Liberty High School is in the process of implementing a new internship program for its students. New Principal Kimberly Lewis provided an update on the process at Thursday’s school board meeting.

Lewis’ presentation was introduced by Dr. Leslie Beatson, assistant superintendent of educational services, who said the district has been exploring new opportunities for students at Benicia’s alternative high school.

“A couple of years ago, we started thinking about, ‘How do we continue to provide amazing experiences for our students over at Liberty?’” Beatson said. “‘What is it that our students at Liberty really need from us, beyond getting across the stage at graduation?’”

Beatson said the answer came a year and a half ago when Benicia Unified School District staff visited a school in Fresno that had its own internship program as part of Big Picture Learning.

“It integrates several best practices, one being internships where students do on-the-job learning and get school credit for that,” she said.

Since then, the district has been working to develop such a program at Liberty, which has been expedited since Lewis was named as the principal at the start of the year.

“When I first took this job, they said ‘Oh, by the way, there’s an internship (program)’” Lewis said. “I dove into it. I really wanted to ask questions like ‘What is Big Picture Learning?,’ ‘What is it for?’”

Lewis sat down with Liberty teachers to examine why the school was implementing a program. The general response was that the diploma students receive is important, but the school could do more to prepare students for life after graduation.

Lewis said the goals included giving students “21st-century skills, putting them into real-life learning settings that are beyond the classroom and most importantly, giving them choices.”

“If you don’t want to do the college path, you can do a career path,” she said.

Lewis became sold on the program after a teacher told her, “Keeping the student in the center of this work drives us.”

Lewis said the program was student-driven and would provide three paths, all of which would engage students in exploring their interests and planning careers. The first path is focused on students who just want to recover credits to return to a comprehensive high school or graduate early. The second is a restructuring of Tuesdays and Thursdays as Advisory days to allow students to develop 21st-century skills to join the program and take part in Project-Based Learning to connect their goals with their academic work and future jobs. The third path is for students fully implemented in the program where pupils, with the help of their advisers, connect PBL lessons to their desired work environment. Interns are placed with a community partner based on their interests. Among the top partners are Arts Benicia, Benicia Public Library, BUSD and the Rotary Club.

“The community is absolutely amazing here in how they reach out to my Liberty kids,” Lewis said.

Additionally, interns are required to complete a portfolio which consists of items ranging from journal entries to collaborative projects to entry and exit interviews.

“When they walk away from this internship, they can say ‘This is what I’m able to do,’” Lewis said.

Lewis noted that Liberty was in contact with financial auditors to ensure that instructional minutes are correct. Liability and insurance are also being addressed. She hopes to launch the program next semester.

Trustee Stacy Holguin asked what the current enrollment is at Liberty and how many were involved with the internship program. Lewis said there are 74 students enrolled at Liberty, and all are involved with the internship project. Students would need to pitch why they would want to be a part of the program.

“My goal would probably be maybe 15, 20 positions,” she said. “There’s strict academic and behavior qualifications that the students have to adhere to.”

Trustee Celeste Monnette asked what would be needed for more students to participate. Lewis said it would likely be additional spaces. She is talking with groups like the Chamber of Commerce and Soroptimist International about additional possibilities.

President Diane Ferrucci asked if Valero Benicia Refinery could be a partner. Lewis said that although Valero representatives can come to Liberty for career presentations, there are Occupational Safety and Health Administration restrictions for youth at sites like Valero.

Lewis wants the project to be beneficial to students.

“Our hope for this internship project is that it gives our students a sense of belonging and purpose, that they can plan beyond life past high school,” she said.

In other business, the school board unanimously approved an amended contract between BUSD and Superintendent Dr. Charles Young through 2022. The board also highlighted the work being done by technology integration coach Alberto Barcenas at the elementary and middle school levels.

The regularly scheduled board meeting for Oct. 4 has been canceled due to scheduling conflicts. The board may schedule a special meeting for later, but the next regularly scheduled meeting will be Thursday, Oct. 18.