didn't buy something (try looking in the back of the refrigerator). This job is a lot of work, but gets you out of the house for a bit and can be fun if done properly.
Jobs Class Assistance - The person running Jobs Class will be able to tell you if they would like help or not. The specifics generally entail driving students around to pick up applications and helping them along with the job search and application process.
Pre-class - Pre-class is the half hour before class begins each night. It is a time for the students to sit down (or stand up) together and do something fun, informative, or illuminating. There may be opportunities for you to participate in pre-class and/or design activities or lead discussions on certain evenings. This is a place where you can have a lot of fun if you are creative.
Rides - This task will be a part of your schedule and will vary with the students' work schedules and, unless you do not have a driver's license, is probably not optional. Once registered under the school insurance, you may be the designated rides person for particular times and days that fit into your schedule. This is a great opportunity to chat with students on their way to and from work and let the wind through your hair when things are getting old back at the house.

Your Role at the Community School

When you first arrive at the school you may feel like a fish out of water. While you will have a mentor to help you get acquainted and answer any questions you have, you will mostly be learning by the method affectionately called 'trial by fire.' If you don't know something, ask a staff member or just observe until you get the idea. If you have a suggestion, let it be known. The school is constantly changing and a fresh, objective mind can help that process. That said, the Community School is a school and organization involving many people and minds and therefore tends to change slowly. You are here to learn and grow, and navigating the school's complex rules and traditions is a part of that.

Your role here will ultimately be defined by your personality. If you are a passionate extrovert, you may take on lots of commitments, especially involving interaction with the students. If you are the quieter type, you may observe the environment of the school until you could write a dissertation on its inner workings with your eyes closed. The former will soon learn about boundaries and limits, and the latter will quickly learn to be open and expressive among relative strangers. One of the values the Community School holds dear is flexibility, and if that doesn't come to you naturally, you will have plenty of opportunities to master it.

As an intern, your role in everyday life at the school will probably feel equal to that of the other staff members. Interns are generally not invited to vote on issues that arise in staff meetings, but are welcome to express insights and opinions during the discussion period. As an intern, you are neither staff nor student, and you must therefore strike a balance between these two roles in a way that works for you. Often you are able to connect with both students and staff in a unique manner, by virtue of the position you hold.

Part III: Program Policies and Requirements

You will have plenty of time to get acquainted with the mechanics of day-to-day life at the Community School while you are here, but the following section is intended to provide you with an overview of some of the basics. You should be given your own copy of the rules when you get here, so that you are on the same page as the students, as you will all be required to live by them. Fully understanding these rules will be important, so that you can properly uphold them when dealing with student issues. Often, there will be occasion to call students on their behavior and actions, if you know the rules and why they exist it will help both you and the students gain a mutual understanding.

Rules

There are two types of rules; inalterable rules and rules which the students can individually or collectively lobby to have altered. The inalterable rules cover areas including curfews, respect, alcohol and substance use during program time, violence and weapons. The other set of rules deals with items such as chores, music, time outs, physical contact, visitors and grounding. The enforcement of some rules, such as television use and after-curfew breaks, is left up to the discretion of the staff on duty. Rules and adjustments are continually being made, so it is difficult for anyone to remember all the details. If you are confronted with an issue and are not sure how to deal with it, refer back to the rules sheet or find a staff member for support.

Academics

The Community School approaches academics in a way that respects students' individual interests and accommodates for the demands of a full-time job. Class is held four days a week for an hour and fifteen minutes each. During that time, students work alone or with local tutors on projects of their own design. Students must demonstrate proficiency in a series of academic requirements including Literature, Math, Science, Spelling and Writing.

Graduation Requirements

In addition to passing all of their academic subjects through GED-style tests or staff evaluated projects, students must satisfy a host of other requirements. Some of these requirements include acquiring job skills and obtaining local employment for a given number of hours each week, participating in and evaluating camping trips, completing group and individual community service hours, paying weekly rent, completing nightly chores, and meeting weekly with their one-to-one. If a student is accepted to the school under certain conditions (ie: no drug use or weekly counseling), they must abide by these conditions for credit. For practice, and in some cases necessity, students are required to utilize time-outs, mediations, and negotiations. A complete list of requirements can be found on a student's outreach plan and blank copies are available in the staff office.

Part IV: Additional Information

Camden is a beautiful, small town in Mid Coast Maine. The population remains around 4,000 in the winter months and then swells to around 10,000 in the summer time. Residents flock from around the world to their Maine summer homes and vacation spots. There are a plethora of outdoor activities to amuse you year-round. From kayaking, hiking, climbing, and sailing in the summer to snow shoeing, skating, skiing and tobogganing at the town's ski hill in the winter. All throughout the year, there are many other forms of entertainment such as the Blues Festival, the Lobster Festival, the Commonground Fair, and visits to the Farnsworth Arts museum. As far as food is concerned, there are a number of great places with a fair amount of variety for such a small place. Just ask around when you get here. Everyone on staff and in town will be more than happy to introduce you to various activities in and around the Camden area.