Apponequet students get new internship and business courses this year

LAKEVILLE – As Apponequet Regional High School students return to class on Wednesday, Sept. 2, they’ll have many new opportunities to figure out the futures they want.

The school is providing pathways for students to take internships and take hands-on classes in different fields this upcoming year.

Principal Kahlan Dessert said this is the first year providing an internship class for students. “Ideally we’re providing opportunities for our students to get out into the workforce and do some job shadowing,” Dessert said.

Inside the building, students can now take business courses as part of a new Innovative Career Pathway. Dessert said enrollment in those courses are already high.

The school is offering an Innovative Career Pathway for healthcare for the second year in a row. This year, the school has an entire room dedicated to healthcare with a hospital bed to allow students to practice skills in the building.

Dessert said that staffing changes due to budget cuts in the Freetown-Lakeville School District will constrain the schedule. She said that some students may not be able to get their first choice for electives and fewer sections of some courses may be offered.

“We expect challenges but we’re trying to accept those,” Director of Curriculum and Learning Teri Fleming said. She and Dessert said the school continues to perform well in athletics and academics despite the cuts.

“We’re looking forward to doing our best to provide the best learning environment to our students as possible,” Dessert said.