When Brooke Robertson moved to Rapid City from Papillion, Neb., in February, she wasn't expecting an internship through Rapid City Stevens High School to help her make the transition into her new community, but that's what happened.

"Moving in the middle of a person's freshman year of high school isn't great, but Learn and Serve helped me understand Rapid City, fit into the community and get a summer job when I didn't know that many people," she said.

Brooke, who has wanted to be an elementary school teacher since she was in the sixth grade, interned at Westside Preschool and Daycare and Story Book Island during the second semester of 2008.

"After I moved here, I found out I needed an extra class, and I picked Learn and Serve," she said. "I really loved it, and Ms. Lorenz helped me a lot. She was my 'go-to' person."

Brooke said that she met with Joyce Lorenz, the Partnership Rapid City internship coordinator at Stevens. They did career cluster exercises to determine what her career interest areas were and then brainstormed to come up with internship possibilities.

"I was able to get in my hours during my eighth period, which was my free period," Brooke said. "I wish I could fit another one in this year, but my schedule is just too full."

The Learn and Serve America program, which has been available at the Rapid City School District's Jefferson Academy for 15 years, was introduced at Stevens and Central in January. Through this program, students are placed in businesses and nonprofit organizations to receive workplace experience. The students earn a half academic credit toward graduation while exploring different career options.

The program is related to goals set by the Partnership Rapid City community initiative, established in 2007, to help students explore potential jobs while applying academic concepts to real-life situations.

Brooke said her internship gave her a better perspective of what classroom teachers really do. "It was a great experience," she said. "I got to play with the kids, read to them, but also enforce some rules. I got to experience a little bit of what life will be like without school there. It was very hands-on."

In addition to about 12 hours spent at Westside, Brooke also spent an equal amount of time helping Storybook Island get ready for the 2008 summer season. "After my internship, I ended up with a summer job at Storybook Island as a park attendant, working concessions, maintenance, driving the train, and filling in at the gift shop," she said. "I got experience with kids there, plus I did a lot of typing and organizing - a good preparation for the paperwork side of teaching."

Brooke, who is currently a sophomore at Stevens, said she would love to do more internships and is hoping to fit another one in her senior year. "I've always wanted to teach," she said, "but now, I know for sure."

She said that the experience was one of the most beneficial in her academic life so far.

"I had pretty much figured out what I wanted to do, but Learn and Serve let me try it out," she said.

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