Staples High School
Senior Internship Program (SIP)
Dear Rising Seniors,
June 12, 2015
Now that your junior year is coming to a close and the anticipation of your senior year at SHS begins, I would like to
introduce to you the Staples High School Senior Internship Program (SIP) and explain how it works in more detail - now
that it is your turn as a rising senior!
In addition, I would like to introduce Mrs. Michelle Howard and Mrs. Denise Pearl who will be working with me, starting in
August, as they transition into the role of the future Internship Coordinators.
Here are the details – please read through entirely – there is a lot of info!
If you decide that you would like to participate in SIP, you have the option of
 finding your own internship (between now and mid-December) OR
 choosing from SIP’s list of over 300+ internships (between mid-December and mid- January)
Students who choose not to participate in SIP will continue to attend classes at SHS, completing homework and other
assignments, until the end of school year.
If you have a particular internship experience in mind, this summer would be an ideal time to research it on your own.
While it is possible to research an internship site this fall, you are encouraged to research one this summer as the fall is a
busy time for seniors! If you are considering finding an internship site on your own, PLEASE FIRST send an email to
shsinternship@westport.k12.ct.us to determine if the site already participates in our program.
Once you receive the go-ahead, you will need to collect the following information from your contact at the potential site:
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Company name and address
Contact name, phone number and address
Submitting the above information will imply that:
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you have had conversations with this site
this site is interested in participating in SIP
you want to intern at this site.
For your safety, new sites will be vetted, ensuring they understand and accept our program requirements. Please note,
there is no guarantee that you will be granted the internship there, but we will do our best to satisfy your request.
All seniors and their parents should be aware of the following:
1. The SHS Senior Internship Program for Spring 2016 will run for four (4) to five (5) weeks
depending on the school calendar.
2. The SHS Senior Internship Program for Spring 2016 will tentatively start on Monday, May 16, 2016 and will
tentatively end during the week of June 6th or the week of June 13th depending on the number of
snow/emergency days used during the school year. Exact dates will be determined on or near April 1, 2016.
3. Interns will work an average of 5 hours a day/25 hours per week (does not include lunch or commute time) over
the course of the program.
4. Work as an intern is UNPAID.
5. One may not intern at a site where one is presently employed.
6. One may not work at a company owned or operated by an immediate family member or work with an
immediate family member.
Staples HS Seniors will be eligible to participate in the Senior Internship Program if they meet the following criteria:
1. Student has not exceeded 17.5 absences in a full-year course, 7.5 absences in a second semester course, OR
has had credit restored by the Principal.
2. Student has satisfactorily met all credit requirements for graduation.
3. Student has met all civic and social expectations of the school:
a. First semester suspensions will be reviewed by the Principal.
b. There shall be no suspensions (OSS and/or ISS) second semester.
c. There shall be no academic integrity violations second semester. A review of first semester violations
may be taken into consideration.
d. There shall be no arrests during the senior year. If the student is participating in the Internship Program
at the time of the arrest, the internship will be terminated and the student will be required to return to
school as a full-time student. The arrest will be reviewed by the Administration to determine further
disciplinary action.
e. There shall be no expulsions at any time during the senior year.
4. Endorsement from Assistant Principal, school counselor and parent.
5. Must be covered by health and auto insurance (auto insurance if driving to, during and from internship site).
6. All accountabilities have been settled prior to the start of the Internship.
In the meantime you can also view the homepage of our website at www.staplesinternship.com. As of now, the
information pertains to this year’s Senior Internship Program. Later in the summer, you will have the opportunity to
register an account at www.staplesinternship.com ...look for an email in your school gmail account from:
Staples HS Sr Internship Program <shsinternship@westport.k12.ct.us>
Again, if you are interested in finding your own internship site or if you have any other questions at all, please send an
email to shsinternship@westport.k12.ct.us .
Good luck on the rest of your final exams and enjoy your summer! We look forward to working with you as you begin
your senior year at Staples.
Thanks,
Mrs. Lee Saveliff
Internship Coordinator
Mrs. Michelle Howard
Internship Coordinator – in Training
Mrs. Denise Pearl
Internship Coordinator – in Training