SoundWaters, the Stamford-based environmental education organization, has welcomed seven High School seniors from Greenwich High School for its spring internship program. Lily Ornstein, Teddy Stedem, Sophie Jaeger, Jordan Bowbeer, Kyle Goeller, Saskia Phillips and Jonathan Buckingham are working for five weeks at the organization’s Coastal Education Center at Cove Island Park in Stamford. The Greenwich contingent is part of a larger group of spring interns from several area high schools who, instead of attending classes for the final weeks of their high school careers, work in internships to experience a real-world business environment.
At SoundWaters, the interns from Greenwich are working every day alongside and under the guidance of SoundWaters professional educators, teaching the science of Long Island Sound to pre-school, elementary and middle school students from schools across the region. They are helping students in a classroom and lab setting, but also on the beach and in boats on Holly Pond where their young students do their field work. Over the five week period of their internship, they will work with over 1900 students.
“SoundWaters is an amazing organization and I am lucky to have this internship. I get to work outside around the water with kids and help them learn about Long Island Sound and how to protect the environment,” said Teddy Stedem, who will be attending Indiana University in the fall. “I enjoy helping the students, and I’m also learning a lot about Long Island Sound myself and how a non-profit works,” Stedem added.
“The SoundWaters High School Internship Program is a model for professional development and environmental stewardship. Our interns develop their job and leadership skills on a daily basis as they perform scientific experiments, aquarium maintenance and assist with our STEM programs, reaching over 100 students each day. The SoundWaters intern program is a powerful learning experience,” said Christina Genz, SoundWaters Director of Education.
