Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 7, 1993 TAG: 9304070119
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL INTERNSHIPS GET GOOD MARKS
An internship program set up for students at the Southwest Virginia Governor's School is working even better than expected, the school's director said Tuesday.Margaret Duncan told the school's board that 67 of the school's 69 students had been placed with mentors from the business communities throughout the school's service area.
The program, being tried here for the first time, got under way last month.
Students go on the job during certain hours each week with mentors ranging from 9th District Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, and people in various departments at area universities to doctors, veterinarians, engineers and officials at industries, including Magnox, Volvo-GM Heavy Truck Corp. and Hoechst-Celanese Corp.
Students are being required to keep logs of their activities, and one student wrote that she believed she had learned more in one day with Dr. Yung C. Chan at Pulaski Community Hospital than she would in a day of medical school.
She said he not only bought her breakfast at the start of that day but explained the digestive system to her while they ate.
Duncan said students already are asking if the Easter holidays mean they will not have their internship day this week.
"They want to know if they can go to their mentors Friday."
Teams from the state Department of Education are evaluating the academic year programs at Virginia's governor's schools this year. An evaluation team will visit the Southwest Virginia Governor's School April 28 and 29, Duncan said.
Duncan and the school staff will meet April 20 with incoming juniors for next fall. She will outline what they need to do to prepare for a preschool trip to Wallops Island to do some research projects like they will be doing at the school during 1993-94.