Building more than a résumé

When the small staff of computer backup data company 3X Systems brings a high school intern on board, they expect a lot from that person. Like help improving their customer service, formal research that may inform their future business decisions, even programming that will help  improve the quality of their products.

“But only if the student is from Metro.”

Metro’s approach to community partnerships is decidedly different from the route high schools have traditionally taken. Rather than treating internships as something that companies may want to do as an act community goodwill, Metro aggressively seeks out ways that its STEM curriculum can provide something of concrete value to businesses and organizations that are willing to mentor its students.

Over the course of his trimester-long internship, Metro student Matthew Peterman spent time at 3X testing their data appliances. He even created a new way to test them more rigorously to ensure their quality, which the company plans to continue to use.

Peterman also researched and rated multiple software options that the small company will use to improve its system for customer support. He also explored and tested the best software environments for the company to begin to develop a Macintosh platform.

“I really enjoyed working in the smaller, relaxed environment,” Peterman told the group at his internship exhibition, as he considered what size and type of workplace he’d like to work in eventually. “I got to see all parts of the company. It’s sort of nice to have the CEO two desks over so you’re all working together as a team.”

Featured Post

“There’s a high school on campus?”

You probably have to be looking for the signs in order to see them. Planted at the edges of a parking lot that surrounds what looks like an average one-story office building, the words “Metro High School” could just as easily advertise a doctor’s office or an unidentifiable business with words like “solutions” or “enterprise” in its name. You would also have to be particularly observant to realize that even though you're on a college campus most of the students who file in and out of the building's tall glass doors aren’t yet old enough to drive. (Click the post title for more.)

Asides

• Ohio State's onCampus has written about four Metro students since they entered the school in 2006. In this story, they reflect on how they have changed over the past three and a half years and their future plans.
• Here is coverage from the Columbus Dispatch about how Ohio's budget cuts have significantly affected Metro.
• For the third year in a row, KnowledgeWorks has earned a communications award from the Council on Foundations for its 2008 storytelling project,  Every Student Deserves a Legacy, including "From First Day to First Graduates"  by the author of Metro School Stories. One judge's comments said that the publications were "well written, informative and reveal the compassion and dedication of the educators" while another called them  "outstanding. Beautifully written, simply designed, relevant and compelling content."
• Metro School Stories is on Twitter! Be sure to follow  @MetroStories for updates.
• Metro Early College High School and Chinese teacher Pinpin Peng received the first Chinese American International School (CAIS) Institute Award of Innovation. The new award is "intended to promote Chinese programs that have designed and integrated innovative ideas and models to maximize language proficiency and academic achievement," and was presented at the Chinese Education Conference in San Francisco on March 13.